New ways to lead in a new world

Leadership has always required a delicate balance of skills, but profound technological and cultural changes have fundamentally altered what it means to be an effective leader today. 
 

For a long time, the transformation from a more autocratic leadership model, focused on command and control, has been giving way to a more collaborative, empowering, and human-centric system. 

 
However, technological, commercial, and organisational innovations have accelerated this transition even more in the past five years. 

 
The COVID-19 pandemic played a significant role in speeding up the process. Cloud computing, the widespread use of applications and artificial intelligence are all enabling these changes. 

 
There are also significant cultural shifts, with evolving expectations about companies' roles and the demand for a more sustainable economy, alongside a much higher awareness of mental health issues. 

 
These changes haven't completely invalidated some traditional leadership qualities, but they've added new dimensions and tools to the leaders' toolbox. 

 
Key traits and new ways to apply them 

 
From a long-term perspective, the meaning of leadership has transformed drastically. 

In the 20th century, the concept of a leader was significantly derived from military institutions or events like the Second World War. Think of Winston Churchill or Franklin D. Roosevelt, two men who typically appear on any list of the most important leaders of the 1900s and have significantly influenced business leaders' views. 

 
These leaders were expected to be strong and consistent, able to command "the troops," and give directives to be followed. They were expected to have significant expertise in their fields, provide the answers and demonstrate certainty. Doubt or vulnerabilities were never part of the role. 

 
Of course, this is a broad characterisation, and we could point out several leaders who never acted according to this mould, but the influence of these ideas is easy to spot even today. 

 
Fortunately, we've recognised that military metaphors usually don't translate well to markets and jobs, which are not zero-sum and very rarely about life and death. 

 
New ways to lead in a new world 

 
Although some leadership characteristics never go out of fashion, like strategic thinking, excellent communication, integrity, and the ability to motivate others, some of the core traits that make leaders successful today have changed. 

 
More than demonstrating certainty, they must be able to admit and thrive in uncertainty by being flexible and adaptable. They need to know when to abandon ideas and pivot strategies in response to changes. It's not about constantly changing your mind but being open enough to see the evidence and accept adaptation. 

 
Strategic thinking has always been a critical part of leadership, but it was usually based on a profound technical knowledge of a particular field. Technical ability typically trumped vision because great operations were a good way to stay competitive. 

 
The pace of innovation has turned the table and made strategic vision fundamental, as many leaders are now disrupting or creating entirely new markets, not only improving existing ones. 

 
Emotional intelligence and the capacity to collaborate have also become more central, as leaders are increasingly unable to fully understand the complexity of their businesses and markets, let alone the economies and global trends.

 
Hybrid environments 

 
Contrary to most beliefs, the rise of artificial intelligence will likely make human-centric approaches more critical. Businesses will need workers who can extract the best of AI. 

This collaboration between humans and machines will make it really powerful. But to scale, it won't be enough for individuals to collaborate with the robots; they will have to collaborate more with each other too, and leaders who promote integration will have better results. 

 
To make this a reality, one of the biggest challenges is to create work environments that can, at the same time, be psychologically safe and allow for risk-taking but also value accountability and results. It's not easy to create workplaces combining these dimensions and leaders who will be in high demand. 

 
Open to change and learning 

However, the most important transition leaders must internalise is that the concept of the all-knowing manager who doesn't make mistakes, has more certainty than doubts and never shows vulnerability doesn't belong to the 21st century. 

Leaders still need to have some degree of certainty and take responsibility, evidently. However, there is a need to openly acknowledge the learning journey, show vulnerability, and be genuinely open to feedback. 

 
Anyone in a position of command will also need to fully embrace the idea of continual learning as part of their work, not something they do only when they have some extra time. 

The most successful leaders will be those who actively seek out varied learning opportunities, recognising that leadership development is a never-ending process. Their success will increasingly depend on it.