"The leader is one who, out of the clutter, brings simplicity … out of discord, harmony … and out of difficulty, opportunity." - Albert Einstein
A great leader, whether born or made is one who inspires the team to achieve a common goal.
While researching about this topic from articles, quotes, statistical research and interviews with leaders, I realized that nothing much has changed in terms of the most important qualities and competencies leaders should have to be successful.
Although, priorities may change in order based on World Economic Forum which was posted in our previous blog.
COVID-19 has brought a lot of changes, difficulty and opportunities in the way we work and serve our customers. This highlights importance of leading remotely and we believe that the Top 3 Leadership Skills (or Qualities) which will equip us to come out stronger together in this situation are:
PPE, not the usual personal protective equipment that the frontliners need but rather Passion, Purpose and Empathy. Leaders who are passionate with what they do have high energy because they just love what they do. They believe in their ideas and purpose which motivates their employees to go the extra mile. Now more than ever, empathy is a powerful tool to connect and understand employees. Being able to create brave spaces to build trust, learn and empower the team will be most important factor in high-performing teams.
In a survey by Sunny Giles, published in HBR says 195 leaders in 15 countries, six of the top 10 leadership competencies rated by participants involved communication. According to Coach Ina in our previous training on Coaching During Turbulent Times the core coaching skills of listening and asking powerful questions will be critical for leaders to help their team who are conflicted, stuck, and stressed. In another session with Mark Stuart, he shared the importance of building Virtual Presentation Skills with most meetings transitioning to online, there has never been a more important time to learn how to present using online tools. Finally, Stu Lloyd shared with us several techniques on how to help leaders align and inspire through stories.
Over 60% of CHROs say that developing their current and future leadership is a top priority in 2020. This includes building critical skills and competencies for the organization. Implementing organizational design and change management will be of high importance, too. In our previous session with Ed Flores, most participants agreed how Lean Six Sigma could be the best problem-solving methodology to reduce cost & increase profitability. Continuous learning and improvement is key to ensure leaders will have the ability, adaptability and agility to stay relevant and future-ready.
As most of you are in the midst of Strategic and Business Planning, do let us know how we can support you to implement your strategies in 2021 and beyond.
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