Leading in 2024: The Big Change
If, like me, you are interested in Leadership you will have heard all the latest buzz words and theories about Leadership and Organisations. A quick google will show you what is currently at the top of the list.
As always some of these trends are not new, but there are changes to how we work that are maturing and are starting to challenge leaders more and more.
Six years (or so) ago I was doing a lot of thinking about how technology and access to information have a created a very different world for many of us. The conversation then was all about the development of tribes – people who are associated by a common interest – often a very niche interest – but can now connect through technology and become a group. This created the ability to market to people in a very specific way, tapping into their interests in a very relevant fashion that makes them feel known. ‘Show me you know me’ was, and is, the mantra.
So what has this to do with leadership? During this period I was attending lots of conferences about technology, marketing and leadership (my three things!). The conversation was increasingly turning towards the impact that this new world was having on our workplace and our teams.
One of the sessions was led by a Harvard Professor who talked about the way Millennials interact with knowledge and the impact this has on the way they work. The expressions that stick in my mind from that session were self-seeking and self-learning (of course I am paraphrasing and applying bias to make my point!) As I remember, this is the idea that millennials seek information themselves and get information from multiple sources, and as a result they go to the best source for the information. This challenges hierarchy within in an organisation. If the CFO is the best person to ask about a budget or a business case then that’s the person to ask, a new idea to generate revenue – go straight to the CMO to get some information to help, and so on. I believe that this changing approach to work and hierarchy has been accelerated by our experiences during Covid and the rapid change to remote and hybrid working across most organisations. I know I have experienced this change in behaviour as I am sure many of us have.
In essence an organisation needs to say a lot more than, ‘we do it that way because we do it that way’ to engage with their people. Money and progression don’t stop being important. but many other motivating factors, and the ability to move around quicker without causing a stir are also impacting retentionary measures that leaders need to consider. Fast forward to a breakfast session a couple of weeks ago where some of Ireland’s leading sports people talked about high performance. I was struck by the contrasting approaches of the panellists, some full of theory and ideas – others much more down to earth and direct in their thinking. Everyone had a story about how, what and when significant moments happened that helped them along their way. Despite their different journeys, one single commonality was clear - an absolute desire and a single purpose to succeed.
It all began with the purpose, and their purpose was clear, to win at the highest level in their sport. That could be an Olympic Medal, Qualifying for the Olympics or winning an All Ireland. Everything begins with purpose, the clarity of what and why is vital, especially when we have disparate and diverse teams. But equally important for leaders is how we help our people find their way and grow. In the examples at the breakfast event, it was interesting how the athletes talked about these different moments.
I was struck by how even the most motivated and driven individuals reacted to very different approaches and whilst it was a small sample the difference was clear. Some surrounded themselves with incredible teams of experts to support their development in every area. They all tried to stay grounded. A strengths-based approach prevailed.
Twenty years ago, the approach to driving high performance was to highlight the individual inadequacy first, then demonstrate the shortcoming and the gap before showing how to close that gap. Whilst this could be a very successful approach it was brutal and created a survival of the fittest culture. We can celebrate the successful few, the stories of those who fell by the wayside will be very different.
An individual sport that occasionally brings people together in a team was also discussed. The key challenge was to help athletes’ who normally compete against each other work together as a team. The whole dynamic changed when the coach organised their meals together and they shared their stories and got to know each other as people, recently that team came fifth in the world championship!
The key lessons we can take from this into the different workplace we face today, following the rapid growth of remote and hybrid working along with ongoing digitisation means that our teams are increasingly working as individuals which makes creating a sense of team and alignment a very different challenge to the days of a fully office based team. The modern work force, their experiences and expectations, their thirst for knowledge, their freedom to move roles and companies the role of leaders, everything has become very different. But we still need to strive to create a sense of togetherness, of shared purpose and a team dynamic.
Creating a shared purpose is the first step, what do we do and why do we do it. Aligning our personal values with those of the organisation and the people around us is enables us to be our best self (another common phrase for the Breakfast session). However, we have to be very aware that not everyone is motivated in the same way, whilst we might align to the objective, we won’t all take the same route.
One of the key trends of 2024 (Forbes) is the importance of Emotional Intelligence to leaders, this skill requires a leader to emotionally understand themselves as well as those around them. This creates a positive environment for all. Whilst we all have different levels of EI it is a skill that can be learned, and techniques can be applied to help develop it. The constant rise of digitisation, the impact of hybrid and home working and the changing expectations and experiences of the work force will continue to challenge leaders in all walks of life, leaders who spend time developing their Emotional Intelligence will be well placed to embrace these challenges and excel.
After all, whilst so much changes the fact that leadership is always about the people remains as true today as it did 35 years ago.
