As we travel through unprecedented times, multiple authors provide checklists for leaders. They recommend mindsets and behaviours. The lists are long and may tempt us to focus on those we are missing. Instead, it might be more fruitful to understand our strengths and how we can deploy them appropriately. We can collaborate with other people whose strengths complement our own.
In January, MITSloan Management Review published research into the future of leadership entitled The New Leadership Playbook for the Digital Era. Defining leadership behaviours as eroding, enduring and emerging, the 24 behaviours reinforce the long term trend away from a planned and directive style towards an emergent and empowered approach. The research highlights the importance of developing the mindsets in which leadership is shared and individuals think like producers, investors, connectors and explorers to succeed in the digital economy.
In March, Eric McNulty writing for Strategy + Business urged that we put away the cape and tights of superheroes and focus on human behaviours. He recommended expressing genuine concern for those affected and creating the space and climate where collaboration, compassion and service are rewarded. Navigating with your moral compass and ensuring that values and ethics inform your decisions will engage those around you. His warning about avoiding decision fatigue is a powerful reminder that we need to take care of ourselves.
In June, Cappfinity CEO Alex Linley reminded us of the importance of listening to our whispered voice in order to understand our strengths.
“It is this combination of doing something well, something we are good at and that also being something we enjoy, that is energizing, something that we love to do, that is the authentic essence of a strength”.
Leading in these challenging times requires Situational Intelligence and energy. It is easy to become exhausted balancing multiple conflicting demands on our time and attention. This advice might help us make more time to do those things that make our hearts sing:
Making time to recharge our batteries is important.
Understanding our own strengths will enable us to deploy them effectively.
Focusing on our achievements together will enable us to build resilience.