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As we lead our way into the last year of the decade, a quick look back will tell you exciting things are ahead. But, how do leaders navigate the rapid speed of massive and constant change? One step at a time, as always. Yet, in this New Year and those still to come, there are trends changing the way leaders get things done. There are shifts in focus required and tips for leaders who endeavor to become better. Employ these top ten tips for better leadership and take on the newly added Become a Better Leader challenge as a new Monday Moment 2019 addition.
1. Work with the Generations
Multiple generation training for leaders will still be offered, but the time for complaining about millennials has ended. The Gen Z workforce is now employed and working with them and others is imperative. Learn to accept all generations. Note how Gen X tends to align with their grandparents and Gen Z shares a more boomer mindset than Millennials.
2. Be Truly Inclusive and Diverse
Diversity programs have explained the concepts and we’ve been given numerous opportunities to practice our acceptance of varying diversities. The coming years will show less tolerance of anything other than acceptance of not only color, creed, and religion, but also neuro diversity and other emerging concepts. Get comfortable with different.
3. Handle Harassment with Common Sense
Another zero-tolerance area being led by newsworthy organizations is the concept of sexual harassment. The words ‘if you see something, say something’ now extend well beyond the airport and into your office, yet handle each situation with clarity, communication and common sense. This need not be the new way tricky employees work the system, though ignoring any and all complaints is no longer an option for leadership.
4. Amplify Your Humanity
With Artificial Intelligence and drones populating more and more offices and so called ‘customer service” options, being a leader who is human is becoming a greater asset. Develop your people skills quickly. Make them a focus and become comfortable being real, authentic and genuine as no computer will ever be able to replace your humanity.
5. Re-Examine Your Recruiting
Hiring will no longer be focused on positions, as we move ahead in this coming decade, but on ecosystems. What is most needed on your team and in your organization? Are you looking for contributors or to fill a position? Be on the look out for hiring practices that focus on the greater good instead of the role you once thought needed to be filled.
6. Teach Them How to Fail
Innovation happens faster with failure. In fact, many now senior leaders of some of the world’s most well branded products know this lesson well. The faster you teach those team members you lead, how to fail, learn fast from it, and move forward, the faster you’ll see the fruits of their failed attempts.
7. Develop New Leaders
This is a seemingly obvious leadership trait but is becoming more tricky. “Millennials want dream jobs and Gen Z’s want success and financial stability” says Pranam Lipinski, CEO of Door of Clubs. How you develop others will truly test your skills in diversity, diverse leadership knowledge, and how quickly you modify the way you think leadership works to the way they need to learn how to lead others. Consider offering multiple leadership learning options.
8. Claim and Clarify Your Principles
Similar to the notion of giving yourself permission to show humanity and be genuine, is the concept of sticking to your principles. Ethics, integrity, and loyalty are not new principles, but they will see a resurgence in light of data breaches, sexually deviant executives, and a generation who has spent years job hoping. Decide what you need and what are your boundaries and politely, but assertively stick to them. Be a principled leader, not offended by the principles of others.
9. Be Loyal to Your Ethics
As if ‘be honest’ needs to re-stated, apparently in light of the many leader scandals, some have not heard the message. If you lead a team in a well-known brand, know that their loyalty to the brand they’ve chosen will far surpass loyalty to a leader who demonstrates limited ethics. The future of your leadership will have much greater focus on your principles, who you are as a person, and your ability to maintain ethical behavior. Maybe this year’s resolution is to become much more clear on who that is and what those are, exactly. What hill will you climb, and which one will you die on?
10. Become a Better Behaving Leader by Doing More That is Different
Each of these ten tips is a leadership class unto itself. Each area requires interpersonal introspection and each perhaps even new knowledge in some areas, but don’t let it stop there. Leadership training will see an upsurge, but so will the need, the expectation, and the demand for leaders to DO much more with what they are learning. Show your growth. Show your improvement. Show the metrics that indicate you are making a difference. Do something about becoming a better leader.
Ready to Take the Become a Better Leader Challenge?
In 2019, with the focus on becoming a better leader by doing more with the leadership knowledge you have and are learning, each Monday Moment will share a Become a Better Leader Challenge. This week your mission, should you wish to make rapid improvement ahead of next week’s Monday Moment is this:
- Take a close look at each of your team members and identify those who are your future leaders.
- Assess how eager they are to show initiative and take risks and talk with each of them about to how take more. Explain the consequences for various types of failures in the risks they take and structure touch points where you will touch base with them to facilitate faster learning from their mistakes, so they develop faster.
You’re on your way and you’re ready to become that better leader by Monday.
I’m Monica Wofford and that’s your Monday Moment. Have a great week and of course, stay Contagious!
Monica Wofford, CSP develops leaders. CEO of Contagious Companies, her firm designs and delivers leadership training for those managers who’ve been promoted, but not prepared. Author of Contagious Leadership and Make Difficult People Disappear, Monica may be reached at www.ContagiousCompanies.com, www.MonicaWofford.com or by calling 1-866-382-0121.
