If we go back to history of leadership – one can see an evolution. Along that path one witnessed many theories and analysis. The old carrot and stick approach, to Theory X and Y and then to ACL and many others.
All these were products of their time and the then eco system of the industry and the organizational structure.
We also witnessed the replacement of the suited CEOs and with the likes of Steve Jobs and now Mark Zukerburg opting for jeans and T shirts in corporate offices and rewriting corporate dress code, at least in certain industries for the time being.
A more participative style of leadership is now becoming the norm. However in all these, the leader at the end of the day has his deliverables and it is achieving these deliverable that will differentiate a leader from a failed manager.
Today’s leader has at his finger tips on the click of a mouse information and statistics that was not available say 10 years ago. In this regard the leader has considerable information available today to analyze a market, its trend, the future prospects. He or she is also able to understand the competition at home and globally. All this are indeed great opportunities for leaders to make more informed decisions and course corrections where required. Even internally real time data is now available to the leader with regard to his organization’s performance and profitability ., In the past mostly only historic – in that it was previous quarters figures or previous months figures were available restricting the leader’s capability to act immediately and where necessary do course correction
The challenge any leader faces today is primarily disruptive forces in their own industry. Often they sneak into the market without much fanfare and by the time the leader or the business realizes a new company has emerged with innovative products, solutions and delivery systems. As such the greatest challenge I see for a leader is keeping ahead of technological development not just in his own industry but across all businesses which could be adapted by someone to the leaders business itself. In such an environment the leader has to have an open and innovative mind.
The other challenge today’s leader face is retaining quality team members. Unlike the past where loyalty was a virtue, today’s younger employees are more interested in getting more challenges and differing experiences to achieve their personal development. Employment today is seen by many as an opportunity for personal development – and not just a job to get a salary at the end of each month. Motivating such employees and retaining them is certainly one of the main challenges of the leader. Often monetary benefits alone will not persuade an employee to stay back in his or her job for too long.
Tomorrow’s leader will be a compassionate and creative individual with adaptability and drive.
Leadership – Opportunities and Challenges
