What the Times Require!
The late American business guru Peter F. Drucker once said “Every few hundred years in Western history there occurs a sharp transformation. Within a few short decades, society rearranges itself …Fifty years later, there is a new world.
We are currently living through just such a transformation.”
So if we are now living through that kind of transformation, what exactly does it take and what skills are needed to be a highly successful Director level leader today?
The Leadership Approaches the Times Require by Ian Hill
If we see and understand the changed “ecosystem” in which we live today, we then clearly understand that the “command and control” autocratic approach to leadership is not what the times require. It is not the approach that will get best from our people nor will it be the approach that solves the complex and multifaceted challenges that we face today. The days of the individual on the white horse swooping into town to save the day are long gone, the challenges we face are too much for any one person to solve. I call the leadership approach the times require, a “Community Builder”.
The Community Builder has the ability to marshal all the forms of human capital (intelligence, passion, work effort, innovation and so on) of the various stakeholders they interact with and move them towards a common goal. Rather than being a leaders who requires, they are leaders who inspire. The Community Builder brings significant value to those they serve and those they lead. They channel the energy of stake holders by acting as a catalyst, convener and force multipliers. The Community Builder has the capacity and skill to tap into the collective intelligence of all stakeholders to create great plans that have deep buy-in and actually produce meaningful solutions and tangible results.
The Community Builder is authentic, honest, direct, and comfortable in their own skin. They care about others and do what’s best for the broader good even when it hurts.
While it may seem simplistic, perhaps the kind of leadership I’ve described does not need to be all that complicated. It may just boil down to four leadership competencies.
First of all, we want our leaders to be Agents of Change. Leaders who understand, demonstrate, and exert influence by building trusting relationships. We are hungry for leaders who have the courage, passion, and motivation that is respected by others so that barriers can be addressed and overcome.
Next we want leaders who are optimistic, proactive, Systems Thinkers. This big picture or systems approach is essential because the issues in our communities and departments are too complicated to be solved by any one person or sector. We would also like them to facilitate creative responses to the real challenges we face in our companies and communities.
We don’t expect leaders to do it by themselves either, we want them instead, to be Catalysts for Responsibility in others, engaging and cultivating a sense of pride and ownership in all those around them.
We want leaders who are committed to Continuous Improvement for themselves, for others, and for their organizations. That of course doesn’t happen without creating a culture of innovation and placing the tools in place to have a “user driven” organizational model.
Change is here, but it’s not trickling down from an ivory tower. It’s coming from the bottom up, from leaders who recognize they may not be able to change the whole “big bad” world, however, they can handle their little corner of it.
I believe every individual, every department, every neighborhood and every community is one idea, one voice, one action – one person – away from being better tomorrow than it was yesterday. By understanding the leadership competencies the times require, you can be that one person!