Newsletters 2020-05-01 Newsletter 285 - School Leadership Development - Change Agents - PART 5b Every Leader Must Be A Change Agent Or Face Extinction by Glenn Llopis (Internet)
Without strategy, change is merely substitution not evolution.
Leadership in the 21st century not only requires the ability to continuously manage crisis and change – but also the circular vision to see around, beneath and beyond the obvious in order to anticipate the unexpected before circumstances force your hand. As you embark upon your change management journey, here are ten things that will challenge your capabilities as a change agent and potentially become defining moments along your leadership success path.
1. Multigenerational Influence Leaders can no longer be comfortable just gravitating to the generation they belong to. Connecting the dots of talent, unique perspectives and experiences requires all leaders to change their attitude, approach and style to accommodate the needs and seize the opportunities that lie within a broader multigenerational reach. Don’t get stuck within the confines of the generation that you are most familiar with. Get out of your comfort zone and learn how to multiply the opportunities for growth and innovation; invest time to understand the insights in the broader field of talent and customers that lie around and in front of you. 2. Cultural Intelligence The opportunities embedded in the rapid demographic shift are endless, yet the lack of cultural intelligence is making it difficult for leaders to understand the new business models and best practice requirements that lie right within reach. Success in today’s global market requires a leader’s ability to see the talent and consumer landscape as two sides of the same coin; they are interdependent variables that must work in lockstep for your workforce and business to flourish. The 21st century leader must be more culturally intelligent about others (as well as themselves) in order to finally realize the value of the demographic shift. 3. Global Market Wisdom It’s not about recognition, but about respect. Relationships are earned, not purchased. While your organization’s brand reputation carries weight, just as important is getting to know who you are as an individual, what you stand for, your leadership influence, and the intangibles that help you earn trust. 4. Consumers Demand Much More As leaders, you must touch the business just as much as you lead it. Leaders can never forget about the customers that contribute to the growth of their business and must never grow complacent about understanding their changing needs and demands. Today’s consumer is much more fickle; they are drowning in the noise and clouded by the choices that are in front of them -- that are attempting to sway them and influence what they buy. As such, consumers have become much more demanding and it’s more difficult to earn their loyalty and trust. 5. Women Leaders Are Ready to Dive In More women will assume senior executive leadership roles in the next 10 years, and if you are a male leader, be open to the new opportunities this represents. Women are ready to command the leadership space by diving in, not just leaning in -- to solidify their influence in the business world. Women see through a different lens then men and thus interpret the requirements of leadership differently. Fortunately for women leaders, their most undervalued natural leadership traits are now in high-demand. Leaders must carefully assess their approach and style and challenge themselves to think differently about how to best align their leadership attributes to the needs of the business and the marketplace as a whole. 6. Entrepreneurial Attitude The fiercely competitive marketplace has made it mandatory for leaders to be more entrepreneurial, connect the dots of opportunity and find non-traditional ways for their business to grow and prosper. Beyond creativity with the existing business at-hand, leaders must be prepared to get involved in new ventures that may require them to open up new markets, launch new products, and/or be involved in merger and acquisition activities. Because the market is changing so quickly, the entrepreneurial attitude is in high-demand and has become the new unwritten requirement in a leader’s job description. 7. Technology You may not be technologically savvy, but you must get to know the role that technology plays in the evolution of your business – beyond IT, social media, websites, apps, etc. Don’t simply depend on your Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to lead the way. As a leader in your business, change your mindset and educate yourself and those around you. If you plan on being in a leadership role for the rest of your career, the 21st century demands that you be knowledgeable enough about technology to test it, engage with it and use it to harness the profitable evolution of your business. When was the last time you asked about the role that technology plays in your business? If it’s been a while, start to inquire and you will be amazed at how dependent your business is or soon will be on technology. 8. Crisis Management More and more businesses are dealing with crisis management issues because their leaders didn’t have the circular vision to anticipate the unexpected. Don’t let your corporate challenges become headline news. Leaders must be more prepared to handle any crisis with nimble agility and elegant transparency. The advent of social media – and a national media hungry to sensationalize any misstep – requires more leaders to have the necessary preparation, resources, and technologies to respond to a potential crisis in a timely and responsible fashion whenever needed. Leaders must learn how to speak to the media and use those same skills when talking to their employees about any crisis situation. Do you know what to say (or not to say), how to deliver a message and how to go about taking action when crisis strikes in your business? Most leaders don’t and thus lose valuable time, putting their companies at risk. Remember, not every company has advanced protocols and a large corporate communications team to rely on – thus putting the onus on their leaders. 9. Thought Leadership Today’s leaders must be bold, articulate and courageous visionaries that are not afraid to speak-up and change the conversation and/or introduce new ideas and ideals. Being a constructively disruptive leader is important and if you are not pushing your organization, its employees and the industry at large to think differently, you will not only grow complacent – you will forget how to think like a leader and as a consequence your organization will become more vulnerable to its competitors. Clayton Corwin adds: "Complacency is the silent killer that comes with success. If you don't wake up every morning hungry and thinking how you are going to compete and win, you are already in trouble -- because that is exactly what your industry challengers are doing." Thought leadership is about thinking differently and not being afraid to express those differences to keep people honest – to enable fresh-thinking and thought-provoking dialogue that challenges people to perform better and more creatively. Unfortunately, most leaders use the thinking and ideas of others, rather than challenging themselves to create an original leadership identity/personal brand that has sustainable impact and influence. In fact, leaders that lack the expression of original thought will soon find themselves losing their competitive edge, power, and decision-making authority – and the doors their job title once opened for them will begin to close. 10. Evolution of the Business Model The examples of points 1 – 9 describe a business environment that is changing rapidly and that requires its leaders to change just as rapidly to keep up. The result of these changes is the natural evolution of a company’s business model that now demands that its leaders serve as change agents to lift and lead the entire company. As change agents, you must know how to sell change and this requires a set of skills that you may not have been originally asked to have when you first got the job. As such, you must now learn how to be a change agent and assume the responsibilities that go with it. Rich Melcombe concludes: “Running any business today is about relevancy and connecting to your market. It begins with cultural awareness and reflection to formulate a competitive vision, which might change daily. Technology, globalization, and a lousy economy have made dancing on the razor’s edge of change difficult. Businesses need to rethink their value proposition and embrace innovation, and it starts with acknowledging reality and becoming a change agent. |