Skills & Competencies
The question of “What should leaders learn now, to prepare for the future?” is one that has been addressed from several perspectives. In the book The Future Leader (Morgan, 2020) , the author tackles this question by interviewing over 140 CEOs from multinational companies around the world and surveying almost 14.000 people in partnership with LinkedIn. It is concluded that five skills and 4 mindsets are of most relevance for future leaders.
Skills: The Rule of Five
Coach
Inspire and engage employees in meaningful discourse.
Futurist
Being on top of trends, and actively seeking change.
Translator
Able to listen and express effectively, while understanding the nuances of verbal and non-verbal communication.
Tech Teenager
Technological fluency is important, as is the desire to reinvent and innovate.
Yoda
Coined after the Star Wars character known for his wisdom, this aspect highlights the importance of emotional intelligence in a capable leader.
Competencies: Traditional vs Current
Key Traditional Competencies
An analysis of traditional leadership literature has given rise to nine established competencies as defined under various theories, structures and concepts.
Leaders adapting their behaviour and style to the situation and to the people they are overseeing.
Hard work, trust and the well-being of others are considered important.
A leader’s intellectual and visionary abilities are considered imperative.
A leader’s ability to inspire change socially and personally, and present a dynamic vision.
A leader’s ability to be aware of their own needs, expectations, abilities and drive.
The ability to communicate with known and unknown people, and build interpersonal relationships.
The ability to listen, express and comprehend with ease.
A leader must pay attention, show consideration and focus on development through coaching & feedback.
A leader’s ability to organize by defining a clear vision, allocating responsibility setting objectives and direction.
Key Current Competencies
The traditional competencies have undergone change in the twenty-first century - become more streamlined, more relevant in keeping with the steady growth of technology and more inclusive in terms of employee engagement.
In addition to adaptability, flexibility is now considered a key skill in order to quickly act in the eventuality of a changing environment.
The values that an ideal leader should possess have changed; curiosity, authenticity, moral virtue and optimism now rank high in the pecking order.
In today’s fast-paced work environments, a leader’s ability to quickly analyse and synthesize information is paramount.
Leaders are now expected to be the possessors of qualities that induce and implement change.
The modern leader is someone who is self-aware to the point of sufficiency, can employ critical reasoning and reflect it both outwards and inwards, is open to being corrected and is aware of their purpose at all times.
Modern leaders must be equipped to socialise on foundational values of empathy, consideration and political accuracy.
Leadership 5.0 highlights the importance of a communication program that works equally well for both in-person and virtual mediums.
Empathy is now a primary component in leaders’ ability to achieve a status of regard and respect.
A leader should still be the provider of structure in an organization, but now with the help and implementation of social media and information technology and in a team setting.