If you head over to Google and search for key leadership skills needed now, it might surprise you how different the search results you receive today are from five years ago.
Leadership is now much more than motivating, delegating and directing. It’s about handling employee wellbeing, being a heart-centred leader, leading with empathy, developing yourself and others, and learning agility, a terrible jargon phrase which surprisingly actually nails the challenge ahead.
Leadership is about flat cultures, hybrid teams and self-directed learning. Millennial employees dominate our teams, with Gen Z hires joining who have a very different approach to the world of work. To be a successful leader in the new norm, it is time to add many more skills and abilities to your leadership toolbox.
Before January 2020, organisations across the globe had identified the need to reskill all workforce levels to address a changing world of work. Then along comes Covid-19, and even more research points to the realisation that building new capabilities will be critical to a company’s success.
In several recent McKinsey Reports, the theme of the content was based on the idea that to enable continuous learning, leaders will need to think and act differently.
Continuous learning in the workplace must become the new norm if individuals and organisations want to stay ahead. It places more demand than ever on leaders to take on a new role they might initially find unfamiliar; that of the driver of learning.
In a survey conducted in late 2020 by McKinsey, 59% of global leaders reported that, before Covid-19, growing capability for long-term growth was “very or extremely important”.
Currently, that percentage is 78%. That perspective was reinforced by the recently published DDI’s 2021 Global Leadership Forecast. The 15,000 global leaders participating in the research indicated that “developing the next generation of leaders” was now the #1 challenge troubling CEOs.
So what are the key areas of focus to consider as you reskill your organisation?
Create a Learning and Development Culture
Here at Zestfor, we are lucky to work with many organisations that have had a focus on Learning and Development for several years. These same organisations are leading the way now as they utilise online learning platforms for self-directed learning and embrace wellbeing, DEI initiatives and the focus on developing an individual’s mindset.
All good, though what about your organisation?
Does your leadership team focus on building a culture where learning is at its core?
Last week I saw a poll on LinkedIn instigated by The Female Lead, a non-profit organisation based in London with over 3.3 million followers. The survey relating to why people left their roles had over 70,000 votes. I was quite staggered to see that 71% of respondents left because of bad culture. I appreciate the individuals who voted are likely female; however, as women make up 47.7% of the global workforce, the data is concerning.
Time to assess your culture and its thoughts on learning.
Audit Your Current Capabilities
Having a learning culture is critical, and this needs to be followed by an assessment of what you are dealing with when it comes to both talent and skill gaps in your organisation. Engagement is also key which I will cover in our next post later in the month.
The last few years have seen a shift for many organisations in how they work and what they deliver as a product or service. I suspect the growth plans and development ideas for both Zoom and Microsoft Teams have shifted.
The need for digital skills has increased tenfold as the requirements to develop employees who can be flexible, collaborate and embrace change have grown.
Both performance and talent reviews are pivotal to the process. As so much has changed performance and potential, the main criteria for who will lead next will likely fall short for many organisations.
Other elements of an individual’s job performance need to be considered, as shared in a recent Forbes article.
For example:
- An evaluation of how the individual has contributed to others’ performance
- How they contributed to their existing networks
- ……And how effectively the leader has aligned their work with broader company goals and other leaders
These elements are related to performance and tell us much more about an individual’s real capability and impact.
This is where the phrase learning agility becomes relevant. Learning agility can be seen in a leader’s ability to work through a challenging experience, learn new skills and then apply these skills moving forward.
This is one of the most commonly used assessments of potential and is predictive of future growth and success.
Invest In Developing Your Team With New Information
Understanding what is now important AND what the business needs will inform how you move forward with developing your team.
Self-directed and personalised learning alongside online learning and coaching will improve the development of the entire team.
Here at Zestfor, we constantly innovate our learning delivery for our clients. For instance, all our programmes can be delivered virtually supplemented with coaching as required. If you want to discuss reskilling your team, then do get in touch.
Until next time,
Julia Carter
How Can We Develop Your Leaders This Year?
Our range of leadership development programmes focuses on supporting you to improve your leadership capability and productivity, leading to better relationships and staff retention.
Managers and their teams will improve vital communication, collaboration and influencing skills over six months – developing all participants into high performing virtual team members. Click here for a full programme description or call one of our team on 0845 548 0833.
About Zestfor
Zestfor specialises in developing leadership Training programmes and resources scientifically tailored for technical markets – including Pharmaceutical, I.T., and Life Sciences.
Our blend of in-classroom, online, and virtual live-stream delivery methods will engage and assure even the most introverted team members from the first meeting – whether face-to-face or virtually. So, to have a brief chat, call us on 0845 548 0833.
