The Leadership Evolution

In their book, Leadership Agility, authors Bill Joiner and Stephen Josephs present research showing only 10 percent of today’s leaders have the level of agility needed to lead effectively in today’s global workplace. Let that sink in.

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The ask of today’s leaders is big, and their ability to respond has a direct and immediate impact on a company’s long-term viability. The accelerated pace of globalization, digital transformation, and technological advances are creating increased vulnerability, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity – known as VUCA – that make anticipating the leadership skills and traits needed significantly more difficult than even a few years ago.

How can leaders adapt while leading?

The research behind the Leadership Agility model identifies three levels of agility among leaders. At the Expert level, the focus is on tactical problem-solving. Leaders earn respect based on authority and expertise. The next level is the Achiever, where leaders challenge and motivate their teams to contribute to large, strategic objectives. Nearly all of today’s leaders operate within one of these two levels.

The third level of agility is called the Catalyst. These types of leaders have a capacity-building orientation that focuses on bringing the right people together and empowering them to achieve a shared and innovative vision. This type of agility calls upon different skills – and often requires leaders to transform their entire approach.

The first step for many is to demonstrate their vulnerability. For many of my clients, this is a dramatic paradigm shift. To lead effectively in today’s world, leaders don’t have to have all the answers. Rather, the ability to display authentic vulnerability is an asset, especially in the face of VUCA.

Vulnerability gives leaders the power to make deeper connections within their organizations and tap into diverse perspectives and skillsets. Not only will this create a trust environment across teams, peers, and stakeholders, but it will also create the partnerships necessary to move the business forward.

Clearly, this takes many leaders outside their comfort zones. With my clients, I recommend developing contracts with their teams or key stakeholders as a first step. The contracts should go beyond defining what each party needs from the other to be successful. They should also include terms for negotiating the contract as they discover what’s working and not working. And there should also be agreement on how to raise the red flag if either leader or team breaches the contract.

The contracts help get leaders and their teams outside of the traditional hierarchies, so they’re able to interact person to person. My clients who have taken this step – which is an act of vulnerability – have seen transformational shifts in the dynamics of their relationships. And it also dramatically transforms their leadership style, making them more open and agile, while positioning them to be more relevant and impactful leaders going forward.

Are you ready for the leadership evolution? Contact me to explore tools and resources that can help you adapt your company’s leadership skills to drive business success, both today and tomorrow.