Leadership Series @ SIIB ( 12th September 2009 )

It has been said that, in the 21^st century, the very nature, speed and complexity of change will change. If that is indeed the case, then so too will the nature of leadership. What made the leaders of yesterday will not make the leaders of tomorrow.

What will a 21^st century leader look like?

The leader of the past was a doer. The leader of the present is a planner. And the leader of the future will be a teacher. The job of a 21^st century leader will be to develop capabilities, not necessarily to plan the organization’s strategic direction. It will be to increase the organization’s capacity to be focused, agile and resilient. It will be to create, harness and leverage intellectual capital rather than to deploy other assets. This kind of leader doesn’t need to know everything there is to know (because that is a practical impossibility). On the contrary, these leaders will want to be surrounded by people who know a whole lot more than they do but who will trust them implicitly to weigh their competing claims and advice.

Learn to lead.

To be a leader, you have to think like a leader. To understand this basic premise of leadership, you need to agree with two fundamental principles:

1. Successful people think differently than unsuccessful people.

2. We can change the way we think.

In what way do leaders think differently? Leaders are big-picture (not narrow) thinkers. They search for wisdom moreso than answers. They are focussed (not scattered) in their thinking. They are creative (not restrictive) thinkers, driven by an insatiable curiosity for discovery and innovation. They are realistic and strategic thinkers. They are possibility thinkers, reflective thinkers. And they understand the value of shared, unselfish thought.

What other skills do 21^st century leaders require?

Leaders simplify. Peter Drucker said that "If it is not simple, it won't work" The key to organizational success lies in focus. And this cannot be achieved without clarity. With clarity, borne of simplicity, comes understanding. With understanding comes focus – knowing what’s important among all the distractions, disagreements and myriad choices available. With the right kind of focus comes the right kinds of decisions and actions – the right judgements and behaviours that drive the organization to accomplish great things and thereby realize its vision. Leaders must find the simple, compelling phrases that make sometimes complex but empowering notions understandable by those who must "carry the ball."

Is leadership a matter of character?

Heraclitus, an ancient Greek historian, has told us that “A man’s character is his fate.” It is a simple but profound truth. The essence of a leader’s character is his integrity, his curiosity, his credibility, and his daring. On this foundation, he must have a guiding vision, without which a leader doesn't know what he wants to do with his talent and thus where he wants to go.

Have you got what it takes?

By Kanhaiya Moond ( Contributor, Leadership Article Contest )

Batch of 2008-10