I applaud this trend, but it is in ways confusing to see how leadership is often tried to be packaged in a box to be applied to all. Of course it is inevitable to use data, theories and experience to create a methodology that can be discussed and applied. But, shouldn’t the focus be on what works for the people you are working with? Yes! Leadership methodologies around the world have one thing in common, a leader – which can be anyone in any position – needs to apply certain skills and competencies, either naturally possessed or developed to move people. Solely telling someone what to do doesn’t cut it anymore.
Leadership as an artI see leadership as the art of moving people to use their competences for a common goal, by connecting with people and enabling self-development which leads to added value for a business. Here I go myself, packaging leadership in box…
It is interesting to see a shift in how leadership was first linked to a position and was defined to entail getting people from A to B in a way predefined by management. Now, leadership focusses more on the persons being led and their possible contributions to get from A to B.
As the world changes, the competences of a ‘good’ leader evolve as well. Where emotion and compassion were often seen as unwanted distractions on the work floor, emotional intelligence has become essential.
Generational leadership
The people being led are also changing, as new generations are entering the workforce. If you want to get people moving, it saves you a lot of pulling and pushing if you can make them run themselves. So know who you are working with. What makes them tick and more importantly, stop ticking? This requires time and effort and can seem impossible, but is not. Identifying larger categories of persons and work your way down to individuals is a good starting point. A bit of progress is still progress and can be found in the little things.
Previous generations appear to have thriven under a more authoritarian leadership. After learning how to perform the work in that ‘correct’ manner, they could go on to teach others to do the exact same thing, because hey.. if this works for me,
it works for everybody, right?!
Millennials, often desire just the opposite: to thrive and feel that they’re thriving as well. This generation is currently impacting the work floor and the required competences to be a ‘good’ leader. Especially that desire to feel valued, valuable and validation require a different recipe to move millennials to use their competences for the benefit of companies.
Sustainable leadership
If a company wants to evolve and become future-proof, my biggest advice is to make sure that leadership is seen as an art that continuously requires adaptation to new generations to ensure success. This process is complicated since a business often does not only employ millennials, the millennial generation is sub diversified and every individual has its own character that requires a different approach.
Six takeaway’s from a millennial
Here are six takeaway’s on leadership that will help millennials thrive:
• Engage employees based on their potential and facilitate proper guidance to enable independent and valuable contribution to the needs of the business.
• Connect with all employees on levels that suit the situation, but make sure you always know what is important to them professionally and personally.
• Dare to lead by example. If you want employees to work with you and follow you, share responsibilities and promote ownership. Be vulnerable to stimulate leadership and mutual trust.
• Create a company citizenship framework with the desired company culture and promote and praise all forms of participation (don’t be afraid to condemn unwanted behavior!).
• Reward employees for their output in ways that suit their individual needs, as it provides persons more incentive to add value on all levels of the organization.
• Embrace diversity in all forms. Everyone adds value, but creating a space where uniqueness and different experiences and views are expressly valued, benefits the business durably.