1 - Adopt adaptive leadership
It involves the ability to learn, to experiment, and to navigate uncertainty by being more agile. Adaptive leadership involves three key aspects: anticipating, adapting and empowering.
Anticipate
Anticipating upcoming changes and future trends is crucial. A case in point would be Netflix, which anticipated the trend of online content consumption. They started out as a mail-order DVD rental service, but quickly identified the shift towards digital streaming and pivoted their business model to accommodate this new trend.
Adapting
Learning and adapting quickly to these changes requires a growth mindset, where mistakes are seen as opportunities to improve and a culture of continuous learning is fostered (employees are encouraged and supported to develop new skills and knowledge).
Google, for example, has created a culture of innovation and adaptation by encouraging their employees to spend 20% of their time on exciting projects that may not be directly related to their current job responsibilities. This has led to the emergence of innovative products like Gmail and Google News.
Taking responsibility
Transparency in decision-making processes and openness to feedback are essential. Team members can better understand how and why decisions are made, giving them the opportunity to have their say and contribute to the process.
Software company Atlassian, for example, uses a process called "Open Company, No Bullshit", where it encourages radical transparency and open communication. It regularly shares company updates with all employees and encourages feedback and questions.
2 - Strategically manage your talent
Strategic management of talent and skills is another key competence. It has three components:
- Identify: skills audit of existing employees and integration of skills assessment techniques into hiring interviews
- Developing: professional development programs - mentoring, regular training
- Retaining talent: recognition and reward systems, career advancement opportunities and a positive, inclusive work environment
3 - Communicate effectively and be empathetic
Effective, empathetic communication is essential to keeping teams engaged and motivated. It involves active listening, clear expression of expectations, and the ability to understand and respond to team members' emotions. Essentially, it requires establishing an atmosphere where employees are encouraged to express their problems. Their resolution must be based on active listening, the provision of support and the pursuit of shared solutions.
4 - Enhance your ability to inspire and motivate
The ability to inspire and motivate is crucial. A manager must be able to engage and motivate his or her teams, even with limited resources. This requires a clear, shared vision, exemplary leadership and recognition for a job well done.
For example, a manager may be asked to drastically reduce operating costs. The easiest thing to do would be to cut a position... at the risk of undermining team morale and increasing everyone's workload. Instead, the manager can propose alternatives to the team (cutting expenses, deferring bonuses, etc.) which he or she puts to the team, both to show that he or she has the team's interests at heart and that he or she is open to better ideas.
5 - Promote a culture of innovation and creativity
The ability to innovate and think creatively is crucial. It's the manager's responsibility to find a solution to a totally new challenge, or to develop an innovative method to meet an already familiar challenge. He must also encourage and support these skills within his teams. By letting his team express new ideas, experiment and take (calculated) risks, while valuing and rewarding innovative thinking and creative problem-solving, the manager helps them stay competitive and stand out from the crowd.
Let's imagine a concrete example: in the face of competition, a manager encourages innovation within his team. He sets up brainstorming workshops, encourages creative thinking and establishes a reward system for innovation. Even if not every idea results in a successful product, he values the effort and learning that comes from each attempt. These changes stimulate the team's creativity, leading to innovative products that attract consumers and enable the company to regain market share.
In conclusion
Faced with the many challenges of today's economic environment, managers need to evolve and acquire new skills to effectively lead their teams. Adaptive leadership, strategic talent management, empathetic communication and the ability to inspire and foster innovation are essential to meeting these challenges. It's time for managers to invest in developing these skills, to ensure the resilience and success of their teams.
Are you ready to meet these challenges?
To find out more :
Team Management: Acquiring the Essential Know-How
