At first, it seemed as if the world had changed for good. But now we're all feeling its impact; people are changing and prospering in ways that were once unimaginable.
But this time is different because our people have also been through some major changes in their own lives, which makes managing them even harder than ever! The good news? Managers now have more tools at hand than they could've imagined just five years ago - helping teams learn new skills as well as cultivate well-being within themselves.
It's been said that "leadership is the hard work of the future", but as it turns out, this view is a little outdated. The future of business is actually a lot more important than leadership, and this is true not just for large organizations but also for smaller businesses. In this post, we'll look at what being a future-ready leader looks like—and what you can do to become a truly future-ready leader.
The future of work is now becoming the future of business. The future of business is now the future of how we work. This blog is to help both larger and smaller businesses work smarter and be ready for the future.
Okay, so what does being future-ready even mean? It means knowing what tools you need to do your job well, whether you're a leader or not. It means embracing new ideas, new technologies, and new ways of doing your job.
A lot of the conventional wisdom about leadership is based on what worked in the past or what leaders need to do to help their teams succeed. While it's true that leadership is an important part of any business, the truth is that leadership is no longer of the most important quality of an effective leader. Instead, what you need is a future-ready leader, one who can help bring your team into the future with them.
The most important thing to keep in mind when thinking about the future is that the future isn't just about technology. Plenty of leaders today are actively researching and exploring the future of technology, but what about the future of business? The future of business is a lot more important than technology. In fact, the future of business is going to be so different from what we have today that we can't even accurately predict what it will be.
For the past few years, it has been common knowledge that “leadership is the hard work of the future”. This statement has been used and abused by modern-day leaders and managers alike.
In today's digital age, leadership can be broken down into a few key components. These include setting a vision, giving employees the tools to succeed, and giving them the freedom to explore. By following this formula, you will be able to build a successful business while helping the world become a better place.
One of the biggest challenges in organizations at the moment is leaders who prioritize "stability" above all else. They see any kind of change as a risk to the status quo. They keep doing things they've always done, in the same way, they've always done it because that's "what works".
This is not to say there isn't a place for stability and past experience—they're great to have! But if you really want to drive innovation and build your vision of the future business for yourself and everyone else, you need leaders who can learn to adapt.
How do we get these conversations started? We need to remind them of their responsibilities as leaders and highlight how this kind of behavior is preventing them from meeting these expectations.
Here are three of the most important ones:
- Help us become future-ready today.
Many leaders would love to do this, but they're just not sure how. Here's a start: It's time for you to get comfortable with uncertainty and give your people more space, and support them when things don't work out as planned. If we want to be able to anticipate and respond to change, we need the freedom to try new things without being penalized for mistakes. Leaders should celebrate failure because it shows that we're taking risks and trying new things—the very things, we need to get ready for the future.
- Data & Metrics
We've all been told that businesses should be data-driven. And yet, still, what we hear many leaders say is "we should invest in this technology because of XYZ data points." What is often said is "I think this could help us." That's great! But until you start prioritizing data and metrics over opinions and gut feelings, you're not going to be able to predict how tech technology development can help advance your company.
- Living up to the values we share as a team and as an organization.
This should go without saying. If you're not living up to them—if your actions don't "walk the talk"—your people won't feel motivated, inspired or even loyal to you or your business.
Are you a leader with these responsibilities? Or is it time to throw out your old playbook and start learning from the future work?