It's undeniable. In many respects, the world today is very different from what it was a year ago. The relevance of developing certain skills in organizational leaders has emerged with tremendous force in these times of change. Many of those changes are here to stay. And what no leader can afford is to neglect these skills when all this passes and becomes just a memory.
Today, major decision-makers are under an enormous microscope, questioned, and observed. They are exposed and immersed in a huge demand for effectiveness. Probably, no other recent crisis has revealed the lack of a new type of leadership, ethical and effective, like the one derived from COVID-19. Companies are seeking these new skills in their leaders when adding new decision-makers, and therefore, recruitment requires a higher level of professionalism, attention to detail, and the ability to evaluate soft skills. It's not enough to manage. Today, leaders with a high level of commitment to the common good are in demand.
“Today's great decision-makers are under an enormous microscope, questioned, observed. Exposed and immersed in an enormous demand for effectiveness.”
According to psychiatrist Enrique Rojas, an ethical leader must be balanced, manage their emotions, be positive about the future, be consistent, possess an attractive personality, be able to present their ideas, and have a personal reflection space where they can define their strategic vision. In the new normal, these are some of the requirements that companies focus on when hiring their executives. We could say that, today more than ever, leaders are expected whose leadership is based on reflection and inquiry, with a focus on the transformative capacity of the present. They should be ethically and socially responsible, committed, and capable of establishing standards and cultural frameworks that guide ethical behavior. The task of recruiting becomes more meticulous, exact, and focused: these are times to add value to a company.
A truly successful leader understands that their human capital, their people, and their collaborators are there to be guided and supported. A leader serves their team. It is important for them to have a vision of real commitment to the organization, creating a vision that inspires those who work for and around it to actively participate in key goals, objectives, and the overall mission. That they are able to quickly assess the gap between senior management and employees, and think of innovative strategies to encourage teams to act and feel satisfied as great contributors to the organization's success.
“A truly successful leader understands that their human capital, their people, and their collaborators, are there to be guided and accompanied. A leader serves their team.”
Internal communication is relevant in companies, largely determined by their leaders. Therefore, it is necessary that they are capable of communicating their emotions and thoughts, and that they are fully synchronized with the messages delivered and received. A leader must have the ability to communicate effectively at all levels of the organization.
Companies are increasingly looking for people who know how to delegate and empower their teams. Encouraging managers and collaborators to hold each other accountable for their plans and to focus on achieving collective results. Leaders are expected, not micromanagers.
In difficult times, it is when people who can manage change are most needed, those who can quickly adapt to transformations proposed by the market and communicate them, in order to get the entire organization to follow the necessary changes through visionary leadership. The ability to manage talent implies the capacity to inspire teams and bring out the best in people. It is about providing the necessary empowerment to ensure that people can succeed.
Particularly in the current climate, leaders must be able to withstand the ups and downs and continue to motivate their teams. This requires a commitment to positivity, even in times of extreme difficulty; leaders must encourage teams to think and act positively and infuse passion into their work, regardless of circumstances or conditions.
Companies value honesty and integrity. While leaders should be positive, when things aren't going well, the truth must be communicated, whether people like to hear it or not. Subsequently, leaders must provide vision and encouragement to move the organization forward. They must inspire confidence in their teams without becoming arrogant. They must be seen leading by example, not just by words.
“In today's climate, leaders have to be able to weather the ups and downs and continue to motivate their teams. This requires a commitment to positivity, even in times of extreme difficulty.”
However, management is not the same as leadership: as leadership grows, the need for management greatly diminishes as people become vision-driven. Leadership itself is not about operating procedures, metrics, or work styles, but rather about vision and empowerment.
However, leadership positions often require management skills. Many executives must learn to perform as visionary leaders, with a great capacity to define strategy and drive execution. This requires great versatility that allows executives to set clear objectives and goals, and communicate them effectively.
Leadership is, ultimately, the set of managerial or leadership skills that a person employs when managing an area and their work team. And the skills needed to be a leader today are changing. Companies and people must adapt. We are in more demanding work environments that are going through a crisis. We understand that one of the guidelines for having more certainty when choosing our leaders is to focus, from the beginning of the process, on a professional search. These are key selection processes for businesses, therefore, specific methodologies are necessary to ensure we find people who meet the required characteristics, with an assessment of competencies and skills. core to navigate in this new uncertainty.
Article by Julia Lamaison
