NEW AGE LEADERSHIP – MEANING AND LESSONS NIRANJAN GIDWANI CONSULTANT DIRECTOR – TEXUB | MEMBER UAE SUPERBRANDS COUNCIL | CHARTER MEMBER TIE DUBAI | HARVARD ADVISORY COUNCIL.

 

The platform of life has never been tailor-made for any individual.

We all start growing up in the world of academics - where we are taught to

outperform others in order to be considered successful. And then, one fine day,

when we leave the world of academics, reality hits us at that moment when we

realise that we have to re-train ourselves, and re-wire ourselves to perform with

others.

Holding this dichotomy as a legacy, the world is now looking to create new age

leaders. Leaders are expected to find ways to complete the puzzle, knowing that

all pieces are almost never available to them. To explain it a little more, in the

world of academics, the answers are question-dependent. And in the world of

leadership, all solutions are situation-dependent.

It is here that one needs to take a pause and reflect a bit. Isn’t it ironic that

perhaps the best example of unconditional, value-based leadership is right under

our noses? Observe the lady of any average household. The most unsung hero of

the world. No titles, no formal designation, no fancy corner office or ergonomic

work desk, no super salary packages, no formal coaching and skills development

programs.

Each person in an average family is so different. With different likes, dislikes,

different tastes and different thought processes at times. Parents, grandparents,

children, grandchildren, and in-laws, are all so different. And yet, the lady of

almost any house knows how to manage and satisfy the whims and fancies of all

the members. And that too, at short notice. Most of them have self-mastered the

art of project management by producing optimum results, almost always, with

whatever limited resources they have been provided. Reflect on the times when

unexpected guests drop in, and a quick meal has to be rustled up in even the

poorest of houses. Or when children walk in with a bunch of naughty friends who

wish to spend the day playing games and eating junk food. Or when there is a

sudden, critical illness in the family, and the entire schedule needs to be re-

managed.

On the other hand, take any day in our professional lives. Look at the number of

so-called professionals getting paranoid when expectations deviate from

prescribed norms. We see professionals regularly cribbing about not being able to

meet their mandates because of not having adequate resources.

Then again, look at the lady of any house. She walks the talk with her family. She

is fair and transparent in her dealings, she accepts her flaws and gives a lot of

space to manage the shortcomings of her family members.

A leader too is expected to know themselves well and to walk the talk on the

values they claim to uphold. Leaders are also expected to acknowledge any

failures, bad judgmental calls or mistakes and to take accountability for them.

Many times, leaders, including those well regarded as role models in their field, fall

short of these expectations.

Welcome to the rapidly hurtling twenty-first century. New age leadership, where

one is required to deal with at least three diverse generations of team players,

requires one to operate with the firm belief that there are no “no solution”

situations.

Leaders, in reality, can succeed fully only when they nurture and mentor a new

breed of leaders. No matter how many successful milestones may have been

achieved, no matter how large their teams may be, their task would remain

incomplete unless, from the word go, they build their succession line-up.

Over generations and centuries, leadership has remained the same. Yet, the

speed of reactions, the complexity and the context of decisions have changed

dramatically.

Let us take a look at one key area. Technological disruptions. There have been so

many and so frequent that “disruption has become the new constant”.

Innovations, machine learning, artificial intelligence, online models, and home

delivery models have impacted all industries and sectors, irrespective of their

scale and size or legacy. The speed in each of these areas is only going to

increase.

The emergence of entrepreneurship and startups which are agile, have a head-

start on technology and also have the ability to significantly disrupt traditional

business models are giving a major headache to old legacy businesses which are

either grossly underprepared or reluctant to change old ways.

Ever-evolving consumer trends, new tools, methods and ways of customer

engagement and marketing, fragmentation of markets, the rapid shift of economic

growth potential, and low cost of entry into markets need a large dose of resilience

to manage.

This entire, massive, ever-changing jigsaw puzzle can only be put together if there

is a sizeable increased focus on grooming, mentoring, and nurturing new-age

leaders. Leadership must necessarily draw lessons from the past, but be very

relevant to the current as well as for the future.

Leaders should set the tone for people to be aware of future preparedness, even if

it’s unpredictable.

And no matter what - Values-based behaviour and personal conduct are expected

to be above any criticism or doubt. For they should not change from a historic

perspective.

Once again, a periodic re-look at how the “Lady of the house” is managed may

improve the perspective some more. She doesn't even get called periodically to be

given medals and awards to keep her motivational levels high.