Leadership in the 21st Century has evolved drastically since the days of top-down, authoritative leadership.
In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving world, it is essential for leaders in the 21st century to possess a unique combination of key skills and qualities to successfully lead and guide their teams.
1. Have an agile and flexible mindset
The world is ever-changing. We need to expect the unexpected–pandemic, war, energy crises, inflation, and more. Therefore, leaders can adopt a startup mindset: develop a minimally viable product, and pivot when it doesn’t work.
At The DO, we provide an even more comprehensive methodology: The DO Method–Dream, Focus, Plan, DO. With our trademarked innovation tool, leaders not only think flexibly but act with success.
2. Be an expert in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)
Upholding DEI’s values as a company is crucial. A review by Russell Reynolds found that companies showing discrimination incidents and bad executive behaviours experienced an average 7% decline in market capitalization following the news. A 2019 McKinsey study found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to have above-average profits than less diverse counterparts. Companies with higher ethnic and cultural diversity also outperformed by 36% in terms of profitability.
3. Put ESG at the forefront of your business
Upholding best practices in ESG is not only the right thing but a financially-smart thing to do. ESG accounts for 65% of all net inflows into European ETFs in 2022, and ESG assets may surpass $50 trillion by 2025.
Transforming your business to align with ESG practices can be effortful. The DO is here to make your life easier: We partner with you to train your leaders and help you implement solutions. Get in touch to know more.
4. Value your employee
The Great Resignation is still happening. According to Gartner, a “Great Reflection” is also happening, where people are rethinking what makes them happy and satisfied.
What can you do about it? In addition to higher salaries, acknowledgement and growth opportunities are also important. Ultimately, employees want a more human-centric employment deal, which gives people more control over their work and work environment. Eliciting more sustainable performance will be good for the company in the long term–sustainable performers were 17% more productive and 1.7 times more likely to stay.
Think about it: isn’t it a win-win situation when employees are more productive?
5. Never stop upskilling
We get it. It takes a lot to be a “good” leader nowadays. With emerging trends and needs, leaders need to upskill continuously. But The DO got your back. We offer hands-on upskilling programs completely tailored to your business needs. We focus on topics like ‘Remote Leadership’, ‘Leading Climate Initiatives’, and ‘Leading with Purpose’. Find out more here and build crucial skills for the new economy.
Upskilling may seem like a hefty investment, but it actually costs less than hiring and training new employees. Plus, employees feel more valued and confident to take on new responsibilities, which is beneficial for the business after all.
Get in touch with us to transform your organization.
