Leadership for the Future Must Solve the “D-U-M-T” Conundrum
- BY MYB
In Aspire & Lead
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Everything around us is changing. Business model “Disruptions” (D) are more common than your average neighborhood diner. The banking SNAFU reveals that how “uncertainty” (U) is more strongly correlated to statistical collective failures, than individual defaults. The marketing world is abuzz with more catchphrases than China’s population, all essentially targeting customer “mobility” (M) across the sales funnel. “Technology” (T) that is WIP often becomes redundant before beta-testing. How does a true leader worth his salt, deal with this, you ask? Simple – take “D-U-M-T”, head on!
- Leadership lies in not just steering the team through ambiguity, but excelling in it. This calls for building a collaborative team culture that encourages experimentation, without the fear of failure.
- The best leaders are oracles of the company. A compelling vision is paramount, both to keep internal stakeholders content and to drive the company forward.
- An open mindset seeking innovative solutions always helps, while a constrained one often succumbs. The key to innovation is to be able to drive the team to work around obstacles intelligently, rather than strive to hop over them.
- Intrinsic motivation drives discretionary performance. If you do not know this, you’re in the wrong place. True leaders should create an ecosystem of engagement which instills self esteem. The result is a win-win for all.
- Uncertainty and change share a causal relationship. The trouble is, in most real world situations, it is impossible to identify which way it works. Better leaders need to distinguish themselves from the husk, by being able to tackle the cause-effect relationship either way – be flexible to change in times of uncertainty and be ready to work in uncertainty when faced with rapid change.
- A good future leader is as aware of his vision as he is of his blind spots. Self awareness, thus, is key.
- A swift learner is characterized by a “child’s mind” mentality. Future leaders ought to open to this facet – it is the true force that drives disruption.
- A networked leader is socially mobile. This underrated soft skill will be the cornerstone of business best practices, going forward.
- Customer identity mapping across channels will drive top line growth. This alone will solve the problem of customers switching between channels.
- Tomorrow’s leaders need to create a “shadow” culture. Identify potential team stars and make them shadow you. This will empower them to take swift decisions in times of crises. The days of micro-management are history.
