How would you describe the key differences between traditional management practices and the modern approach we see today?
Traditional management is, in its very traditional form, more around monitoring, checking in, managing performance, supervising giving and receiving feedback, helping develop expertise. And it’s evolved. There’s still some of that, of course, supervisory management, but it’s really evolved more toward “manager as leader”. Leadership in inspiring, equipping, coaching, motivating, partly because the nature of the world is changing so fast that we need more than analysts. So many basic functional jobs are now being done by AI or they’ve been outsourced to other parts of the world. And so the bar is just raised for the work – it’s more executive leadership, even for a mid-manager. Some of those attributes remain of course, you still have to do management, check in, be responsible, and hold your people accountable, but it’s more around inspiration and being flexible in how you manage, direct, and coach different individuals on your team.
What skills do people need to develop and hold to be effective leaders in the 21st century?
Well, I think that almost everybody that I coach gets feedback that they could improve their executive presence. And I think that was always a thing, but executive presence is defined in a lot of different ways. I think a lot of it is about how much you capture people’s attention and how much people want to follow you. So it really does resonate with leadership.
I also think the world is changing rapidly. So change management skills are important, and an ability to work across an organization, not just in your function. Functional leadership of “I’m just a marketing person” or “I’m just an IT person” was never good. Ideally there were always general managers that could work across an organization, but the bar is even higher around being able to work across different functions and with different people in an organization. So change management, an ability to work with lots of different styles and personalities, and an appreciation of working with a lot of diversity. And I don’t mean just diversity in race or ethnicity. There’s a lot of diversity – personality, style, and communication – that just raises the bar on having those very good people skills and being able to adjust yourself to the different types of people that you work with.
What role does leadership, especially senior leadership, play in shaping and supporting this evolving approach to management across organizations?
I think leadership more than ever needs to recognize that change is inevitable and appreciate the fact that we need leaders who are self-confident and are able to manage change in such a way that they actually get people on board. So gaining support, gaining allies, managing people that resist communication is key. And really understanding that talent is everything. Talent isn’t just what you can put into a box. Talent is the attribute of people who are proactive. They take responsibility, they show appreciation, they show an understanding of being able to put themselves in other people’s shoes. And ultimately, leaders also need to be empathetic more than ever by acknowledging that change is hard and the world is changing at a rapid pace. People are expecting to be working from home, and so people’s personal lives are entering the workplace. So really being able to relate and bring empathy and understanding while appropriately challenging and pushing people to rise to their highest level. Bringing that expectation of “we want you to be successful at home, we want you to be successful in the workplace and be able to navigate both of them”. I think the separation between people as workers and people as human beings is a lot smaller than it ever has been. And so people have to know that you care genuinely about the business and its success, but also about bringing out the best in individuals. And I think this idea of purpose and lighting up people’s purpose is huge. Purpose statements, when done well, when lived within a company, can really bring out the best in human potential. So I think purpose-driven leadership is also more important than ever.
Looking ahead, how do you see the role of managers continuing to evolve over the next 5-10 years?
Well, I think the role of a manager is to be continuously learning. I also think they need to increasingly improve their coaching skills and situational leadership. A lot of people don’t have the benefit of that when they jump into an entry level job and work into management. I think they’re going to have to seek out opportunities to develop themselves more than ever. So leadership development, management development, coaching, I think are going to continue to be in high demand and working across a diverse workforce and improving all those skills that create a place where people feel like they belong and flourish. I love the Turknett Leadership Character Model – leadership, character, managing between empathy and care and accountability and responsibility, being able to really hone that expertise of managing those two – sometimes conflicting – parts of a leader appropriately.
What advice would you give to our readers who are perhaps struggling to evolve from a more traditional style of management to a more collaborative and innovative approach? What skills or mindsets do they need to adapt to foster team cohesion and strategic thinking?
It sounds trivial, but adopt a growth mindset – where you see challenge and change as opportunities to grow and not as defeat. Don’t take challenges personally, rather develop resilience and a desire to grow and continually evolve. Another piece of advice is don’t forget to recognize your strengths and find an environment or role where you can flourish. Not everybody’s going to be the same. Sometimes really self-assessing your strengths and opportunities for change is hard, so invest in a coach or in a peer group that can help hold you accountable. Finding some mentorship, finding like your little kitchen cabinet of friends that can help you along the way, that can support you through the painful process of growing. Find the right place where you can grow and develop and hopefully find the right role for you. Not everybody should be in the same role. What is the right place for you? And then when you undertake development remember your strengths and pick one or two of the most critical areas that are important for your role to develop. Set up a plan and have some accountability for your development, accountability and support. And try to be very transparent, as much as you can, with your peers and with your boss to gain allies in that development. I think some people are very shy about being vulnerable around their own areas for development, but the best leaders will say, “this is my strength, this is an area of weakness, I’m working on it, and I’m surrounding myself with people that have this strength”. So try to not be defensive about yourself. Seek allies and be open to change.
