What are the key skills and competencies for agile and resilient leaders?

Crucially, leaders' mindsets must include awareness of their own responsible for defining and reinforcing the patterns of behavior -- sometimes called "habits," "norms," or "culture" -- that permeate the organization they oversee. We often hear that leadership sets the tone, but the reality is far more powerful: leaders set and model an image of "the way we do things around here" all day, every day which is then copied by their direct reports and subordinate managers all the way down the organization. A key part -- perhaps THE key part -- of what's sometimes called "the leadership mindset" is being intentional around what is being modeled, how clearly, and how often. Often this takes the form of behaviors as defined below.

There is a difference between an audacious goal and a clear direction; leaders must be capable of communicating both. Establishing your organization's purpose -- its fundamental reason to exist -- is the bridge from big ideas to engagement. A compelling purpose has the energy to pull, not push, stakeholders toward more expansive outcomes.

A few key elements of a vision: - Compelling, as Charles Fred mentions. Agree 100%. - Clear. This involves measures that will help people understand the difference between where we are today & the direction you're pointing toward. It also sets the groundwork for assessing whether you're headed in this direction in the future. - Visual. Describe what it will look like when you're in the direction your vision describes. This is a great place to use elements of storytelling to help people imagine and relate to the potential future you're describing. For large & long-term goals like this, I prefer the FAST model (rather than SMART): https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/with-goals-fast-beats-smart/

Become a scientist. :) That is to say, run experiments! With a vision that describes desired outcomes, collaborate with others to identify possible experiments that could be run to find solutions that provide that outcome. Run the shortest experiment that will provide valuable data on whether the idea will produce the outcome. Revisit and decide to pivot or persevere (or any gradient in between). For more information on this approach, read the book The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. This approach builds in empirical learning loops, facilitates others taking ownership of solutions, and assumes adaptation will be necessary to realize your vision.

I believe a specific set of skills is required. These include: 1. Understanding of Technological Trends: Leaders who think strategically and anticipate trends are better positioned to make informed decisions. 2. Adaptability: Leaders who can quickly adapt to change and tailor their strategies as a response are crucial in today's unpredictable world. 3. Emotional Intelligence: Leaders who possess emotional intelligence are better equipped to manage and lead diverse teams. 4. Communication: Leaders who can communicate effectively and empathetically with their teams are essential for building trust. 5. Resilience: Leaders who can overcome setbacks and maintain a positive mindset are critical in today's business landscape.

While generalities like "accountability" and "curiosity" sound positive, it's helpful to get a lot more specific. Decades of research and experience have proven that leaders of agile, adaptable organizations share key behavioral practices: They set clear goals and use them for forecasting, they conduct forward-looking meetings designed to make intelligent group decisions, they run their teams in terms of higher-level goals, not silo goals, and they equip front line employees to forecast accurately. By modeling such behaviors to their entire organization, they create teams that collectively make better decisions and take faster action. Learn more about these behaviors and how they relate to each other here: https://youtu.be/4iYSx1uQbvk.

Tenacity and focus - do not be easily influenced or distracted by short-term hiccups and noises; stay on course and know what the mission is. Continue to broadcast, evangelise and measure you and your team’s performance. Be the voice of calmness and reason during chaos and fear. Be that light and show them you can lead by example

Leadership growth isn't a solo sport. Find a community to support you - others on the leadership journey. It's ideal for you to have at least one person who's more experienced than you, one person who's a peer in experience, and one person you can mentor. But even if you only have one other person, invite them to help you see your situation from an outside perspective and then return the favor.