A Leaders Mindset: How to Think like a Leader in a Changing World

When you think about leadership now there has never been more changing factors which influence how to be a successful leader. Whether that be through the hierarchical system of organisations, being a business leader or leading in your own right, leadership is a myriad of challenges that requires good decision making and resilience to succeed. Leaders are now exposed to so many internal demands and external influences, especially in regulated environments along with people and process issues so it is difficult for them to keep up. This can create blind spots due to the pace of work, conflicting demands and leadership by process. Leaders can also find themselves in chaos being pulled from pillar to post but at all times their people will look for consistency in behaviours and action. They will also look for certainty in a very uncertain world. 

Where possible leaders need to provide certainty, but where certainty is not possible to then as a minimum show positive behavioural consistency. ‘Be a leader’ being the maxim rather than the default position a leader falls behind, because it comes from setting the example as a role model, and a genuine desire to help and support people.

Four Key Leadership Behaviours that get you 90% of your Results

From McKinsey & Co’s research, they identified four key leadership behaviours to be the ones that get leaders 90% of their results in the workplace; Be Supportive, Operate with Strong Results Orientation, Seek Different Perspectives and Solve Problems Effectively. This was determined through the research with 189,000 people in 81 diverse organisations based on 20 distinct leadership traits. The collaborative collective achieve more through the support and facilitation of the leader. Albeit the survey was in 2015, so we could now ask ourselves ‘what has changed in the world of leadership in those four years and what does the future bring for leadership now that we need to take into consideration?’

Navigating the Rate of Change & Complexity

Well we expect more change, more demands on time, less time for tasks, even more multi-tasking, gig leadership, technological advancements with the onset of AI and probably much more that makes the role of a leader more complex in the future. But that depends on how you see it, as any leader will only have the same amount of time in a day, which means leaders will need to cut through the complexity to establish winning habits in the time they have to be successful. Navigating change is and will continue to be the norm so personal effectiveness will be critical in striving for success whilst utilising both new technologies and people to collaborate effectively.

Leadership Purpose

What rings true with leadership if you want to be effective is there has to be passion for actually being a leader with a desire to help others. Leaders should put their people’s agenda before their own. As Simon Sinek says “When we help ourselves we find moments of happiness. When we help others we find lasting fulfilment.” And the fact that people don’t buy what you do, they buy ‘why’ you do it, which is found in a person’s reason for actually being a leader in the first place. The importance of allowing team members to shine when they are producing brilliant work, and then being visible when things go wrong to ensure you have their back, will always be the best way to set a good leadership example. Some things don’t need change with time when it comes to leadership.

But part of the leaders purpose is to remain human in a world increasingly reliant on technology and process. But it is that genuine purpose in helping and empowering others which should be at the core of being a leader.

But then how many get management or leadership wrong would you say? Have you left a boss who micro manages or whose values are not aligned with yours? 

Dysfunctional Leadership

An example of dysfunctional leadership is someone who switches their political interests to become a leader of a political party where they may now be in a better position to win the vote, but it goes against the reasons they got into politics in the first place. Their ‘why’ is purely in their own self-interest, not that of helping others and putting their country first. Too often we now see politicians only interested in their own agenda and some will switch allegiance from one position to an opposing position if it will get them in power. Politics just provides the backdrop here to a dysfunctional setting that is easy to draw upon when it comes to the classic example of manipulative, command and control style leadership or an "I don’t care as long as I have or I am in power". No names need mentioning, you get the point. Its leadership basically moving backwards in time instead of progressing forwards….but then maybe I’m missing the point here expecting leadership to be about doing something good in the world instead of a leader's personal agenda. 

And I’m sure there are many more people who are leaders with positive intentions, who are just looking to navigate the murky waters of the continual flow of information and the pressures of work in a society that feels like it is becoming more dystopian by the day. 

So how do we think like a leader in a changing world?

If leaders are to sufficiently navigate and lead through change, ‘purpose’is what defines a leader along with a step change in mindset. We live in times where integrity, respect, and decency need to cut through the jungle of mis-information so not only we can thrive in business knowing we are collectively doing the right thing but also knowing we are adding value for future generations. A leader's mindset is critical to this and being able to deal with the exponential change we will all continue to face. As Korn Ferry, the leadership specialists, call out in the Third Wave leaders now need Agency, Authenticity and Agility to be successful in the times we live. 

To build upon this and navigate change here are five essential mindsets required of the leaders of today we can all use.

1. Purpose-Led

Ensure that you have a sense of purpose in being a leader, connect to the bigger picture both in your organisation and out into the world. Being a leader is about how you add value to others and the organisation, which is the essence of leadership wrapped in purpose driven behaviours. Understand why you work where you do, ensure that it matches your values, ensure you have that purpose as a leader to make a difference and help others. It is about helping and supporting others to be their best or to be a leader in their own right within the organisation to help shape the future. Leaders in this day and age should create leaders. 

“Leadership is not about rank or title: It is a choice. It’s a choice  to provide care and protection for those of whom we are responsible.” 

– Simon Sinek

Question: As a leader are you in a role that aligns to your values, gives you purpose where you can make a difference?

2. Empower

Empowering your people giving them freedom, autonomy and trust will be key but also demanded from the younger generations coming through to work starting with the millennials. Naturally it may be more difficult in some environments but treating your people like adults generally means they act like adults. Treat them like children and guess what you get? Treat them like leaders who you trust with responsibility, accountability and ideas then you will maximise your results and have the freedom to focus more strategically on what you do. 

"Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes."

- Gandhi

The secret to motivating others is simple it is genuine special attention and when you treat someone like a leader where you listen and show genuine interest allowing freedom of expression you will quickly notice how positively they respond. Yes some people need more clarity of instruction, some may need more feedback and coaching through your support, some may need you to lead until they feel they can be outright leaders themselves, but then helping them get there is why you are a leader in the first place.

Question: How do you treat your people, show genuine interest and how do you empower them to be leaders?

3. Authenticity

As mentioned above leaders in the future will be judged on their authenticity and how they show genuine interest in helping others, demonstrate integrity in their decision making, show all people at all levels respect and are found to be trustworthy. This can always be difficult because there will always be different types of personality at work. If we take a tool like Myers Briggs Type Indicator there are 16 different types of defined personality and then millions of variation even within a type but the simple point being sometimes type A will not trust type B purely because they see the world differently, trust and gather different sources of information and make decisions either in a subjective or objective way.

So working across these multiple differences takes a high level of self-awareness and EQ with a genuine and authentic commitment to collaborate and listen. It was Lou Holtz, former American football player, coach, and analyst who explained to build great relationships as a leader you need to demonstrate you care, that you are committed to your peoples agenda and that you can be trusted. This in itself is a test for every relationship you have because if you can answer yes to all three then you have a great relationship. What is it built upon? Genuine interest in helping others rather than engineering or duplicity. People can tell whether you are an authentic leader…why? Because they can feel it.

“You’ll never know who you are unless you shed who you pretend to be.” 

― Vironika Tugaleva

Question: How do you appreciate the diversity in or with your team and do you demonstrate that you care, you are committed and can be trusted?

4. Learning Agility

Essentially this is about having a growth mindset and being open to new ideas but also being able to adapt to first time situations applying past experience to the present moment. Because of the amount of change and complexity in work, leaders who demonstrate the greatest agility will have more success, because those that adhere to conformity will struggle to adapt. Leaders who know that making mistakes and trying new things, who learn from failure quickly, will adapt to their changing environment better than those fixed in their ways. Hearing the words ‘We have always done it this way’ is a mindset prison for those moving in the opposite direction to the tide of change that is happening in the world.

“Learning agility is the willingness and ability to learn, de-learn, and relearn. Limitations on learning are barriers invented by humans.” - Pearl Zhu

The attitude of looking to continually learn and improve along with being focused on the objective is a clear road map for success. As Ben Hunt Davis, the British Olympic Rower, explains in his book, ‘Will It Make The Boat Go Faster’, the UK rowing team were not the best team, however they applied a growth mindset to one very clear objective, 'how to make the boat go faster'. If it made the boat go faster they used the idea but if it didn’t then they didn’t waste their energy. Focusing on this as a team led to Olympic Gold in Sydney 2000. 

Question: How open are you to looking to learning to enhance and improve what you do with clear focus on your objectives?

5. Take Risks, Think Strategically and Innovate

The world is changing every day so it’s so much better to be shaping the future than have your future shaped for you. Taking risks is not about taking a mindless gamble or throwing caution to the wind, it is about taking calculated risks to put yourself and others forward, try new things, be creative, suggest ideas and innovate where possible. It is about asking ‘why?’ and ‘why not?’ or ‘What if?’. It is about thinking strategically about the future. It is about having vision for what is possible. It is about innovating with data to support you or using the data to shape your strategy. It is also about tapping into the diversity of the group and collaborating. Together we are more…

As a leader it is about facilitating to bring innovative ideas to the table through other people. Let your people challenge you, challenge the convention, think differently and shape the future together.

"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." - Steve Jobs

Question: How are you currently collaborating and facilitating to bring out collective ideas to shape the future rather than conforming to the status quo?  

The Burning Platform 

Authentic, empowering and values based leadership has never been needed more in the world and the expectation from leaders not to buckle under the pressure of conformity and remain true to their values is essential. Change in the world is everyone’s burning platform and the mindset we choose will determine our success as individuals and as leaders. By applying the mindsets above to your organisation, your leadership, your way of doing things around here will provide a blueprint for success. When you have a shared understanding of what good looks like you have the right foundations for success in the future. The question is whether you are willing with a growth mindset to continue to challenge yourself and lead on the edge where you continually push the boundaries. 

What to do next to adopt a leaders mindset…

Assess yourself each month on the questions above. Do this each month for the next six months to adopt the mindset of a leader.

And please like this article if you found it useful.

Recommended Reading:

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek

A Leaders Mindset: How to Win in the Age of Disruption by Terence Mauri

Will It Make the Boat Go Faster by Ben Hunt Davis

Winning Every Day: The Game Plan for Success by Lou Holtz

Recommended Articles: 

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/leadership/decoding-leadership-what-really-matters

https://www.success.com/simon-sinek-the-secret-to-leadership-and-millennials-is-simply-purpose/

https://www.kornferry.com/media/sidebar_downloads/TheThirdWave.pdf

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/leadership-design-how-create-culture-paul-corke/

Recommended Video:

https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/simon-sinek_leaderseatlast-activity-6579840774161121280-btTw

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your organisation, leadership or culture then please contact me at [email protected]

Coming next…

‘From the Mindset of a leader to the Mindset of an Organisation’…and The ‘Mindset Equation’ we can all learn from.

All photos are from provided through pixel.com