Trends of 2021: Executive Coach Perspective

2020 Recap

Let us start with a quick recap. In January 2020, I published a summary of my presentation at WeWork Labs on the Trends of 2020, where I wrote:

“In 2020 we will experience more stress, anxiety, and uncertainty. You doubt your decisions, and you can’t predict which move will work. Brain says one thing, heart another, the body runs in the third direction.

The only way you can win — prepare yourself for constant change and thrive in it.”

Not sure what I should say after that:) There was little evidence that we are going to face a global pandemic. Trust me, writing that, I didn’t expect how this whole thing turned out. 

On top of that, at the same time (remember, it is January 2020), I was preparing for my finals at Columbia, finishing my paper on Coaching Tech Startup CEOs through Organizational Change, where I wrote: 

… the significant life changes that influence and trigger the development process, such as the birth of a child, the death of loved ones, traumatic world event, divorce. There is no “coaching” way to kickstart those events to accelerate growth.

Well, you got it… And as you can imagine, now I am really hesitant to write anything about 2021. But let's try…

In the last 3 weeks, I conducted over 20 yearly reflection sessions with my clients and on top of that multiple peer-coaching calls with my coaching colleagues. We spoke about the 2020 results and their vision of 2021: what work, what didn’t, and what needs to happen for 2021 to be a success. At the same time, I researched global trends through industry reports and read “modern philosophers,” especially those who are a part of the Integral community. 

Please note that my focus is High Tech and Innovation leaders, and their 2021 might be slightly different from the rest of the planet. But I guess if you are reading me, you are one of them. 

Top 5 Trends for 2021: What is in Store?

1. The human-centric CEO

There will be no Peacetime CEO/Wartime CEO anymore; you will need to become The human-centric CEO. We all know this framework introduced to us by Ben Horowitz, where he talks about two modes of leadership: one for peacetime and one for wartime. In 2021 and in the years after that, we will experience both war and peace simultaneously. The periods of stability will shorten, the waves of changes and mini-wars will appear more often. In this new reality, the CEOs will need to learn to balance those poles and maximize the benefits of both. In good and in bad times.

2. Increase of employee churn rate, especially for your best talent. 

2020 and the pandemic held talent away from changing the jobs. At the same time, employees have experienced a company culture at its worse and its best. And some of them are fed up with what they had to put up with. By now, we all understand that we won’t come back to normal, and it also means that your best talent is ready to make a move. It won’t be a fast move, your best talent will take time to weight out their next step, yet in comparison to 2020, they will be more open to new opportunities. 

3. Spiritality will gain its importance. Please note that I didn’t say “religion.”

If you look at the VIA Institute on Character’s definition of Spirituality, it says the following: “As a character strength, spirituality involves the belief that there is a dimension to life that is beyond human understanding.”

Leaders, as well as their teams, are in search of meaning. When everything falls apart and changes, you need to have a “higher purpose” or a vision to support you on this path and be your Northstar. Those without such vision find it harder to play the mental game of the always-changing circumstances.

At the same time, it became apparent that we, as leaders, are not in control of everything. So we need to plan and execute with a dimension to life that is beyond human understanding in mind.

4. 2021 will be a year of “Gentle” Growth…

When looking at 2020, multiple clients of mine called that year their year of Change, and 2021 the year of Growth. And I would (slightly) challenge that. The shift from Change to Growth requires Resources (inner and outer). When it comes to leaders, their inner resources are depleted. Even those that we “successful” in the current circumstances will correct the course and focus on growth through self-acceptance and self-care practices, aka Gentle Growth vs. Toxic Growth. 

5. …and it will be the year of “Responsibility.”

If I could name 2021, I would name it as the year of “putting responsibility where it belongs.” We as humans are great at blaming others for things that we didn’t take responsibility for (aka. My partner has to…, my board had to…, my employees have to..) and sometimes ourselves for things that are actually not our responsibility (I owe this to my team, I had to know it better, etc.)

To move forward and thrive in the new environment, we need to put responsibility where it belongs. 

• Accept what I, as a leader, am responsible for and not blame others.
• Empower others to take responsibility for their actions/lack of action and free yourself from wrong expectations. 

We need to be clear on what we are responsible for and how we influence the environment, our company, the results, and help our teams to do the same. Leaders can not carry this weight alone or hide behind blame. The weight needs to be shared.