Alicorp CEO Alfredo Perez’s Three Predictions For The Future Of Leadership
Leadership principles may sound different around the world depending on the language you speak, but the messages remain the same. Alfredo Perez is CEO of Alicorp in Peru and is recognized for growing the company and creating a strong culture as a leader. Alicorp is a large consumer goods company in Peru that sells everything from grocery items to haircare and household products. Alfredo oversees a diverse team of more than 5,000 employees as the company sends its products all over Peru. His leadership has shaped the company by helping it grow and preparing it for the future. I had the opportunity to meet with Alfredo when I was Peru speaking at an event he organized.
As part of the research for my new book, The Future Leader, I interviewed more than 140 CEOs around the world to get their insights on what it will take to be a successful leader over the next decade and beyond. Alfredo shared some fascinating thoughts about what will happen in the future of work and leadership. You can learn more and get a copy of the book with all of the insights and research here.
I appreciated Alfredo’s unique take on leadership from an international perspective. He showed that the challenges and opportunities facing leaders of the future are universal. Here are Alfredo’s three predictions for the future of leadership:
If you want to learn more from Alfredo and over 140 other CEOs, I just put out a free Future Leader Masterclass which explains the skills and mindsets that these CEOs say are most crucial for leaders. Sign up for that here.
The pace of change will only increase.
Technology is already disrupting how we live, think, and act, and the rate at which that changes will only get faster (change is changing!) Adapting to change isn’t enough; we need to lead change and create the future. Alfredo says future leaders need to balance pragmatism and speed with careful consideration for the implications of their decisions. This is actually one of the 6 major trends shaping the future of leadership over the next decade. As Alfredo told me, “we must accept that we don’t have all the answers and that we don’t need to have them, but we must have solid values and a genuine conviction in our purpose.”
Leaders must have a transformational instinct.
Some leadership capabilities like setting a vision and executing on strategy are timeless, but other necessary skills are new with changing technology and work demands. Alfredo says having a “transformational instinct” is crucial for future leaders. This way of thinking means leaders are always looking for new and better ways to work. The relentless pursuit adds value by continuously transforming the company. Future leaders need to be willing to experiment and fail to bring about forward-thinking change that can improve the company. In my book I talk about this several times in the context of having the mindset of the Explorer, it’s one of the four essential mindsets for future leaders. In fact one of the greatest challenges for future leaders will be to challenge the status quo and not doing things the way they have always been done.
People will always be the focus.
Even with changing technology, people will always be central to everything that leaders do. The best leaders stay close to people, both employees and customers. One of Alfredo’s biggest leadership tips is holding regular meetings with employees at all levels and talking with them in an unstructured fashion. Staying close to people provides leaders with new perspectives and can open their minds to issues and points of view they might have never considered otherwise. Technology is powerful, but it also brings the challenge of needing to be more human and filling in the gaps that machines can’t reach. Building strong relationships will always be crucial to success and will never be able to be fully replicated by machines. For leaders this means having the skill of the Coach, it’s one of the 5 skills I talk about in my book that are most crucial for future leaders, and is all about motivating, engaging, and inspiring people — creating other leaders.
Clearly, strong leadership skills are essential no matter where you are in the world. Alfredo’s thoughts help leaders prepare for the future and the changes it will bring.
If you enjoyed the article and want more content like this here’s what you can do:
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