The new rules of effective leadership
The rules of leadership have changed.
Telling people what to do and how to do it is no longer enough — because today’s workforce demands more from its leaders.
In a Harvard Business Review survey of more than 19,000 respondents, researchers found that people feel and perform better (and more sustainably) at work when four basic needs are met: renewal (physical), value (emotional), focus (mental), and purpose (spiritual).
They also found that management often fails to address these needs. For example, only 20 percent of respondents said their supervisors encouraged renewal breaks throughout the day.
And, despite the fact that we collectively spend billions each year on leadership development, the Edelman Trust Barometer estimated that one in three U.S. employees doesn’t trust their employer.
More generally, public confidence in the traditional structures of American leadership has been undermined, and replaced with fear, uncertainty, and disillusionment.
Clearly, there’s an alarming disconnect between current management training and employees’ actual needs.
As someone who has led a company for 13 years and counting, I can say that developing your leadership style is always a work in progress.
