What people want in business leaders of tomorrow

“Leaders need to help their employees understand why they’re doing what they’re doing and the impact it makes on the rest of the team, the organization, outside communities, and potentially, the world,” says Dan Schawbel, partner and research director at Future Workplace.

With 85% of the global workforce currently disengaged in their work, the pressure is on for businesses to keep employees satisfied. And for millennials, leadership is becoming a more important aspect of the workplace experience. “If millennials don’t see positive leadership that reflects their values, they’re going to look for their next job,” says Schawbel. With 60% of Gen Y saying they are open to different job opportunities, it’s important for businesses to ensure that their senior staff are hitting the expectations of this cohort.

“If millennials don’t see positive leadership that reflects their values, they’re going to look for their next job.”

But how should companies navigate the changing landscape of leadership? This is one area where Future Workplace is well placed to help. Founded in 2011, the New York-based HR advisory and research firm highlights innovations to attract, develop and retain talent. It conducts primary research about the workplace to give companies the insights they need to understand how the industry is shifting. Its other offerings include keynote speeches, webinars, and access to innovative online courses such as ‘Using AI 4HR,’ which explores how artificial intelligence can be harnessed to transform the employee experience. The aim is to help businesses understand the future of work — and adapt accordingly.

“We need transformational leaders; people who are collaborative and who have strong visions that are going to make an impact on the world, organizations and teams,” says Schawbel. To facilitate this and encourage collaboration, it runs The Future Workplace Network — a senior community of HR practitioners who meet to discuss, debate and share ‘next practices’ for navigating the future of work. It also hosts four events a year across the East and West Coast, such as the CLO Leadership Summit in October 2018. With members including Google, IBM and McKinsey & Company, it’s helping companies to navigate the path towards the future

“In the future, leaders will have to be transparent and have open communication. They will be more empathetic, because they know that’s the only way they’re going to be able to engage their teams.”

These are areas that are vital to understand, as the role of a good leader has become indispensable for employee engagement. For example, research shows that managers account for 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores. Millennials are looking for leaders that challenge the stereotypical ‘alpha’ boss that prioritizes a company’s bottom line over all else. Instead, this cohort prefers those who exhibit soft skills; the top three values that Americans are looking for in a leader are honesty (66%), intelligence (52%) and integrity (39%). “In the future, leaders will have to be transparent and have open communication,” explains Schawbel. “They will be more empathetic, because they know that’s the only way they’re going to be able to engage their teams.”

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Canvas8 is the leading consumer behavioral insight specialist. Masterfully combining research, trends and strategy, Canvas8 deliver the inside scoop to businesses about what consumers really want.

Sources
1. Interview with Dan Schawbel conducted by the author
2. ‘Dismal Employee Engagement Is a Sign of Global Mismanagement’, Gallup (December, 2017)
3. ‘Millennials: The Job-Hopping Generation’, Gallup (May, 2016)
4. ‘Managers Account for 70% of Variance in Employee Engagement’, Gallup (April, 2015)
5. ‘What do Americans look for in a political leader?’, Canvas8 (September, 2016)