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WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE AN ALPHA LEADER IN THE NEW NORMAL?

Leadership can be as complex or easy as we make it, but the truth is leadership is a lot of hard work! Quite opposite to what most people think, leaders are learners. They learn something new every day that helps them lead well, work wisely and manage people. They are one of us and yet different from many.

 

It is easy to spot leaders or employees who are “leader-material” in a traditional office set up. 

They are usually busy solving problems, making everyone understand their roles, bringing the team together in meetings or at the lunch table. Sometimes you see them shouting at the top of their voices. But now, when the work-from-home or hybrid work model is prevalent, how much of that can traditional leaders exercise? The answer is, of course, none! Therefore, it is fair to ask, what does the term leader mean, really? And, what do the leaders of the new normal need to learn? After all, s/he is just like other employees trying to balance work and personal life.

 

After much research and our own experience, we have discovered the top three must-have skills to emerge as a new-age leader. Although we must tell you before-hand, you may be surprised by the simplicity of these skills. These skills are intrinsic to us, but we need to probe them more deeply to extend our leadership capabilities. It may also sound like moral preaching in a few instances, but we will try our best to avoid that. But indeed, the dawn of righteous leadership seems inevitable, and that will change the way employees function.

 

  1. Empathy- Empathy is a long-ignored leadership performance indicator. Simply because our traditional performance parameters were more number-driven, although numbers are still important, the newly discovered value of almost everything around us, human life, emotions, and well-being, top our priority lists. Empathy is mindfulness or awareness of the emotional response of other people. It is also the ability to see things from other’s perspective. It comes naturally to humans, but we tend to partially lose touch with this trait as we become more ambitious and ruthlessly competitive. There is a need to revive this trait because, in many cases, this soft leadership skill is all that encourages employees to give their best.

  

Why is empathy crucial for the new-age leaders? We are standing at the crossroads as external factors take control of our lives. No one knew that one day even staying back at own home will be challenging and so lonely. Our anxiety is leading us in many things we do. Empathy cancels anxiety because it validates the emotions of others and put them in center. Indirectly, empathy promotes the sense of belongingness among employees. Embracing employees, their viewpoints and their weaknesses are parts of empathetic leadership.

 

  1. Leaders are doers- It is common to presume that leaders lead and doers get the work done. However, that’s not a promising way of effectively achieving business goals in the new normal. If you lead by words, your team will, too, focus on doing the same. But if you come across as a “doer”, you will cultivate a team of doers. In the latter case, the team understands they need to communicate with you by showing their work and not promises or half-baked strategies. So, how can you ensure that you come across as a doer? Practice two simple things and keep a check on this routine: 

  

  • Never forget your goals: Thanks to remote collaboration tools, clearing your task-list well on time sets a great example for the people you’re leading. It sets the bar for what’s expected of everyone. But, doing so requires razor-sharp focus that only comes from being serious about your goals. Also, collaboration becomes highly intuitive when team members work during peak productivity hours and maintain clear communication. So, know when you’re most productive and urge your team to do the same. Given the prevalence of remote-work all over, this tip is highly relevant. With flexible working hours receiving the consideration they deserve, it’s vital to lead your team into utilising them right. 

 

  • Be solution-oriented: In today’s remote-work oriented world, being solution-oriented can mean many things. From solving problems via technology to helping your team strike a balance between wellness and productivity, there’s a lot that falls under this umbrella. However, remote-work or not, being solution-oriented allows others to consider you as dependable — someone who knows how to get things done. So, adopting this trait helps you inspire your team to follow in your footsteps and to solve problems in unique ways.

  

  1. Open & On-going communication- Humans' ability to make someone understand one’s thoughts and understand others is a marvellous gift. However, not everyone can utilize this gift optimally. For leaders, it is a non-negotiable skill, especially when they are virtual mentors. The work-from-home model or hybrid work model has further established communication skills as a core leadership function which includes many elements. We can divide these elements into two parts: (1) what you need to do and (2) how you need to do?

  

What do you need to do?

  

  1. Effective listening – Paying attention to tone, pitch, pause, and little sighs in between conversations will help you gain meaningful insights and respond better.

  1. Clarity of thoughts – It helps set clear expectations and allow employees to adjust their abilities as per your idea of work. Any fluctuations or diversity in interaction will lead to confusion and dissatisfactory results.

  1. Speaking- Your choice of words and pitch can inspire or demotivate others easily. Or worst, not affect them at all. With a clear understanding of how you want an employee to respond to you, choose your words wisely.

 

How do you need to do?

 

  1. Be authentic & transparent – It is crucial to communicate with authenticity for others to trust you and take your advice seriously. This also allows others to reach out to you with ease and surety of receiving the right advice.

  1. Continuity in communication – Being present is strong communication. To be present virtually means being accessible to your team and scheduling your conversations on a daily/weekly basis via calls, video calls, one-to-one, one-to-many, etc. Let your team know your tendency to “know” things better. Also, do not count emails, large team meetings as part of your communication plan. Many employees do not even pay attention when put in groups.

  1. Be gentle but firm – A good leader is one who can master the grey area between “too friendly” and “very distant”. If you are approachable, it shouldn’t make an employee feel they can use your time and attention to discuss frivolous matters. Instead, you need to continually lead conversations, and any time you feel the tone is dialling down to be too friendly, change the course of communication but do that gently.

  

Conclusion

The pandemic has encouraged us to explore the different aspects of leadership, making it a more action-oriented idea combined with outstanding communication skills and brimming with empathy. Organisation with such leaders will successfully guide its staff and help them harness their true potential without compromising on pace of achieving business goals. 

 

By honing the above mentioned skills, the leaders of the new normal can contribute in allowing staff to experience business growth as well as personal growth simultaneously. 

 

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Date published
Date modified
07/04/2021