As waves of disruption reshape what the future of business is likely to look like, current and future leaders need to adapt their skills to embrace change. Technological advancements are “moving so much faster”, says Adelynne Chao, founder of tech consultancy Untold Insights, and future leaders will therefore need to become more comfortable with change.
Businesses want to be innovative and different, she says, but many question whether their efforts will be worth it: “A common question we get asked is ‘how do we know we’re doing the right thing?’ People are investing a lot of money into developing new products, but how do they know if they’ll have to do it all again in a few years time? The answer is that they will have to do it all again, because if you’re future-proofing your business, you’re always going to be innovating.”
Leaders, Chao adds, will need to get better at “constantly putting themselves 10 years ahead” of the curve.
As people live longer, the age range in offices has increased, with up to five generations now often working side by side. Keeping increasingly diverse teams happy can be a challenge, but our guests are optimistic about where the future of empathetic leadership is going.
Riannon Palmer, founder of PR agency Le-uhm, says that in previous generations it was the norm to “work employees as hard as you could” and “happiness at work was less important”, whereas the younger generation of leaders are putting more emphasis on work-life balance. Future leaders should therefore prioritise “emotional intelligence and empathy”, which, she adds, will be crucial in understanding their peers.
Great leaders also nurture the talent of their people, says Sarah Nurgat, client services director at ThoughtSpark, and create a space where “people are free to ask questions and air their opinions”. Flexible working as standard was introduced as a result of pandemic lockdowns and while many leaders are requiring staff to return to the office full time, Palmer advises leaders to embrace this change – even four years on.
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