Success Involves an Excellent Strategy and Collaborative Execution
How to Be Successful as a Leader
in the 21st Century
Dr. Frank Knoche, 2019
My Personal Manual on
The most difficult task for a leader in the 21st century is to align people around the organization’s mission and shared values.
This is a marked difference to the positional and expert power style of leadership of the 20th century, and is far more challenging than meeting short-term goals in the past.
A New Style of Leadership Is Needed in the 21st Century
Attributes of the 21st Century Leader
- Forward thinking
- Plans ahead
- Fosters innovation
- Is prepared to future challenges
- Coureagous
- Takes calculated risk
- Acts thoughtful and is optimistic
- Has a thick skin but is not insensitive
- Team building
- Involves the strengths of others in decisions to achieve success
- Can read people
- Is comfortable with and relies on diversity
Commitment To "Four Spheres of Morality"
Is Crucial for the 21st Century Leader
-
Commitment as a person
- Acts with integrity and character in business and in private life
-
Commitment as an economic agent
- Acts to improve the economic viability of the firm
-
Commitment as a company leader
- Acts as a transformative leader
-
Commitment beyond firm's boundaries
- Considers interdependencies in a globalized and connected world
Adapted from Chester Barnard's book "The Functions of the Executive" (1938)
Execution Is the Major Task
of the 21st Century Leader
- Execution is a discipline with three core processes:
- People process
- Strategy process
- Operations process
- Execution has to be the foundation of the culture of the leader's whole organization
Corporate Culture Is Everything
- We have to understand that corporate culture evolves over a long period of time
- It cannot be changed over night
- Changing corporate culture requires more than words and rhetoric, it involves what 'you do'
Corporate culture is not only important,
it is everything
A Corporate Culture
for Successful Execution Demands
- A culture where everybody is committed and accountable
- A culture where collaboration is the key to success
- A culture which is committed to its clients success
- A culture which listens better to clients and colleagues
Collaborative Leadership Is Your Key to Success in the Age of Supertransparency
- Be a collaborative leader
- Believe that power is only attained through interdisciplinary teamwork
- Openly share information and knowledge
- Encourage ideas and suggestions from your team
- Allow roles and responsibilities in your team to evolve and to fluctuate
- Uncover root causes of issues
- Offer immediate and ongoing feedback with personalized coaching
Become a Transformational Leader
- Inspire your team with your vision and ambitions
- Be a role model. 'Walk the walk'. Show the qualities you want from your team.
- Be a servant and situational leader:
- Act as a mentor and coach to your team
- React to the individual needs of your team members
- Challenge your team to be innovative and creative
- Focus on the "What"
- Enable your team to create the "How"
- Be authentic
- Be people friendly but uncompromizing on performance
Your First 100 Days
in a New Leadership Position
- Accept the status quo
- Do not analyze the past
- Start with an initial introspection as well as an outward inspection
- Act boldly, but first see clearly
- Build a team of team players
- This can imply changes in your current team, but it does not have to
- Be clear who you have on board before you make changes in your team
- Do not be the smartest person in the room
- Be wise by being attentive
Drive Change
Using Kotter's 8-Step-Change Model
- Create a sense of urgency
- Build a guiding coalition (incl. your board)
- Form a vision and strategic initiatives
- Enlist a "volunteer army"
- Generate real impact by working cross-divisional and by removing inefficient processes
- Generate short term wins
- Press harder after the first success
- Institute change
Leadership Is a Journey,
Not a Destination
Enjoy your leadership journey. It will continue throughout your life.
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