Discovering What's Needed for the Next Generation of Leaders Great leaders shape the future. We need their influence, knowledge, and wisdom to energize and keep a business running.
By Heinz Kaegi
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Our society is grappling with a sea of challenges. Visionary companies have to develop solutions for the challenges of ever-changing consumer demand. Some employees, for instance, have a personal goal that contradicts the company vision, which leads to poor motivation in the workplace. Alternately, but equally difficult, businesses have now embraced the work-from-home model or hybrid environments, challenging the traditional way of managing organizations. The best way for the next generation of leaders to overcome the challenge of old changes and new ones alike is to learn how to lead from the future.
The irreplaceable role of leaders
Each leader is energized by characteristics and personal motivations that are unique to them. You may have a leader in your company who is patient with people, which is a good thing. You may also have a leader who doesn't place anything above his family, which is equally important.
Yet, leaders are people and face unique challenges. The recent DDI Global Leadership Forecast reports that leaders are experiencing burnout at alarming rates. The study, which examined 15,000 leaders and 2,102 professionals, revealed that 44% of leaders feel used-up in and are planning to change to more visionary companies as a way of re-energizing.
The DDI report also shows that there is a gap in quality leadership. The future of work is upon us, and most leaders and executives feel unprepared for the changes. Still, for visionary companies to go through these changes and come out successful, they need quality leaders.
Related: Why Messy Leaders are the Future
What's needed for the next generation of leaders
The next generation of leaders needs to be authentic. Such leaders are honest with themselves and aware of their unconscious competencies and incompetencies alike. To be authentic and credible leaders, they need to lead from the heart.
Mindfulness is another aspect that's vital for the next generation of leaders. This aspect energizes you to focus on the only three things one can change in life: your thinking, movement, and nutrition. And, nutrition and movement are dependent upon your thinking. Mindfulness contributes to 80% of your outcomes. When you have a personal mindset that understands that all things are possible, you'll be able to tackle changes with more powerful, intrinsic motivation.
The next generation of leaders also needs to prioritize actions that bring about sustainability. Sustainability calls for self-awareness, being aware of one's strengths and weaknesses, and feeling the power of purpose.
Lastly, the next generation of leaders needs to lead from the future. This calls for developing a personal mission, as well as the vision, mission and leadership model for your organization. Having a sense of foresight is critical for success. To develop this foresight, the next generation of leaders needs to cultivate the right attitude among management and team members. This gives meaning to the mission and allows for a holistic use of resources to apply toward sustainable value creation.
The present challenges require heart-work more than hard work. If we are to leave behind a legacy, we must achieve clarity in our way of leadership.
Related: The Future of Leadership is Empathy—And Companies Are Better for It
