The Pandemic is bringing up new leadership challenges and it is becoming clear that management styles need to change and that no one person can solve this on their own.
This article points out that in these VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) times those who have stood out as the most effective leaders have demonstrated a new set of leadership skills. Based on 25 years of leadership research CLO believe that two very different leadership styles will cause failure or success in these turbulent times.
Hero Leaders who direct from the top with an authoritarian, forceful and charismatic leadership style are much less likely to weather the current challenges. What has become clear is that no one person has all the necessary knowledge and experience to solve the problems, therefore leaders need to build an inclusive team that brings together different types of expertise to work together and create novel solutions.
“It’s not that the leaders who best managed the virus were all women. But those who bungled the response were all men, and mostly a particular type: authoritarian, vainglorious and blustering.”
Nicholas Kristof The New York Times
This traditional leadership model is often associated with what Carol Dweck labeled a fixed mindset. The fixed mindset believes that we have a certain amount of ability that is fixed and unchangeable, and that people rise to the top because they have the greatest abilities and are the “smartest person in the room.” As a result, the traditional CEO approach is to gather information, analyze the situation or problem using their superior ability, and then direct everyone to carry out their plans.
No One Person Has All The Answers
- Assemble a group with diverse experience and expertise.
- Share information and power liberally
- Empathise, listen and relate
Key Takeaways
- Collaborative leaders are the most effective during times of change and turbulence
- Bringing together broad expertise, analysing the issues and involve others before making decisions.
- Connect with others in an inclusive way to offset the isolation many feel working remotely.
Synopsis of an article from Chief Learning Officer Collaborative leadership: An antidote for a turbulent world By Carol Valone Mitchell, Steve Heinen Published: 8th October 2020 https://www.chieflearningofficer.com/2020/10/08/collaborative-leadership-an-antidote-for-a-turbulent-world/