In the current context of COVID-19 we are all being tested in ways we could have never anticipated. So what type of leadership will get us through?
When faced with navigating unknowns in a complex external dynamic, the leader takes centre stage. The challenge for many is not just in showing up, but knowing how to lead and adapt.
In the absence of familiarity, we revert to seeking safety and look to those that help us create meaning. Leadership required today needs to evolve to ensure the human connection drives decisions and leads through empathy. Building these future-leading skills will set individuals and organisations apart, separating those that survive, from those that thrive.
Amidst the chaos, leadership skills need to evolve and adapt to embrace a new version of tomorrow. The future leader must strike the right balance across three dimensions:
As an individual, foundational strength as a leader will come from resilience. The need for this has never been so crucial.
Followership will come from the human side we share and the manner in which we make meaning of their worlds.
The environment is outside of our control and the way we navigate ourselves and others provides an opportunity.
Download 'The COVID-19 leadership test' today!
As organisations emerge from COVID-19, ‘returning to normal’ simply won’t cut it. We believe that as we come out of the responding phase of this pandemic, to return to the workplace and reinvent our futures, there are two opportunities that cannot be overlooked:
New challenges demand a new way of seeing things
To bring brighter futures for ourselves and generations ahead, we need to collectively take action to change our trajectory. At an organisational level we need to revisit our human purpose, to building sustainable futures by transforming our companies.
There is no better time for reflection, to renew our commitments and refresh our priorities
Organisations of all shapes and sizes are reconfirming their commitment to their people’s health and wellbeing. As companies have shifted from finding their feet to focused scenario planning, it’s clear the impact of COVID-19 will reverberate long beyond the peak of contagion - infiltrating our thinking on digital connectivity, global supply chains and business continuity.
This will undoubtedly change how we work – both now and in the future. In many ways, COVID-19 has quickened our pace to adopt future-of-work strategies. What were once strategies to stay competitive are now necessities to stay afloat. High performing companies will work to build commercial resilience by pivoting their business and customer strategies and simplifying processes and practices. Central to these will be the capacity for the business to change and transform and to do so at pace and with greater uncertainty ahead.
Combined, these forces will enable the rethinking of corporate culture, building leadership muscle in a new set of essential skills/mindsets and wholesale workforce change in the race to reskill people.
Build your new leadership narrative
What does great look like? And what leadership talent do you need? At Mercer we work with you to redefine what ‘great leadership’ looks like in the new shape of the workplace. Through revising leadership capability frameworks at all levels, we can bring a clear focus on how leaders must show up and what is required of them now and in the future. These new requirements can be instilled through developing and cascading a new, future-focused leadership narrative.
Understand your talent landscape
What leadership talent do you have already? By leveraging Mercer’s best practice methodology, we can support you in identifying high performers and future potential leaders who can succeed in your specific environment. Our technology-enabled development and assessment centres are designed to bring a baseline measure of what leadership talent you have. This is then globally validated and we configure a robust assessment into current capabilities in order to identify critical skill gaps.
Invest in developing your leaders for high performance
Close the leadership gaps. Capability building should be one of your top three priorities. Building capabilities needs to extend beyond purely competitive reasons. Shifts in customer demand and strategic priorities in parallel to the changing landscape of the workplace are important factors as to why you should prioritise building capability now.
We develop immersive leadership programs that use a blended learning approach to accelerate capability building. These unique programs are designed in collaboration, drawing from the skill gap analysis to pinpoint where investment is required to generate the best outcomes. Our design thinking and agile programs have fundamentally shifted mindsets and delivered tangible business outcomes.
Is your organisation ready
for the new shape of work?
Speak with one of our consultants today.
To enhance leadership capability download ‘The COVID-19 leadership test’ or complete the form and a Mercer Consultant will be in contact with you.
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