Just the other day, we were taking a dip stick on how many people were still sticking to their New Year resolutions a month into the year. We asked around and, as expected, we found that some were already struggling to hold on to them, while many had already given their resolutions a quiet burial. Listening to us admit our failures, a young colleague smilingly reported that she was sailing successfully and was actually near her intended goal. That, she explained, was because she had made a tangible 30-day resolution – one that she was sure she could persevere with – rather than an intangible year long pledge. Next month, she said, she would reassess her situation and commit herself to a fresh goal for another month.
It set me thinking. Rather than follow the norm of initiating big changes on New Year’s Day, she had discovered the power of small sustainable change. She represented the potential leaders of tomorrow. Increasingly, young men and woman like her are rejecting “the norm” to embracing behaviour patterns that completely invert conventional wisdom. I decided to explore other such attributes being adopted by them. Character traits that would be considered atypical among leaders today. I found what I believe could be 5 critical attributes of tomorrow’s leaders:
Influencers: First and foremost, these are not “leaders” in the traditional definition of the term. They do not seek authority and do not believe in command and control management. What they do have is a distinct span of influence. They inspire respect. And this spreads out in all directions – amongst peers, juniors, seniors. And interestingly, this is a two way phenomenon. For, they are completely open to being influenced by members of the same circle.
Support players: The captains of the sports teams in our era have usually been the star players. This is accepted as the norm. Be it team leader, political leader, or business leader, we pick them all on the same principle: The star performer. But these young leaders of tomorrow are not aspiring to be among the star players. They are busy building star teams, invisibly supporting and building on the strengths of their team.
‘Ristakers’: These young men and women have the courage to make mistakes. I like to call these “ristakes”. These lie at the very root of destructive innovation, the fuel of change. The ristakers believe in the power of change and are willing to take chances to break status quo. We all know that we need radically new solutions for the unprecedented problems we are faced with today. The answer lies in trying new things, without the fear or making a mistake. And that is embodied in the fearlessness of this generation.
Emotional fools: Far from the robotic or cold stereotypes of the workforce, these are emotional, even passionate, individuals for whom being ‘humane’ is very high on the priority list. Their high emotional quotient also feeds into their sense of individual (and thereby collective) social responsibility. They want to make things better – for themselves, their friends, community and the world at large. To them, the office represents far more than a “work”place. It is an extension of life itself. And this is evident in their approach to work and expectation of the workplace.
‘Irrationalists’: Look around. Gone are the days of being ‘practical’. The young emerging leaders do not subscribe to popular notions of “realism.” Their optimism appears irrational in a sea of pessimism. When everyone around them is giving up hope, they continue to believe against all odds. Their sentiment is infectious and has the power of turning the tide.
Looking at them, you cannot help but feel that the future is positive and in safe hands. In fact, at Davos this year, I was truly missing these optimists among the attendees weighed down by the burden of the global economic turmoil. They are the ones who will spot the first rainbow in the sky and it is in our interest to engage them proactively so that they can paint the bleak shades of today with the bright colours of their tomorrow. Don’t you think so?
