As the world of work changes and brings new opportunities, it also brings new challenges. Leaders must know what they’re up against to succeed in the future.
I interviewed more than 140 top CEOs for my book, The Future Leader, and asked about the challenges future leaders will face. From their varied and insightful responses, I broke the challenges into two main areas: futurize and humanize.
Futurize
Future leaders can’t afford to lead their organizations by looking in the rearview mirror. They need to futurize or bring their organizations into the future.
Short-Term Vs. Long-Term Thinking
We’re conditioned to think quarter by quarter to please shareholders and investors. Future leaders need to focus on long-term success for their organization and people.
Adapting to Technology
The rate of new technology can be overwhelming. Future leaders need to pay attention and understand what new developments are significant and what aren’t worth chasing.
Keeping Up With the Pace of Change
Future leaders have to keep up with how rapidly the world is changing. They need to embrace change and be open to new ideas about everything from climate change to geo-political issues, technology, demographics, and much more.
Moving Away from the Status Quo
Just because something worked in the past doesn’t mean it will work in the future. Leaders need to take risks that move away from the status quo just because that’s how things have always been done.
Humanize
Technology is changing how we work, but we can’t forget that businesses still exist because of people. The challenges of humanizing involve balancing humans with technology and ensuring your people are prepared to succeed.
Leading Diverse Teams
Diverse teams bring in new perspectives. Future leaders must put together teams of people with different backgrounds, genders, races, sexual orientations, and belief systems to work together toward a common goal.
Attracting and Retaining Top Talent
Future leaders have to navigate an unusual talent landscape. Instead of candidates convincing organizations they are the best choice, organizations must convince potential employees they are a great place to work.
Reskilling and Upskilling Employees
With so much change, many employees don’t have the right skills to do their jobs or thrive in the future. Leaders have to learn how to upskill employees with what they need for future success.
Doing Good
Modern employees care about more than just making money. Future leaders need to do good and ensure their work improves their community and the world.
Making the Organization Human
With automation and a focus on efficiency, many organizations fall into the trap of focusing on results instead of people. Future leaders need to understand their employees as people, not just cogs in the machine.
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