The Agile Leader – a blue-print for success in the 21st century?

One of my clients is editing a book and recently asked me to contribute a chapter on leadership in the 21^st century. While researching the subject, a conversation with my business colleague Paul proved very helpful. He talked about dexterity and the need for leaders to demonstrate a level of agility as never before. After meeting Paul, here are some thought about the Agile Leader, starting with a google definition:

Agile leadership: The ability of a leader to be able to lead well in a wide range of circumstances especially new, changing and ambiguous situations.

So what does that actuallly mean in the business or work-related arena for the 21^st century leader? Here are some thoughts which I hope will prove helpful if you are about to move into a leadership position, have recently done so, or if you’re an established leader looking for a refresher or some inspiration…

A demonstrable track record of competence is essential for every leader to have credibility with their followers, according to influential leadership experts Kouzes & Posner, writers of the 5^th edition of their definitive book on leadership: The Leadership Challenge published in 2012. And while leaders may not need to be technically competent and proficient in the mechanics of every function within their organisation, they need to show an understanding and appreciation of all aspects and value the work their people do within each function. And that means recruiting, retaining and developing talent within those functions to competently execute the technical work.  More than that, they will need to be agile: that means in order to be effective, leaders must be able to move seamlessly at all times from…

• one technical function to the next
• big picture to minute detail
• strategy to tactics
• hard to soft skills
• written to verbal communication
• one to one engagement to large scale presentations
• younger to older team members
• internal to external stakeholders or interested parties
• considered thought to swift action

And underpinning this agility is one constant – the adherence to a set of values and behaviours that are consistently aligned and visible – that anchors the agile leader and attracts his/her followers.

So as we approach the half-way point in the second decade of the 21^st century, there is plenty of scope for leaders to succeed and fail. And if you’re a leader, what will it encourage you to do as a result? Post a reply and let me know. It will be great to hear from you.