Here is Josh Linkner‘s latest blog post. To check out the wealth of resources he provides at this website, please click here.
* * *
In the context of seemingly endless challenges, many of us have paused to reassess what it really takes to win. What attributes will we need to overcome the strong headwinds of this hyper-competitive business storm?
We certainly know that the models of the past won’t cut it. To seize our full potential — in both public and private efforts — we must embrace the five new faces of leadership:
1. Sherpa: The leader of a mountain-climbing expedition’s sole purpose is to help others reach the summit. Sherpa leadership isn’t about individual achievement – you are in your role to serve others – your team, your customers, and your community. If your team knows you are there to help them succeed, they’ll give back far more than any rah-rah speech or management technique of the week.
2. Provocateur: Tip-toing around deeply entrenched viewpoints is less productive than trying to fry eggs on a hot sidewalk. Your job is to challenge everything and be a poking-stick of change. A healthy disdain for the status quo is the hallmark of leaders who shape history. Don’t let fear glue you to conventional wisdom.
3. Futurist: Aiming your efforts at last year’s market data will yield a surefire miss. You must clearly articulate your vision of what lies ahead, and ensure your organization is ready to seize it when that window opens. Imagine all the possibilities, and never allow the past or present to restrict your imagination.
4. Story-teller: Getting your message to stand out and be heard above the noise can by tougher than running a four-minute mile. Make sure you’re crafting your story – to both internal and external audiences – in such a compelling way that it cannot be ignored. You must communicate your purpose and a clear plan of how you’ll get there if you expect your team to leap forward with urgency and alignment.
5. Speed Demon: The world of getting things 100% right before hitting the market is long over. Today, you must execute and problem solve with ferocious speed, making regular adjustments in real-time. Complete business cycles can now last weeks instead of years. You must build a culture that embraces speed in all aspects of business – from innovation to customer delivery to hiring to technological advances. On the highway, speed kills. In business, speed wins.
New challenges call for new approaches. To really hit your stride, you’ll need to upgrade your game plan with a modern set of tools.
The surest path to obsolescence is hugging the status quo. It’s time relinquish the techniques of the past in favor of approaches better suited to the challenges of the day. Good leaders may stay the course, but great leaders reinvent.
* * *
Josh Linkner is the New York Times bestselling author of Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity, named one of the top 10 business books of 2011. Josh is the CEO and Managing Partner of Detroit Venture Partners. Together with business partners Earvin “Magic” Johnson and NBA team owner Dan Gilbert, Josh is actively rebuilding urban areas through technology and entrepreneurship. He is also Adjunct Professor of Applied Creativity at the University of Michigan. For more information on creativity, visit his website by clicking here.
“In addition to my blog, you’ll find free videos, quizzes, articles, eBooks and more to help fuel your creative fire!”