The Hay Group has just released a provocative new whitepaper titled “Leadership 2030” which, they promise will give us insight into “what successful leaders will look like twenty years from now—the skills they’ll require, the nature of the organizations and employees they’ll oversee, the trends and issues they’ll be forced to confront” They make good on the promise. Here’s a key quote from the introduction.
“Leaders of the future will need to be adept conceptual and strategic thinkers, have deep integrity and intellectual openness, find new ways to create loyalty, lead increasingly diverse and independent teams over which they may not have direct authority, and relinquish their own power in favor of collaborative approaches inside and outside the organization.”
Now to some extent, this report does what almost all such reports do: it defines a “Leadership Superhero.” These creatures possess every possible leadership strength in the extreme, while having no discernible weaknesses. I’m guessing that many will be world-class athletes, gourmet cooks, and experts in Japanese woodblock prints. Most likely, they repair their own cars.
Sarcasm aside, the real value of this report lies in the thinking it sparks. The report bases its conclusion on analysis of six key trends. Here they are.
- Globalization 2.0
- Climate change and environmental impacts
- Demographic change
- Individualization and value pluralism
- Digital lifestyle and work
- Technology convergence
Yes, I know those aren’t really trends, they’re topics, but you’ll find the trends in the relevant sections. That’s where the meat of this report is. The authors have helped you by including “Food for Thought” boxes that ask “what-if” questions about the material.
My suggestion: read this paper when you have time to reflect and capture your ideas. It’s only 16 pages, but I’d give it a quiet hour at least. Ask yourself questions as you go. Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Are there other, more significant trends you should be thinking about?
- What could cause a change in the trends described? What then?
- How is my industry different? How about my company?
- What should we be doing today? In the next 3 – 5 years?
The people who put this report together are savvy people who think deeply about leadership development issues. Use their analysis to spark your thinking and set you on the path to creating an action plan for talent development.
Excellent post, Wally. Good advice all around. I look forward to giving the article the time and attention it needs … with your questions at my side.
Hi Wally:
I enjoyed your assessment of the report, and the calls to action at the end of the post. Following is my take on what’s next for leadership: http://www.n2growth.com/blog/leadership-whats-next
Wally,
Thanks for the heads-up on what to look for in the article – it is easy sometimes to get lost in these whitepapers, so it is nice to have a guide.
Also appreciate the insight behind the sarcasm – the superhero leader is definitely the norm in whitepaper-land – although sometimes they have 5 essential traits, or 7 effective methods, or 10….
Which reminds me, any relationship between the “Food for Thought” in the paper and the gourmet cooking talents of the superhero leaders?