DEVELOPMENT
But there continues to be ongoing global concern over the lack of effective leadership . The incongruence in the results comes from a lack of understanding of the attributes essential to delivering a transformational leadership style . If we are going to fix the global deficit of effective leadership , we need to shift our focus to the dispositional attributes essential for effective leadership .
Instead of teaching people how to deliver a transformational style , we need to first and foremost support them to manage themselves by maintaining their resilience . Without resilience , it is impossible to deliver a transformational leadership style to the team .
The new frontier of leadership
These unprecedented times need outstanding leaders who can first and foremost lead themselves so that they can flourish in a volatile environment , says Dr Lynda Folan
THE EXPERT
Lynda Folan is an organisational psychologist and a specialist in leadership and organisational development . As well as leading companies across the globe through transformational change , she has authored the book Leader Resilience , The New Frontier of Leadership .
The present economic , social , and business context is redefining what successful leadership looks like and how leaders will need to support their teams to deliver sustainable outcomes . We live in truly exceptional times and face challenges that can ’ t be overcome with the leadership of the past .
‘ Old school ’ leadership styles are no longer effective – a new focus and a new way of leading are required . And research shows that in this volatile , uncertain , complex and ambiguous ( VUCA ) world , it is no longer possible to effectively lead a team without first managing yourself and ensuring your resilience is maintained .
Who are the most effective leaders ? Great things happen when leaders deliver a transformational leadership style that engages their team and allows them to adjust to challenges . We also know that transformational leaders deliver excellent team cultures and achieve sustainable outcomes for their organisations .
Let ’ s change our focus The most outstanding leaders of our time ( the ones that will go down in the history books as positive role models and icons of leadership ) build their resilience . They also support the people around them to enhance their resilience to bounce back from challenges and adversity .
No matter how many skills the leader is taught or how competent they think they are , resilience is a prerequisite for effectively leading a team . It is the fuel that enables effective leadership and the foundation for successful teams . So , there must be a focus on supporting leaders to get here . Organisations need to realign their strategies and build leader resilience to enhance leadership capacity .
The big shift Now more than ever , effective leadership is critical . It is the distinguishing factor amongst highly successful companies . Show me a company delivering sustainable results , and you will be able to point to a leadership team that is the driving force of this success . Show me a company that is failing or getting in trouble , and this failure can be attributable to ineffective leadership .
In the VUCA world , it is essential that we focus on selecting and promoting people who want to lead their teams and actively develop their resilience while building the resilience of the people they lead . Resilient leadership is the driving force that carves out success for individuals , teams , and organisations . Resilience is the dispositional attribute differentiating exceptional leaders from mediocre or ineffective ones .
In simple terms , without first leading yourself , you will not be able to lead your team to success and deliver sustainable outcomes in the VUCA world . Leading yourself by maintaining your resilience is the new frontier of leadership . S
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Summer Issue 2023 | Executive PA 57