FUTURE TALENT November - January 2019/2020 | Page 13

FRONT OF HOUSE
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO
CHANGE MOST ABOUT YOUR
CURRENT WORKPLACE?
Length of
commute:
17%
Internal
design:
16%
My personal
workspace:
17%
My line
manager:
15%
My
colleagues:
10%
Location:
13%
External
building
design: 5%
Source: What Workers Want: Europe 2019, Savills
F
WHAT
BUSINESS
LEADERS WISH
THEY’D KNOWN
We asked Shona Sherrat, professor of practise – leadership
at Ashridge Executive Education, Hult International Business
School, to share findings of research into leading effectively
in the 21st century.

When reflecting on their leadership, what do leaders
know now that they wished they’d known 10 years ago? 
Our research into learning to lead in the 21st century
examined data from 528 business leaders, seeking to
understand what knowledge and skills they believed would
have been most valuable 10 years ago, and what will
support their future success. Above all else, today’s leaders
wish they’d had greater relational skills – a tool of emotional
intelligence within the workplace. This notion is about being
a facilitator of honest, interpersonal relationships with
others, establishing a way to innovate and share ideas
collectively and to resolve conflict and manage difficult
situations. A theme that emerged heavily was ‘establishing
good relationships/networks’, viewed by many as key to
developing high-performing teams.
What do you mean by ‘relational skills’?
Relational skills include all aspects of communicating,
influencing and building relationships. Participants
offered examples of relational skills such as “authentic
discussions with individuals that get to the root of
issues”. Relational skills are critical to our ability to
negotiate and debate, come to agreement, sell to our
customers, and manage conflict in our teams. We need
relational skills to communicate change and manage
difficult situations sensitively.

How can employers help their people to develop these skills?
Offering experiential training opportunities is key. These
should not only challenge leaders to learn through failure
but also offer feedback and potential for double-loop
learning (modifying goals or decision-making rules in the
light of experience). Relational skills can be developed
through a growth mindset (a belief that one’s ability is not
fixed) and learning agility (constantly adapting to change
by learning from each experience and applying that to new
situations). Employers may wish to create opportunities
for on-the-job learning, incorporating time for reflection
and feedback to support real behaviour change. Fostering
a culture of learning, built upon psychological safety, also
encourages experimentation and supports risk taking
and proactive behaviour, which is required in today’s
fast-paced world.
Read more: bit.ly/HultLearningToLead
November – January 2019 // 13