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Gleeson-TheFutureOfLeadershipAndManagementInThe21st-CenturyOrganization.pdf
Leadership Strategy
I write about leadership and organizational excellence.
The Future Of Leadership And
Management In The 21st-
Century Organization
Mar 27, 2017, 06:46pm EDT
Brent Gleeson Contributor
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The leadership and management needs of today's successful companies have changed. Here's why.
The leadership and management needs of today's successful companies have
changed. Here's why.
In slower moving and less complex business environments the old
hierarchical model that depended mostly on only a few people at the top for
leadership simply doesn't work anymore. In today's more volatile, uncertain
and ambiguous business battlefield, decentralized controls and leadership
through networks of people at all levels is imperative for success.
One person — or a few people — simply don't have the time or resources to
sift through mounds of data about their company performance, industry,
economic environment or competitors. Nor do they have the time to
disseminate the right data to the right people in real time. Organizations
move too quickly for that model to be effective.
Watch on Forbes:
In a recent article, I wrote about the fundamental difference between
leadership and management as it relates to today's organizations facing the
need for significant change. So what does leadership and management look
like in the successful, growing and innovative 21st century organization?
One easy correlation I can draw is from experiencing the leaner structures
we had in the Navy SEAL teams. When you think military, most would
picture an extremely bureaucratic command and control environment,
which of course does still exist in today's armed forces. In some cases it's
absolutely necessary. But in special operations, the pace at which we must
move, learn and even change moves far too quickly for a traditional
hierarchy.
The Naval Special Warfare community, where regular military rank of
course exists, is still a much flatter organization. Senior leaders do the
leading, while most of the important managerial tasks are delegated to the
lower ranks. Junior team members are empowered with great deals of
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responsibility and the autonomy to make decisions. Is it always perfect? Of
course not. But with a culture founded on trust and extreme levels of
accountability, this teamwork mechanism works very well.
The same applies to today's business organizations. Especially in highly
competitive environments. My previous company was a digital marketing
agency. As the company grew rapidly, the industry continued to change due
to technological advancements and the competitive landscape broadened,
we knew our structures would have to evolve as well.
In some of the most successful start-ups and even large organizations that
have evolved, you can visibly see greater levels of delegation and decision
making at all levels. Leaders focus on guiding and communicating the
vision, leading large client projects and finding new ways to develop their
staff. Managers are taking on more leadership responsibilities and pass
increasing amounts of responsibility to junior employees.
So what does this mean for leadership and management development?
Management is more easily taught and learned in my opinion — planning,
budgeting, staffing, quality control, processes, systems, etc. Leadership is a
different beast and very few companies are designed for powerful leadership
development. Their structures aren't designed for it, they don't invest in it or
don't see the need to prioritize it. Or all of the above. But if anything I have
mentioned in this article is valid, then how can today's fast-paced
organizations not find better ways to develop their leaders.
Most of us spend the majority of the time we are awake working. Unless of
course you are retired or have actually found a way to be successful working
four hours a week. Personally, I would go nuts. So for the rest of us normal
people, we spend most of our time working - and in large part in some sort
of office environment. Which means that the time we have available to
develop as managers and leaders is limited. Why? Because we are extremely
busy and usually not being measured on some elusive performance metric
related to how well we "lead."
So that means that if companies really want to move more quickly, have a
flatter structure and develop emerging leaders from within, a significant
amount of time must be spent teaching team members how to lead.
Unfortunately, just having someone come in a do a keynote presentation on
leadership at the annual sales kick-off meeting isn't sufficient enough to
immediately create an army of leaders who can effectively develop,
communicate and execute a powerful vision — especially a vision for leading
new changes. Nor is a two-day workshop. While these types of investments
are important and should be made, the organizational structure and culture
has to be one that empowers leaders. One that encourages people to take
charge, attempt to lead, make mistakes and constantly learn.
Many newer companies and start-ups aren't burdened by the old ways of
thinking and operating like organizations founded fifty years ago. That said,
many companies that have been around a long time have seen the light and
are leading major transformations that improve culture, performance and
leadership structure. The big ego bosses and dictators with an underserved
sense of self-worth are finding it harder to exist in these new environments.
A few 360-degree reviews and peer evaluations can fix that really quickly.
The younger generations in the workplace today aren't afraid to "share"
their opinion. Especially when it's anonymous. Trust me!
And frankly, leaders and managers with that mindset aren't good for any
organization. During SEAL training, peer reviews are a weekly event. We
have a process called "top five, bottom five." Every week you anonymously
rank the top five performers in the class as well as the bottom five. Much of
the time, those landing in the bottom five are star performers — from a
tactical or physical standpoint. But they have character or ego problems.
These classmates are organically purged. This system roots those issues out
before a student ever gets close to graduating. It's one of the many ways we
protect our culture.
Nothing I have seen points to the fact that organizations will revert back to
the old way of doing things — larger than life CEOs who single-handedly
make a company great, thick layers of overpaid middle management, over-
managed and under-led departments, and structures not designed to
develop leaders.
Systems and cultures designed to develop new leaders and truly empower
them is the key to success in any 21st century organization. The upside is
almost endless. More people leading at a lower payroll cost. More people
who feel connected to their work that are inspired by those around them.
More senior leaders actually getting to focus on visionary leadership rather
than management. Easier succession planning because you don't have to
spend months looking for one "Superwoman" who can allegedly do-it-all.
The list goes on and on.
Does this easily apply to all organizations? Maybe not. But it does to any
company I would want to build or work for.
Check out my website.
Brent Gleeson Follow
Gleeson is the founder and CEO of TakingPoint Leadership, former Navy SEAL, globally
recognized speaker, award-winning entrepreneur and the bestselling author of…
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