No matter how businesses change and shift over the years, one thing is for sure: great leadership usually results in a great organisation. By demonstrating desirable leadership traits – authority, knowledge, fairness, and everything else entrepreneurs should possess – a leader can often take even a mediocre business idea to victory.
However, you shouldn’t assume that leadership will remain static as we progress further into the 21st century. Quite the contrary, in fact; the traits that make up a good leader could change and shift with the times, and so could the characteristics a leader needs to demonstrate in order to ensure success. Here are some of our predictions for the future of leadership in the 21st century.
Agile working
First and foremost, a leader will be expected to espouse the values of agile working in the 21st century. What does this mean? Well, in essence, agile working is a method by which you look for the best and most creative way to do something with as much flexibility as possible. Thinking outside the box is very much the ethos when it comes to agile working; as the old saying goes, “if it’s dumb but it works, then it isn’t dumb”. Expect to approach all of your business’ future problems with the philosophy of agile working in mind.
Flat hierarchies
While leadership is important, flat hierarchies are becoming more and more popular in the world of business. In this system, leaders see themselves more as members of the team than as figures at the head of it. A flat hierarchy leader will consult their employees much more than other leaders might, and the toxic “alpha” traits that many leaders swear by are left by the wayside in favour of something more collaborative. Not every business should embrace the flat hierarchy, of course, but those who do will find something uniquely interesting in terms of its potential rewards.
AI-driven models
The world of AI is progressing at an almost frighteningly fast rate. Thanks to initiatives like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard, AI is becoming more and more central to the way companies do business, and leaders will be expected to get on board with this revolution or risk being left behind. Using AI for everything from prediction metrics to order fulfilment and even customer service will become de rigueur as we move into the 21st century, and a leader who doesn’t value the promise of AI won’t be able to keep up.
Hybrid working
Although some leaders and businesses are trying to hold out against the inevitable hybrid working revolution, the fact is that hybrid working is here to stay. The worst ravages of the pandemic might be behind us, but the way in which lockdowns revolutionised work aren’t going away anytime soon. Workers simply want to work less time in the office and more time at home, and that’s only going to increase as time goes on. As a leader, you need to be prepared to discuss hybrid working on a long-term basis with your team or risk their dissatisfaction.
Challenges of the blockchain
You might be keeping up with NFTs, the blockchain, and all things Web 3.0, and if you’re not, then you probably should be. Although this technology is very controversial at the moment for a number of reasons, it’s hard to imagine a world in which the blockchain isn’t beneficial for at least some businesses. As a leader, you’ll have to keep your eye on what’s going on in the blockchain world and try to identify potential opportunities for you and your organisation. This technology might not be right for you, but you’ll kick yourself if you miss out on a chance because you ignored Web 3.0.
Emotional intelligence
In the past, leaders were often considered to be cold, unfeeling people who only cared about their bottom line and nothing else. Now, however, leaders are expected to display higher emotional intelligence, and that won’t diminish in the future. Throughout the rest of the 21st century, as the number of challenges we face as a species grows, leaders will be expected to demonstrate great emotional intelligence and integrity when they face those challenges. Focusing on profit over humans or the health of the planet simply won’t fly anymore.
Purpose
Leaders must now sell their organisations to potential employees with the promise of purpose in mind. Where once employees sought nothing more than to make some money and fund their lifestyle, now the workforce seeks meaning in what they do, and so your organisation must demonstrate how it’s making the world a better place. As we get further into the 21st century, leaders will need to show both prospective employees and the world at large that their business is making a positive difference of some kind.
Connection
Despite what some negative people might want you to believe, the future of leadership and business throughout the 21st century is to be connected to one another. Some might have you believe that we’re drifting further apart from each other and that businesses must become insular, but this simply won’t work from a strategic perspective. Leaders in the future will need to show that they are willing to work alongside their peers to achieve as much as they can together, rather than simply fortifying their own operations and working in ignorance (or, worse, to the active detriment) of others.
