The unique challenges of the modern leader.

In publishing my manifesto for modern leadership last week I realised I’d probably raised some very good questions. What exactly is ‘modern’ leadership? Who is the ‘modern’ leader? And why do they need their own manifesto?

 The manifesto came about because of the work I do with my clients. The similarities in the challenges they face. The commonalities in the things that make a difference. Those leaders all run modern businesses. But what does that mean?

 It means they run businesses that:

 -    challenge existing industry norms or disrupt the way things have been done before

-    run in a modern way - driving sustainability, managing or leveraging shifting consumer expectations, run on modern platforms (apps, online, mobile)

-  running a business that has been formed in recent times, with often relatively ‘young’ teams.

 All of this ladders up to a unique set of challenges and opportunities.

Expectations of the team

Only in relatively recent times has work has become anything more than a means to an end. Go back just 100 years - 50 even - and you’ll find work to be something that was to be, in many ways, endured. A way to survive. It’s incredibly recently that work has become something that we associate with fulfilment - and even more recently still that has become an expectation.

Now, more than ever before, work is purpose, work is identity. The lines between work and home have become blurred, largely due to increased connectivity and higher expectations of our ability to continue working when we’re at home, and that has led us to want more from work. If it’s going to encroach on our lives then it damn well better be worth it.

In many ways that leads to a more engaged workforce, a workforce that cares far more about the work they’re doing. But as a leader, that comes with its own set of challenges. A whole set of ideals for you to live up to. A need to provide meaningful work, career progression and recognition way beyond what you would have needed to give if you’d been on this journey at any other time.

And the reality is that some work just isn’t that exciting, some work just needs. to. be. done!

So how do you live up to these expectations? How do you meet those employees where they’re at?

Expectations of self

Look back through history and it’s rare that CEOs that made the headlines in anything other than the business pages. But business has gone mainstream… CEOs are celebrities. And with that has emerged the cult of the CEO. So it’s not enough to want to run a company well any more, now we can read about Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and aspire to the same kind of world beating, stellar, stand up and pay attention kind of story.

[If you want to know how pernicious the cult of the CEO can be then I recommend reading Blood Bank - the story of Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos scandal.]

This level of collective awareness has led to certain expectations of CEOs - not only from others but mostly from themselves. There’s a perceived need to want to be overstated, outward facing… extra.

It’s rare that there’s a particularly good job description for the CEO role. And in a lot of cases, for my clients, having grown up with their business they are the first one to do that role in that particular company. So there’s no blueprint. Every company is different, has different variables and different needs - especially in hyper growth mode.

That leaves them with the question of where to they take their cues from. As a natural high achiever, the likelihood is that what they begin to aspire to is a mixture of the absolute best version they can think of for themselves and various different pointers from people that have succeeded on the journey.

All of this can result in a heady cocktail of unrealistic expectations. Rarely does anyone write their story from a place of starting out - they write it as the most successful version of themselves looking back at their journey. What that does is put even their mistakes in a different light. Even their uncertainties and insecurities. It’s difficult to get a helpful perspective from someone who naturally will be so far removed from the realities of the early part of their journey and it’s often difficult to step back and get enough perspective of your own.

So how do you get clear on your role? How do you decide what you need to deliver and when? How do you ensure you don’t crumble under the weight of your own expectations?

Variables

Compare the modern leader to the leader of say 15-20 years ago and you’ll find an incredibly different set of variables to deal with. In her book Superfast, Sophie Devonshire brilliantly outlines the enormous pace of change that today’s leaders are faced with:

“The fast pace of technological change has driven customer expectations, the responsiveness of businesses and their ability to scale. Most forecasters believe that innovation and improvements in business will continue at a vertiginous tempo. The only certainty is that change will continue to be fast”

Not only do today’s CEOs need to deal with this enormous pace of change but the exponential growth of variables that go along with it. Many of the barriers that have been removed by increased digitalisation and technological advances have opened the doors for many more markets, channels, timezones, suppliers. This increases opportunity, variables, data points and ultimately decision making. An incredible number of things for a modern leader to get their head around.

This means they need to be able to make decisions at lightning speed and reprioritise shrewdly.

So how do you do this well? How do you ensure you stay on the right track AND take advantage of the best opportunities?

The customer

Consumers have a voice like never before. Online reviews, social media takedowns, even glass door reviews for the employee as customer. You must. not. put. a. foot. wrong. In a content hungry, news hungry society, it does’t take long for a story to grow legs. It’s a modern leader’s biggest watch out.

Not only that but customers have THE BIGGEST choice that has ever been available to them. Online has brought a literal world of choice to their fingertips. The strategies you create as CEO, the team you recruit, the decisions you make, all of these will influence how well you perform in your customer’s eyes.

Despite this, many business leaders lose sight of the fact, especially while scaling, that 100% of their turnover and profits come from their customers. A fact that simply can’t, and shouldn’t be ignored.

Great businesses hold the consumer at their very core. And great leaders literally lead the way in this regard - but that can be a tough gig when faced with all of the other considerations that exist.

So how do you prioritise the things that really matter? And how do you deal with shifting, and often conflicting priorities?

What it takes to be a modern leader is a strong mix of the right foundations, clarity on vision and role, a defined and sustainable way of showing up consistently and a focus on energy.

Working out how to do this well, whilst also steering the ship means that many CEOs need support. To find out more about the kind of support I can offer drop me a line on rebecca@rebeccamorley.co.uk.

You can read the manifesto for modern leadership here.

As always, thanks so much for reading!

Til next time.

Rebecca