What's Inside Your Leadership Toolbox?

There are both hard tools and soft wares in the leadership magic box, but still, leaders are the tool master.

Businesses become hyperconnected and over-complex under ambiguous and uncertain circumstance at digital age, leadership today also has to continuously adapt to change, with the right sets of “mind” and “tools,” start with the need for profound knowledge, meaning understanding systems, psychology, theories of management and theory of variation. Leaders need a wide range of the tools and depending on the generation of the workforce, language may change too. But generally speaking, what’re supposed to be inside your leadership toolbox today?

Strategic thinking needs to be in your leadership strategy box: How alignment of vision in the mission has an impact on leadership at all levels and how to find a balance in the organization. The bottom line is that as a leader you are looking upon to deliver the tools in keeping your business in the right direction, navigate through the digital dynamic, discover the path via unconventional or out of the box thinking, believing in yourself and most importantly in your team to achieve the high performing result. Hence, the strategic thinking needs to be in your leadership toolbox to navigate in the future more confidently, companies will be successful if they resolve strategic thinking and problem-solving.   

Analytics and decision-making tools: Great leaders know how to carry themselves in most contexts. They know how to make decisions in a manner that is in the best interests of the parties involved. The conventional managers make decisions only based on their gut feeling or personal experience, but effective digital leaders are more data-savvy and inclusive, be able to articulate strategic outcomes and enable their teams to provide feedback as well. Analytics becomes the handy tool leaders/managers shall use frequently to make information-savvy decisions.

Influence and resource need to be in the leadership toolbox: Leaders are trustworthy, it is the foundation of all relationships and essential to creating willing followers. Leaders are influential and powerful and have no need to use manipulation to influence others. Leaders are resourceful and are able to make the most out of what they have to achieve their vision. Hence, knowledge, insight, and wisdom are the best “tools” to sharpen leadership effectiveness and maturity.

The agile management processes: The complex business environment is created by the diversity of factors, in a team the challenge is to have an agile process to manage it and so leadership will come; but no leadership without managing. The agile management processes underpin the robust business capabilities at the different level, with the goal to solve complex problems and enforce cross-functional collaboration.  

There’re both hard tools and soft wares in the leadership magic box, but still, leaders are the tool master. Maybe the delicate balance of leadership and management could be expressed, as an essential aggregate of efficiency, effectiveness, and agility in perpetual movement, which requires, before to use of any adjustment tools or other business development insights, a profound transverse listening and questioning to figure out the big WHY is the prerequisite step for problem solving and management practices.

Posted in: Future of Leadership