Fiona Duncan-Steer, founder of RSViP Business Networking Agency, reconsiders leadership in the wake of the pandemic.
There is no getting away from the fact that the world we live in has changed in the last two years considerably in many aspects – for all of us.
In relation to business, many industry leaders have had to work hard to rebuild, diversify, and even start again in order to simply survive, let alone thrive, and those same leaders have also had to navigate their staff and teams sensitively and productively, whilst adjusting to a new way of working themselves and it has not been an easy task.
As we continue to learn to “live with COVID” in our new hybrid world, remote working has become the norm for many, as well as an introduction of the four-day working week for some (which I have personally introduced recently and find it highly effective). We have also seen an increase in flexitime, as leaders have come to realise that their teams can be trusted to get the job done without being micro-managed and all this is well and good but…
Should we as leaders be considering a change in the way in which we lead?
Taking into consideration the newly created businesses and job roles that didn’t even exist only a few years ago and the rapid change in marketing styles that accompany those roles, I would say the answer is a big fat YES. Look at it this way, the Gen Z (those born between 1995-2012) are our future leaders and so would it not make sense for them to become a pivotal part of our decision-making processes?
As a millennial myself (those born between 1981-1996), and someone who spends a lot of time coaching and training university business students, I find myself continually learning from those who are younger than I am and it is immensely inspiring to hear their perspectives and ideas. We are living in an age where social media can make a teenager their first million, celebrity culture has become more accessible and therefore a little less special, and ‘everyone’ can now become a podcaster, presenter, journalist, interviewer, reviewer – ‘get spotted’ from an ‘upload’ and get paid for simply living their lives through the public eye. The reality world and influencer culture are well and truly upon us, whether we as leaders like it or not, and so we either embrace it, or we get left behind.
Diversity in all forms within businesses should already be in place and companies are getting better at this, but we need to be even better, so ask yourself…
Do you currently have a diverse workforce?
Can more diversity be introduced to include younger minds?
How do you feel this will benefit your business going forward?
Integrating different generations, not forgetting Gen X (those born between 1965-1980) and the Boomers (those born between 1946-1964), will only ever result in a positive outcome; different minds, different ideas, different experiences, and different perspectives, all learning from one another and inspiring and motivating each other to ‘be’ and to ‘do’ better, and whilst we are all doing the best we can, we all still have the potential to do a little better.
Fiona Duncan-Steer, RSViP
www.rsvipnetwork.co.uk www.fionaduncansteer.com
See this column in the April edition of East Midlands Business Link Magazine.
