Leadership is constantly evolving so executives, CEOs, and managers must know how to evolve as a leader and be able to develop their leadership to stay current and relevant. What worked thirty years ago, or even twenty or ten years ago, is no longer effective. The gap between technical competencies and leadership competencies has widened, and what is required to be successful in a leadership role today looks very different than thirty years ago.
For many years, what was valued in organizations was tenure and loyalty. Technically excellent employees who were with the company for a certain amount of time were tapped to fill management positions. Managers were taught to fix issues, deal with problems, and give directives to their staff.
And for many years, that worked fine…until it didn’t.
As our society evolved, things began to change.
* More women entered the workplace.
* Gone were the days where a wife stayed home and took care of the house and children, while the man went to work to support the family.
* More women earned educational degrees and started advancing in the workplace.
* As family dynamics changed, so did workplace dynamics.
The modern family shifted in many cases to both partners working full time while trying to navigate the challenges of a professional career and family life. Younger generations, who grew up with more choices and access to technology and information, demanded more than a stable job to support their family—they wanted meaning, quality of life, development, and a career that contributed positively to their life, instead of a job with many demands and little fulfillment.
We now have five generations in the workplace. This is the first time in history this has happened, and the differences in how we were conditioned in the workplace and what was valued at the time we entered the workplace has created complexities that are not easy to navigate.
We’ve moved beyond task management to people management. The leadership competencies required to be effective today involve a higher level of interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, influence, and execution. It’s never been more challenging to be a leader than in today’s environment.
The traditional approach to leadership has become obsolete, yet we still have many managers and executives in our current workplaces employing this ineffective style.
Managers who were taught to fix problems and give directives are now struggling to retain and engage their staff. The workplace has evolved, but many of our managers have not. And the years of promoting technically excellent employees into leadership roles with no leadership training is proving to be a big problem for many organizations that are struggling to catch up to a more modern leadership approach that is required to stay competitive in our constantly changing world.
It’s time to Evolve as a Leader
The quality of your managers’ leadership is one of the most important elements of creating a culture where employees love to come to work.
Your managers interact with front line employees every day and have the biggest impact—good and bad—on the employee experience. If you want engaged employees, you need engaging leaders.
Modern leaders focus on caretaking the culture—by coaching and developing employees, creating connections with their staff, influencing in a positive way, instilling accountability, providing relevant and meaningful feedback, and dealing with performance challenges timely so they don’t negatively impact the team.
While traditional managers were taught to fix, modern leaders are skilled at facilitating.
Here are examples of the differences between fixing and facilitating as you evolve as a leader:
=> Fixing: telling, directing, jumping in to fix problems, the manager spends time and energy on the technical functions of their department. Employees often upward delegate problems to the manager and are not empowered to deal with challenges themselves. Mistakes are handled with reprimands. Very task-focused.
=> Facilitating: influencing, guiding, supporting, coaching, delegating. The manager spends time and energy on important leadership functions and empowers employees to make decisions and handle issues themselves. Mistakes are handled by facilitating learning and growth for improvement. Very people-focused. For example, let’s say an employee approaches a manager with a problem, and says, “What do you want me to do?”
Here is how the fixing and facilitating approaches differ:
=> Manager who fixes: tells the employee what to do or jumps in themselves and handles the issue.
=> Manager who facilitates: uses this as an opportunity to build the employee’s critical thinking skills. Uses questions to coach and guide the employee, such as, “What do you think?” or, “What ideas do you have for handling this issue?” This engages the employee in the process, shifts the ownership back to the employee, and promotes learning and development. In addition, this manager treats the employee as a professional who has experience and knowledge that are beneficial to the credit union and taps into that expertise.
To be effective in today's environment we need modern leaders who have the skills to facilitate the best performance from each of their employees. This requires adapting their leadership style, asking questions, coaching team members, and creating connections with their employees. Successful leaders take the time to facilitate the best from their employees rather than directing or telling them what to do.
This takes a higher level of leadership skills than the traditional approach.
To truly make the impact we want in the world, organizations need to build a foundation of an exceptional culture to attract and retain the most talented employees. Employees want quality of life, and they want cultures with leaders who support their growth and development. It’s crucial that we evolve as leaders and consistently upgrade our leadership skills to be effective in the current environment.
Related Posts and Resources:
Blog Post: Are you a Modern Leader?
Blog Post: A Peak Behind the Curtain of Leadership
See all upcoming Training Events for leadership development opportunities
FREE guide "Coaching Employees for Exponential Growth: A guide to move from manager to leader"
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I really love and enjoy this reading. Reading this I learned that when you speak out clearly you thoughts and ideas people see you as winner, because you are not afraid to go straight to the point.
Great article.....And happy belated birthday! Welcome to my world, young lady!
Whenever I have a work project that I keep putting off - I think about delegating that project to someone else - which accomplishes 2 things- it gets the project done and frees us my brain space thinking about it.
Good morning. I loved this read. Thank you so much for sharing. Sincerely, Melissa :)
Thank you for this blog Laurie. I liked most part and specially "As organizations have become more complex, there is a tendency to require employees to do more with less. This is a slippery slope, and often can result in employees feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. One of the biggest contributors to this is not evaluating resources during the strategic planning process." I will use this practice "A best practice is to do what I call Priority Planning—putting important practices on your calendar ahead of time so they become a priority in your day. Examples of activities to Priority Plan include scheduling recurring coaching sessions with each team member, time for strategic thinking and planning, vacations, doctor appointments, important children’s events, and blocks of time for focused work on projects." To be more effective, I will get a good rest so I can have enough energy in the morning. I will read the blog again along with the other links on employee evaluation. Thank you so much Laurie. Best wishes to you and your family.
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I love the feedback on the more than 50 hours of work. AND filling time. So true. Unfortunately, showing that you work longer hours is still seen as being a "hard worker" - not sure how to change that though.
I enjoyed the read. I concur that transitioning from technical skills to delegating results was a task within itself. I did not realize I was almost trying to do the same thing from my previous position, and it was not working. However, I am seeing the results of how delegating daily tasks makes my job and workload easier. Thank you, Laurie.
Thank you for sharing information about your trip Laurie! All 3 things resonate with me - probably #1 being the biggest. I know when I'm gone for a week, I'm still thinking about work and need a vacation when I get back because I did not relax enough. I think your idea of a longer vacation is definitely in my future!!
Hey Laurie, My take on your list - 1 - everyone has a story - listen 2- social media causes interpersonal problems 5- generational differences create hurdles / earn it you aren't entitled / we should help them get there not give it to them 6 AMEN some leaders I would have followed thru Hell, some I wish - well, you know 7- true BUT be as good as your word and 14- Hopefully we leave some good from our efforts, I know the good leaders I have had have. Seen a lot in my career but it really comes down to treat others the way you want to be treated, fair, honest, and straight forward. Good read. Take care
I love this so much and thank you so much for sharing! I really just love realizing that enjoying the simple things sometimes is the best! Also recognizing that what is important and fun to you may not be everyone else's fun on the on the trip. “Do we get to keep these toiletries?” was my favorite!!!! :):) Glad you had a great time and got to spend it with your family!
I very much resonate with lesson no 3! Thank you Laurie
I think the part that you might have missed in their top 5 things, some of which were not "Italian" or even different from home, all of them happened with you, both of you. And i think that is what they will remember too. And you've got tons of photos that will remind them of what the Sistine Chapel looked like - then they might remember what it sounded like or smelled like. Oh- and i agree with you 100% about sleep!
LOTS of great take-aways from this post! Thank you for posting! I especially love "slow down to speed up". That's a keeper!
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the not getting enough rest to be at my best. definitely need to get more quality sleep and make that a priority
It really is hard to narrow down the 3 lessons into one because they are all so interconnected. You need to give your mind and body THE TIME to relax SO THAT you can enjoy the SIMPLE THINGS, including REST. I enjoyed that lesson as a whole. I will take that lesson with me on my next vacation (or staycation). As always, thank you Laurie for your candor and for sharing your own lessons with others so that we too can benefit.
Great information and reminders
Laurie, Thank you for sharing your trip and these nuggets. The lessons that resonate most with me are it does take time to relax and getting proper rest. When you devote 15 plus hours of your day for work, taking care of home and others; the 6-7 hours you lay down does not cut it! For me during this time I'm trying to unwind and find myself thinking fighting not to think about what I have to do tomorrow. Even after I create a to do list for the next day...I find things I need to add. Taking a day off here and there doesn't cut it as well because of all the plans you have for that day. I try to make sure my Mental Health Days remains just that.... time for me to laugh, cry, scream.... whatever I need to release the cares and stress!
Really enjoyed the article... and all very true!
Since I was already well aware of #1 (I'm in the same boat with taking a long time to relax), I think I'm resonating most with #3. I'm learning to prioritize sleep / rest and it's been wonderful. Love that you said "I love sleep.". :)
Welcome back from vacation. Well deserve! Action is the key to success. Shoulder to shoulder, coaching and delegating task to help other employees grow are very important. It is a sacrifice that one must do. Forget about yourself and be with your team day in and out to help them grow, is not always easy. On the long run, your team is stronger, and you can depend on them for the success of the organization. Thank you so much!
So many great tips here, thank you!
I am so impressed you're able to disconnect and these are great tips I'll be sure to try on my next trip!
Such a great post - so inspiring!