Authored by: Dr Renate Scherrer‚ MD of JvR Consulting Psychologists
Despite many labeling it a marketing buzzword, Industry 4.0, a.k.a. the fourth industrial revolution, represents significant transformation that cannot be ignored, as businesses are increasingly able to optimise operations with the support of connected smart machines that keep getting smarter as they access more data. In the 2018 Deloitte Millennial Survey, only 36% of millennials were confident that they have the skills required for Industry 4.0. Soft skills were regarded as increasingly necessary with the top essential skills being reported as interpersonal skills (36%), confidence and motivation (35%), and ethics and integrity (33%). Young employees are however not looking towards universities and business schools as a training ground to cope with the evolving complexity of the future. They expect business to craft a fit-for-purpose development plan and offer focused support on their continuous development journey. When positioned and contracted appropriately, this process can indeed become a meaningful and purpose-driven roadmap, yielding not only positive individual returns, but also creating real and measurable value for the organisation itself. The rules of development Where modern-day and future-oriented people development are concerned, organisations do benefit from implementing an end-to-end process that is holistic, technologically enabled where beneficial, and informed by science and research. Yet, this is exactly where the challenge lies. Too often, behavior development initiatives are positioned and experienced as once-off or random energy injections with the expectation that it will lead to sustainable change. This is as illogical as expecting that eating vegetables for a whole day and exercising 10 hours straight once a month will lead to weight loss. A holistic development process can be unpacked along the following core and recurring steps: Map, Measure, and Mobilise. This allows for scalable but appropriate solutions that facilitate positive progress and action learning through continuous review and recalibration. Map is for clarity Understanding the context and strategic goals of the organisation are key elements to determine the future requirements of leader behavior to successfully deliver on the strategic intent of the organisation. There will be generalisable elements across most companies, but there are also unique aspects linked to the organisational lifecycle, the underlying culture, the stakeholder expectations, and the company-specific challenges that will have to be taken into consideration. This leadership blueprint then becomes the aspirational benchmark that employees can identify with and integrate into their development journey. It goes without saying that this blueprint stays a work in progress and needs to be reviewed and calibrated continuously to ensure ongoing relevance. Measure is for Insight Once there is a clear understanding of the requirements, it becomes possible to measure the fit of an individual to the demands of the context. Determining individual bench strength with scientific rigor includes a combination of the elements that makes up a person’s potential (underlying ability, preferences and values), competence (demonstrated ability to perform) and reputation (the perception of others). It is during this exploration phase that a skilled expert, together with a committed line manager have to challenge the individual to appreciate the following: natural strengths; how strengths can support areas of development; stress reactions to be managed; the potential impact of derailing behaviours on self and others; motivational requirements; resilience and emotional hygiene factors; and also aligning these with career aspirations and the organisational reality. Mobilise is for change The hard work starts once a dynamic development plan has been crafted that aligns to the overall strategic organisational goals. The best intentions for change will fall flat if it is not monitored and measured as part of the key deliverables the individual needs to realise. A personalised plan that is dynamic and consists of the right mix of eLearning, skills development, coaching, mentoring, business projects, rotation, and enough opportunity for continued robust feedback will cater to the requirements of the organization as well as discerning future leaders. Ultimately, success will come to those who see development as a lifelong learning experience. They will have to future-proof themselves through being open to continuous learning. Organisations who are up to the challenge of investing in and driving people development will reap the rewards in having leaders who can take ownership, proactively solve business problems, and support the workforce to deal effectively with the future. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With its head office situated in Johannesburg, the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world, and support a range of development opportunities and host events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Group
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Authors: Dr Renate Scherrer‚ MD of JvR Consulting Psychologists and Dr Karina de Bruin, JvR Academy Managing Director
Throughout history we’ve seen women who stood out above the rest. They excelled against all odds in a society or a sector which did not acknowledge their contribution, whether in politics or business. These are arguably tough sectors for any leader to make a difference in, and have an impact on, but even more so for these women who often had to navigate the muddy waters of prejudice, stereotyping and even jealousy. What makes women successful as leaders? When one considers the Forbes list of the 100 most powerful women, Germany’s Angela Merkel has been the number one for almost a decade – being ousted by Michelle Obama once in 2010. Other names frequenting this list are Melinda Gates, Sheryl Sandberg and Christine Lagarde – all strong women with unique characteristics. Closer to home, some of the names we have come to associate with power and influence would typically be Winnie Madikizela Mandela, Pam Golding, Thuli Madonsela, Wendy Lehabe and Gill Marcus. In broad strokes the similarities we perceive them to share are certainly some of the following: courageous, focused, driven, self-confident, assertive, and resilient. Overall, they do not conform to what society dictates, they are passionate about their beliefs, willing to take risks, and they often spearhead social change by speaking up about domestic violence, injustice, and discrimination of any kind and the oppression of minority groups. Focus on the activities that are energising Even though most women may not make the Forbes list or the top echelons of multinationals, there is no doubt that they start their careers in business and other professions with the same level of intelligence, education, and commitment as men. Recent years have seen an increase in women taking up significant leadership roles, perhaps because of the realisation that the familiar glass ceiling is unfair, but also because of an increasingly urgent need for more leaders. What hasn’t changed, however, is the fact that women often get home from work, only to sign-in to a ‘second shift’ of motherhood and homemaking. According to the Mckinsey quarterly (2008), this double burden of motherhood and management drains energy in a particularly challenging way. Most people will agree that work–life balance is a myth, especially when you are in a leadership position in an always-on, always connected work culture. Mckinsey highlights that women’s only hope for survival is to balance their energy flows: in short, they need to focus on the activities that are energising (both at work and at home), and actively managing their resources. This is probably easier said than done. Countless women will attest to the fact that they are often too tired or occupied to even know what energises them. As a result, they land up being overworked, overstressed, and emotionally overloaded. The fire-spitting dragon queen When we are stressed, tired, or distracted, we are at risk of overusing our strengths or operating from the dark side – by being, for example, emotionally volatile, manipulative, distrustful, passive-aggressive, and arrogant. In more every day terms, we become the cold-hearted ice queen, the colourful drama queen, the manipulative queen of hearts, the adventurous queen of the desert, the meticulous queen bee, or the infamous queen of denial? Leadership in increasingly virtual, digital and global organisations with progressively diverse, multigenerational and highly educated teams will relentlessly test the resilience and character of women leaders. Leaders have a high level of influence and people generally look up to them. Others see them as role models and mimic their social interaction. We also know that employee engagement is specifically driven by the quality of the relationship between leaders and followers. It is therefore important that this relationship is defined by aspects such as respect, learning how to debate rather than fight, to not allow emotions to overrule reason, to inspire rather than micro-manage, to display humility, and have a fierce ambition for collective success. Reputation is Queen! Women leaders who tend to digress to the dark side when pressured will inevitably end up having a tainted leadership reputation. Such a tainted reputation will (sooner or later) derail the otherwise high-potential, competent and strong leader. Consequently, the wise women leader will manage her reputation very carefully. Crucial aspects underlying reputation management are self-awareness and self-management. It is impossible to change your reputation if you are not aware of what it is and how it is impacting your leadership influence. A good start is to ask for feedback, truly listen to it, and then act on it with integrity and good judgment. In doing so, they stand a far better chance to reach their potential and leave an inspiring legacy. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With its head office situated in Johannesburg, the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world, and support a range of development opportunities and host events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Group Many employees dream of being promoted to the corner office and being a key part of the organisation’s success. In fact, few will decline an opportunity to journey there. Seasoned leaders can however attest to the reality that managing people is often the hardest part of their role and that there seems to be an abundance of examples of new leaders who are unable to reach the goals they set for themselves and their teams.
More than a third of SA citizens are millennials. Add to this the perspectives from a recent study about millennials in South Africa: almost 50% of the participants indicated that mentoring others is the most attractive aspect of leadership, and nearly 60% seek traditional management-track corporate careers (Universum South Africa). This means that young people are taking up leadership positions at an accelerated rate. However, as a Harvard Business Review article points out, between 20% and 40% of new leaders fail in their new roles. Dr Renate Scherrer, Managing Director of JvR Consulting, says the two main reasons for failure on the individual leader’s side is the lack of certain requisite skills and the presence of certain “undesirable” characteristics. “However, one will not only look to the individual for reasons, since a leader never fails in isolation. One also needs to consider the contribution the organisation made and the support it offered or did not offer.” Matching company requirements and individual aspirations It seems like organisations are often very good at appointing exactly the type of leaders they vow to avoid, those individuals who end up being the company’s Achilles heel. Future-fit organisations are also less hierarchical and offer fewer traditional career paths where the assumed way to self-actualisation and growth is to climb the corporate ladder. It is therefore becoming even more critical to appoint the right people into leadership. In order to do this, organisations need to map the basic requirements of the organisation. They need to be clear about the core components of their people strategy, what skills are needed to meet the organisational objectives, and align people decisions to this. Further to this, organisations have to measure current and future talent against these criteria and drill deeper than surface characteristics such as charisma, social skill and self-confidence to determine leadership suitability. Lastly, organisations need to then mobilise identified individuals to make strategic career decisions aligned to their own core values and strengths, and in line with the organisational intent. Promote to fail Scherrer says in many instances there is not enough time spent on the preparation phase of the new leader. They are simply put into the role and expected to know what to do. “Companies are not mindful enough to ensure that people, especially given the number of millennials in the workforce, are equipped for the roles they are chosen for.” Many people are still being promoted because they have a specialised skill and can deliver on key requirements. However, being promoted into a leadership position changes the rules of the game, especially with modern day requirements of needing to lead, connect and enable virtual teams to perform under increased pressure and stress. It then becomes the classic reality of “what got you here, will not get you there”, and critically important to also “manage” those undesirable dark side characteristics that may negatively impact leadership effectiveness. These characteristics typically manifest during times of stress and uncertainty. Accelerated and continuous development Once there is an awareness of certain shortcomings, development becomes a key requirement. Struggling and new leaders must be equipped with a personalised development plan – i.e. some people may benefit from coaching or mentoring, others from job rotation or formal coursesClear and structured development plans to which people are held accountable is a key requirement in this process. “Progress against the plan has to be carefully measured. There has to be a baseline and frequent and continuous assessment of progress, as well as brutally honest feedback.” By doing nothing to support new leaders, the company is doing something. It is setting them up for failure. It will cost them dearly. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With its head office is situated in Johannesburg; the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world and supports a range of development opportunities and hosts events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Group The recent behaviour of leaders in the private and public sectors greatly harmed the already unsteady foundation of trust that South African citizens have in those who claim to have their best interests at heart. Suddenly it is not only government that can be blamed for the state of affairs.
In fact, several corporate entities have also gained first-hand experience of the devastating impact of what Warren Buffet positioned as: "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.". South Africans feel betrayed, deceived and manipulated like never before by those walking in front. When one analyses this more closely, it is clear that some of these leaders displayed narcissistic characteristics by being self-promoting, having a sense of entitlement and not owning up to and taking responsibility for their role in authorising poor or unethical decisions. The Tarzan leaders Renate Scherrer‚ MD of JvR Consulting Psychologists, says many narcissists are charming and seem visionary, but they also have a false sense of importance and are self-serving and entitled. It does not take long before the trust people have in a leader, who is overly preoccupied with him- or herself and their own interests, disappears. “They never own up to mistakes, never apologise, are quick to blame others and to praise themselves. In fact, such a person does not shy away from taking the credit even though it is not due.” When things are running smoothly their language is lavishly sprinkled with “Me” and “I”, but when problems arise the conversation becomes a finger-pointing exercise of “You” and “Them”. This Tarzan-like behaviour (declaring himself the king of the jungle) is however often a mask or persona to compensate for a deep sense of insecurity. The Humble leaders Scherrer says mature leaders have a large dose of humility. They do not put themselves above what needs to be done. President Cyril Ramaphosa eloquently demonstrated some of this when he referred to the words of the Hugh Masekela song, Thuma Mina (Send Me). “A humble leader takes responsibility for his actions, admits when he has made a mistake, and does not only focus on his own interests,” says Scherrer. In fact, a humble leader looks to himself first when trying to understand when things go wrong, but reflects on the actions of others when credit is due. Humble leaders do not abuse authority and are willing to serve others first. Their language has phrases such as “We” and “Us” and they insist on honest and direct conversations with clear commitments to a shared vision. Former president Nelson Mandela remains an impeccable example of a humble leader. He is quoted as saying that “there is nothing to popularize a person. Only humility, which is the ability to remain in the background and to put others in the front light”. The Complex leaders South Africa requires “complex” leaders who are Competent; innOvative; Mature; emPathetic; ethicaL; connEcted and fleXible. True complex leaders have an acute awareness of their limitations and do not try to disguise it for the benefit of the audience. They realise that ignoring their own weaknesses will lead to inevitable failure. In the VUCA-world we live in, the complex leader will ensure organisations and state entities answer volatility with vision; uncertainty with understanding; complexity with clarity; and ambiguity with agility. Getting it right According to Scherrer it is difficult to rebuild trust in an organisation or state entity if the leader displays narcissistic tendencies. Trust is based on integrity and strengthened when leaders admit and take ownership of mistakes, something narcissists do not even contemplate doing. Therefore, it is necessary to get it right from the start. “When appointing people, make sure the charisma is not narcissism in disguise. It is essential to implement a scientific selection process and validate references,” says Scherrer. Listen for clues in the examples used in interviews, and to what extent organisational achievements and success are attributed to the self. She adds that when people are promoted from within the ranks it is critical to continuously evaluate performance in an objective manner and not fall into the trap of ignoring the “red flags” that are inevitably already visible, even if perhaps well managed. Having more power will expose true character, so if someone is already entitled, self-centred and arrogant when they are supposed to follow, don’t be fooled to think it will become less when they lead. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With it’s head office is situated in Johannesburg; the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world and supports a range of development opportunities and hosts events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Group Author: Dr Renate Scherrer‚ MD of JvR Consulting Psychologists There is consensus that ‘a day in the life of’ tomorrow’s leaders will be significantly different from today. The broad future trends such as globalisation, virtualisation, digitisation and automation of organisations are literally transforming the nature of jobs. At the same time a progressively diverse workforce is also adding challenges, as well as benefits, to the leadership task of effectively integrating and spearheading teams that are multi-generational, increasingly educated up to tertiary level, and likely working off-site. Out with the old The impact of these future requirements will be acutely experienced at the individual and organisational levels. Organisations will have to rethink, redesign and reposition anything from organisational structure, to work processes, to talent strategies. Traditional selection or succession processes will no longer be effective when only yielding a list of potential candidates to be placed into specific well-defined roles. Future leaders will have to tick a few essential boxes that will enable a good measure of success across a variety of roles in the ever-changing and shifting organisational landscape. This is where the complex leader steps up to the challenge of being adaptable and resilient, ready to face the challenges ahead and doing so whilst empowering their people and doing the right thing. Complex leadership can be unpacked as being COMPETENT, INNOVATIVE; MATURE; EMPATHETIC; ETHICAL; CONNECTED and FLEXIBLE. The complex leader will have to help organisations answer volatility with vision; uncertainty with understanding; complexity with clarity; and ambiguity with agility (VUCA). How to find and cultivate complex leaders Proper selection and development is paramount. However, more than ever before, these procedures need to be holistic and technologically enabled, as well as informed by science and predictive analytics to assist in making effective real-time decisions with a future-focused perspective. The good news is that there are numerous excellent and scientifically sound psychometric assessments available, as well as a growing body of knowledge on transformed leader development strategies that will cater to the requirements of discerning future leaders. Organisations will benefit from implementing an end-to-end process that includes the following core and recurring steps:
What should aspiring leaders do? The demand for leadership development is no longer a ‘nice to have’. In the next decade, aspiring millennials will increasingly take on the daunting task of becoming inspiring leaders. With more than a third of South Africa’s citizens being millennials, the upcoming leadership generation will need to cope with the complexity of leading boldly into the future without the benefit of years of experience and exposure in preparation. They will need to have or grow ‘bigger’ hearts and minds on the go as part of a lifelong learning experience. They will have to future-proof themselves through being open to continuous learning, to question and explore, to experience and innovate. True complex leaders are by no means perfect and without fault. Somewhat like the centuries-old Japanese art of fixing broken pottery with powdered gold lacquer – Kintsugi – complex leaders embrace their fault lines and continuously work at repairing it. Because the leader’s unique history and flaws are not hidden and disguised, followers are also authorised to find new meaning in who they truly are and, in the process, become more resilient. John Maxwell said: “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” Against the future backdrop it seems that the successful leader of tomorrow will be the one who, even though they do not know the way, are willing to make the way and guide others to find and achieve their purpose, embrace their vulnerabilities and celebrate who they truly are. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With it’s head office is situated in Johannesburg; the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world and supports a range of development opportunities and hosts events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Group |
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