We live in a VUCA world: Volatile; Uncertain; Complex and Ambiguous. Business today seems to be changing at a velocity never seen. Such a world requires a different form of leadership. One that demonstrates interpersonal agility as well as technical skill.

Leading in a new world of work

Einstein once said ‘we can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them’. Given the nature and pace of change we could extend this to we can’t embrace a VUCA future with the current approach to leadership.

As we have moved from an Industrial Age, through an Information Age and now increasingly into a Conceptual Age, leadership has struggled to keep up. The traditional ‘Taylorist’ style of scientific management and leadership born on the factory floor is evolving in a world of co-working, diversity, innovation and disruption. These new environments need a new range of leadership skills and interpersonal agility to navigate successfully. However, many management schools and organizational structures still rely heavily on a structured, analytical approach to leadership development. Many of us are still encumbered by this kind of thinking in our daily work lives: task-oriented job specifications, KPIs and rewards coupled with a traditional management and leadership structure.

Interpersonal agility in a diverse workplace

Our developed economies are evolving to become creative and knowledge based – even an ‘innovation nation’ as claimed by our Australian Prime Minister. As such, leadership needs to evolve to accommodate an emerging class of creative and knowledge workers. We need to consider a more inclusive and less binary approach to leadership. As leaders, how can we make space for innovation and autonomy of thought in our staff? How do we foster mutual respect and engagement across increasingly globalized and diversified teams?

Top tips on ‘new’ leadership skills

We have considered some of the key ‘old’ and ‘new’ attributes of interpersonal agility in our ever changing world. Have a look and see which resonate with your workplace. If you are a leader yourself, how far do you reflect the ‘new’ and how far do you still need to go to embrace leading an agile, knowledge oriented workforce?

OLD	NEW
Short-term	Long-term
Directive	Collaborative
Dominant	Inclusive
Proud	Loyal
Aggressive	Intuitive
Competitive	Trustworthy

While leadership remained unchanged for – arguably – centuries, it is now evolving on a day-by-day basis. What can you do to embrace this new movement?

Interested in leadership through interpersonal agility?

Contact us to discuss developing a bespoke social agility leadership skills program in your organization.