Conventional Leadership Wisdom is Wrong – and Why We Need to Change

Last Friday, I was interviewed as part of the Executive Conversation Series at the Human Capital Institute where I serve as a member of the Expert Advisory Panel on Talent Management. We spent an amazing hour discussing the The Look of Leadership 3.0

I started my conversation with the analogy about the styles of leadership over the years: Henry Ford, Jack Welch, Steve Jobs, Eric Schmidt, Mark Zuckerberg, etc. If we were able to do a comparative graph, the styles of leadership of each of these legendary individuals and leaders the arc would be off the chart.

Each one is a masterful leader in his own right. Could Henry Ford or Jack Welch manage a workforce today with the same level of success. I personally think not. The evolution of modern leadership requires a different style from what may have been successful years ago.

Career Management 2.0 @ Time Warner

I presented a seminar at Time-Warner on September 23 on Career Management 2.0.  The workshop was a Lunch & Learn Event.

HR as the Town Crier, or Why People Management Needs a Lot More Focus

 In the 18th Century, a town crier was used to make public pronouncements wearing a red and gold robe, white breeches, black boots and a tricorne hat. They would carry a hand-bell to attract attract people’s attention, as they shout the words “Oyez, Oyez, Oyez.”  This translates to “Hear Ye, Hear Ye” before making their announcements. This was a call for silence and attention.

I have been giving a lot of thought to this role over the past few months and it really crystallized last week when I read the recent article in Human Resources Executive titled “What’s Keeping You Up?” This article was based on a survey of 802 HRE readers that found that “nearly 80 percent of HR leaders report their level of stress has gone up during the past 18 months,”  with one-third of those surveyed reporting that their level of stress had increased “dramatically.”

There was a common theme in these findings, and it’s this: that given the impact of the downturn, HR leaders are having a difficult time these days.

The Look of Leadership 3.0-Teleconference on September 24, 2010

I will be hosting a teleconference on the new models of leadership at the Human Capital Institute on September 24, 2010 at 12 Noon

  Teleconference Airs: September 24, 2010
 

Will the leadership model  of today be successful in the future?  What changes have you seen in your career as a leader? Multi generational workforce, economic turmoil, talent turnover, closing the engagement gap are just a few of the issues facing not only HR but corporate leadership in the future.  And yet, there is a fair amount of ambiguity and anxiety concerning these impending issues headed towards organizations.  How does the HR practitioner and aspiring leader play a role in this equation?  How will senior leaders make the transition to manage this newly “empowered” workforce and reinvigorate their companies?  Will leaders become teachers, and if so, how will they learn from the up and coming generations? In the end, it is all about that most important asset that companies have given lip service to over the years.

The rubber now meets the road.  Let’s exchange strategies and successes in this conversation about taking your leadership to 3.0.