I just returned from a conference I attend each year which always helps to refresh my spirit, recharge my batteries, and provide me with practical action steps for my leadership journey. Here are a few of those practical applications which I believe all leaders of organizations need to keep in mind if they desire to remain relevant and effective in today’s marketplace. We all know that in order to continue to have an impact on the community of people we desire to reach, we must never rest or rely on the successes of the past. Past is past, and what helped us before, though good at the time, must be continually evaluated for its ability to resonate with today’s culture, which is always changing. With technology driving constant change, it’s very important that we stay not only on top of cultural shifts and paradigm shifts, but in front of them. The most effective leaders and organizations of today and tomorrow are the ones who have figured out how to see into the future and anticipate needs.
The first thing we can do is to stay young. This is more than a cliché or catchphrase; it is a vital part of staying relevant to the world around us. This requires the leader to continually be learning about what makes today’s culture tick. We’ve all met leaders who have had success in their past and figure that if something worked before, it will work now. However, they couldn’t be more out of touch! As the culture changes around us, like it or not, it is driven by the young, who will be the leaders of tomorrow. For current leaders to have an impact, they must know and understand the trends, technologies, sensitivities, values, styles, and cultural aspirations of the next generation of leaders and followers. Right now we have four different generational cohorts in the workplace, so leaders have to understand the past, present and future characteristics of each, particularly those who are coming up through the ranks. To reach the next generation, we must not only know and understand them, we must include their unique needs and desires in our planning and offerings. I’ve known leaders who embrace the fact that they are getting older and it shows up in how they conduct their management skills and how they communicate. It’s no wonder that they attract so few of the younger generation to their cause. As for me, I have no intention of getting older gracefully. I will fight it at every step. I want to still be relevant for many years to come. I will not get old.
The next thing that was communicated at the conference was the need for organizations to always act as if they are brand new. When a company is first starting out, they thrive on innovation, speed, high energy, risk and sacrifice without the chains of tradition, hierarchy and privilege. They are hungry to attract new followers, so they go after them instead of hoping and waiting for new members to come to them. New organizations can’t afford to sit and wait, so they make things happen. When a company is new, they do things established companies have often stopped doing, including keeping their focus on the next generation as described above.
The third take-away from the conference was that groups that stay on a growth curve reinvent themselves every 18 months. I thought that was fascinating, because it’s easy to fall into the trap of finding a niche and successful functional practices, then staying with them. However, especially in today’s culture of speed and change, I can see the value of reinvention. The message may remain the same, but method must always be able to flex and change around the needs and expectations of the culture. I call this staying current. Whenever I am creating presentational experiences, interacting with other leaders or students, or even writing this blog, I do everything I can to stay current in style, content and application, so that my message is clear.
Stay young. Act like you’re new. Reinvent every 18 months. These are best practices of organizations that remain relevant and growing. I hope you and I have the courage to follow their example in the organizations we lead.
Lead well.