What is leadership? It is not about power or authority, having subordinates, or even personality qualities or styles. It's about setting a goal, or an intended outcome, and garnering support for doing so By Clinton Wingrove
July 2022 |
STORY
The substantive question is really, “Why is remote working (the significant component of hybrid working) different?” We are only just beginning to really understand. Evidence is accumulating to show that remote working really is different. And, the use of some contemporary technology “solutions” has unforeseen side effects and consequences. These are some of the arising issues: 1. A dramatic increase in the number of whole team meetings. With virtual platforms they are just easier. Some studies put the increase since the start of the pandemic above 150%. The upside is that teams are getting together more often. Potential downsides include more group-
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eadership has become one of those HR terms that are extensively used, defined differently by many, but misunderstood by most. So, what is Leadership? One of the best definitions I have seen was authored by Kevin Kruse, CEO, LEADx, in a Forbes article. He defined Leadership as, “A process of social influence, which maximises the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal.” In that article, he explained that it is not about authority or power, not about having direct reports, and not even about traits or styles. But, it is about having a goal; an intended outcome, and garnering support for achieving it. In a similar vein, I have often differentiated Leadership from Management in the following way: Leadership: Creating a
vision of the future, bringing it alive, and securing the resources and commitment to deliver it. Management: Optimising the use of resources to deliver the vision in line with the mission, strategy, and values; making things happen. The two are complementary yet quite different. An appropriate balance needs to be struck between them. Unfortunately, many use an excess of management in an attempt to compensate for a lack of leadership.
Why is a hybrid world different?
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