If a few years back, some management Guru had predicted the scale of changes done practically overnight, people would have laughed and ridiculed the person concerned. If someone had predicted a mass WFH, total lockdowns and a global impact, people would have described them as crazy. If someone had envisioned a global pandemic, with unforeseen economic & economic uncertainties, people would have laughed.
Unfortunately, this is precisely what has happened. The global impact of the Pandemic has been huge and lasting, with large scale disruptions. The enormous changes that have taken place and been implemented as a response will have long-lasting effects – it is a sobering thought to realise that our world will never be the same again.
If there are 3 features that describe the state of the world in 2020, they are disruption, uncertainty and change. With disruption and uncertainty, the coping mechanisms deployed immediately as a formative response have largely been reactive.
Never before, collectively, has leadership been tested so severely – with decisions literally having a life or death effect. As the world of work evolves in responses to the changes, the leadership role, too, has evolved and will continue to.
Continuously shifting priorities, goalposts and requirements of the Organization, while juggling scarce resources, with teams working in a WFH or remote scenario – this has been the case for most leaders.
Even as they struggle with challenges of business continuity, changing consumer preferences and an uncertain future. It is this context that adapting to Agile leadership is highly useful. Primarily Agile leadership is characterised by flexible, adaptable and quick decisions management style.
Especially in today’s circumstances, unexpected and new issues may arise anytime – it is important that entrepreneurs stay agile to react to adversaries and be flexible to keep the team on track. Let’s look at some ways leaders can stay agile for being decisive in complex and challenging scenarios:
Agile leaders stay calm:
It is a given that in any kind of business, there will be operational problems and results are needed on priority. Hence, stress is created. This is where an agile leader knows how to stay calm under pressure and deliver. Instead of allowing stress to overwhelm then, they manage it.
Amongst other ways to manage stress include focussing on your body’s response to stress, focussed breathing and meditation etc… A proven way to defuse stress is staying in the present and focussing on the task at hand.
Agile leaders focus on innovation:
One of the core tenets of agile leadership is an openness to experiment with new things that can improve the organization’s work speed and impact outcomes. It is vital to note that this focus should go beyond mere process automation. Leaders will need to champion this mind-set – this will inspire and instil creativity from the team members, so that new ideas can be implemented. It is a hallmark of agile leaders that they help to spur innovation in the team, thus helping teams to get a newer perspective and a wider knowledge base. This, in turn, helps to generate new ideas and further innovate in processes.
Agile leader value emotional intelligence:
The new normal demands dynamic leaders – not those who are loners and simply wield authority as a medium to get tasks done. That scenario is obsolete – the current climate and situation demand emotional intelligence from leaders.
It is an absolutely necessary skill that allows the leaders to form strong relationships with teams. This translates into helping to drive new challenges and objectives with the team. This trait allows leaders to connect, bond, understand and work with the team effectively.
Agile leaders are eternal learners:
For managers and leaders to become agile leaders, it is essential to stay abreast of the new developments in your industry similar to LegalWiz.in partners platform. Though being in a compliance business, it is offering Payoneer coupons. It speaks volumes of staying aware of any updates in the market helps in planning ahead.
Agile leaders realise the value of learning and so, go out of their way to learn new things purposefully – especially focussing on thought leaders. And with every new approach learnt from outside the boundaries of the department, company or industry, they gain new ideas.
Thus they become equipped to give new inputs for strategies and plans to help resolve any problems that the organization may face.