One of my favourite quotes 💡📌

^{"When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too."}

Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist

Leadership Spotlight ✨✨

Navigating Uncertainty: The Urgent Need for 21st Century Leadership

“It kind of seems like the world is burning. And every time you thought the flames might be dying, a gush of wind makes them spark higher again. 

Meanwhile the wheels keep on turning. Meetings continue, reports are due and boards want to know what the forecast for the next quarter looks like. 

You had all the answers. Spent weeks looking at the usual forecasting models. Had an alternative scenario or two to cater for uncertainty. Until none of them held.

Emergency meetings were called, there was a lot of explaining and a lot of frustration. Risk management has become the most frequently used term in memo’s. Cost cutting has a firm seat at the table once again. New tactics have been set by upper leadership.

You are the lucky one who gets to put them into action.  That and explaining why – of course.  There are the ones who’ve been through this before and give you the raised eyebrow and the ‘here we go again’ sigh.  Then there are the ones who are new yet they feel like ‘you’ (as in the organisation) has broken its promise – just like was to be expected from these old generations. Every morning, you sigh in relief that they’ve all still showed up for work.

You don’t really know how to keep a smile on your face, support your team, attend all the meetings, put out the fires, nail the KPI’s/OKR’s/Targets (or however they’re called), take on the extra projects and soothe your boss’s incessant worrying over targets/people/the next career move.

There are no mentors or coaches or real one-on-ones because all your time is spent supporting your team or (report)soothing your superiors.  You’re in execution mode – reflection is a luxury you cannot really afford.  In the future, when this is over.

Except: when is it ever over?”

This could be the inner dialogue of any middle manager in a sizeable organisation basically anywhere in the world at the moment.

Today's business environment is marked by unprecedented global turmoil and uncertainty. Economic volatility and geopolitical tensions make forecasting difficult, pushing companies to focus on cost management and risk-averse growth strategies. This shift is further complicated by a workforce comprising four distinct generations, each with unique perspectives and challenges.

Generational Dynamics

• Upper Management: Primarily baby boomers and Gen X, with a few millennials. They set strategies and roll them out to the organisation.

• Entry Level: Consists of Gen Z, Millennials, and some Gen X and baby boomers.

• Middle Management: Caught between senior leaders pushing for results and younger employees questioning strategies.

Challenges

• Gen Z: Openly questions strategies and is willing to leave if dissatisfied, valuing work-life balance differently from older generations.

• Millennials and Gen X: Often skeptical, having experienced multiple strategic shifts and economic cycles before.

Middle management faces the daunting task of communicating and implementing strategies to teams with diverse perspectives. Senior leaders, accustomed to a "get it done" environment, struggle to understand and address the questions and skepticism from younger generations. This disconnect can lead to burnout or failure in middle management, as their teams may disengage or leave.

The Need for a New Leadership Approach

Traditional leadership methods are no longer effective. Today's leaders must build respect, understanding, and authenticity. They need to listen and adapt, rather than power through with outdated tactics. This shift is crucial as future generations, like Generation Alpha, will demand even more adaptive leadership.

Supporting Middle Management

Without adequate support, middle management may face burnout or failure. It's essential to provide them with the tools and training needed to navigate these challenges effectively. Even more important, is to give them access to the same kind of mentorship programs and coaching normally reserved for senior leadership and young talents.  Middle Management are the ones keeping your organisation moving forward, connecting strategy to execution.  A disconnect here has potential far-stretching repercussions.

Integrating HR and Business Perspectives

Many leadership programs lack a balanced perspective, focusing either too much on HR or purely on business. Combining strong HR and business perspectives is essential for developing leaders equipped to navigate these uncertain times. This integrated approach will help organisations thrive in an ever-changing landscape.

Embracing this new leadership approach is not optional: it's imperative for organisational success. The future workforce will demand adaptive and authentic leadership, making it crucial to adapt and evolve leadership strategies now.

But how?

So those are a lot of big fancy words. HOW do you do this? How do you support middle management to connect senior leadership’s strategy with frontline execution? I doubt anybody has a ready answer – and I would be VERY wary of anyone telling you they do.  Traditional approaches no longer work and trying to push this through for lack of better alternatives is going to be a painful experience. 

Approaching this with curiosity and openness, with a willingness to listen (truly listen, not listening to respond) will get you far.  Including all generations into your conversations is essential – the ivory tower won’t do anymore.  I have a few ideas on how to facilitate these cross-generational conversations.  It requires boldness and the willingness to let go of some control.  The rewards, I reckon, would be huge though…

Where would you host these conversations though? In a meeting room? The canteen?

Fire is the answer

What if the answer revolves around that same fire we started this writing with? For centuries, fire has been the place where people gather for warmth, connection and reflection. It creates a sort of intimate bubble away from the daily stress and allows for people to speak up – more than they would in an office setting.

Hold on – THIS is your answer Jessy? Let’s all gather around a campfire, bring out a guitar and sing songs. Wow (eye roll). Impressive (not).

No. That is not my answer – at least not all of it.

My answer comprises deep conversations across generations, trying to answer the most complicated questions faced by any organisation right now. Conversations which are facilitated in a manner that brings out truth rather than answers which are meant to please for fear of repercussion. Conversations held outside the normal setting. Yet with a rigorous follow-up afterwards and ample preparation before. They revolve around trust which can only be built through consistent action over time, backed by a commitment by all involved – not least senior leadership.

A simple offsite kumbaya moment with some outside consultant/leadership coach/hippie (raise your hand if you know exactly what I’m talking about) won’t cut it. You don’t build culture in a weekend. And you CAN support conversations and actions with the right consistent approach.

Let’s call it hippie meets project manager. Or, the True North People approach. 

"Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean." – Ryunosuke Satoro

My right now resources 📊🔎

A short overview of stuff I’ve been engaging with lately

• Book 📚️ Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell

• Music 🎵 Alaska by Maggie Rogers

• Watching 🎥 L’Agence on Netflix (French luxury real estate is my kind of zen)

• Podcast 📻️ Family Therapist: The #1 sign you were raised by narcissistic parents by Lewis Howes in his podcast The School of Greatness

• Software 👩‍💻 Canva - especially the video editing function (suffice to say there’s more learning to be done)