The millennials are not like their previous generations in several aspects. Earlier, working for long hours at a stretch was considered a thing of pride. This does not hold true for the millennials. Leading the new generation isn’t easy. The qualities that define leadership in today’s time indicate a considerable shift from the past.
Let’s take a look at the qualities that define a NewGen leader.
1. Inspires the best in you
The NewGen leadership is not about pushing your team towards a dry and defined target. It is about understanding their strengths and inspiring them to polish it well. Such a leader nudges team members to work to their highest potential. As a consequence, your team pushes their limits and pursues the goal through all the challenges it entails.
This new form of leadership does not consider a team member as a person to get work done from, but as a contributor with immense potential. No one is always perfect. Such leaders invest time in their team. They set attitude that attracts admiration from their team for inspiring to be the best version of themselves.
2. Listens more, speaks less
Yes, listen and not just hear while being on the laptop or checking his or her emails on the mobile phone. The NewGen leadership is not about being entirely on the receiving end of a presentation or a discussion. These new categories of leaders show interest beyond just looking at you and wiggling their pen.
The NewGen leaders stay silent and listen to the discussion going on in the meeting. They are not driven into having their opinion heard, always appreciated, and accepted by everyone in the room. In fact, for them it is the other way around. The NewGen leadership demands that the leader truly listens to what their team has to say and share insights, instead of just sitting there and contradicting opinions of others. This makes a more competent and confident team, while eventually achieving the one common objective or set goal.
3. Follows no rule book
In order to take leadership to the next level that works in today’s dynamics; the textbook style leadership produces no impact on a team’s performance or the overall productivity. What motivates one person towards achieving results does not necessarily motivate someone else in the same manner.
The NewGen leaders understand this. They do not set ridged standards of how tasks should be executed. Being a camera and keeping a constant vigil on your team members does not work in favor of the leader or the team. The new age leaders give you the pace and freedom to choose what works the best with you to bring in results. They value a healthy work-life balance over the carrot and stick approach.
4. Drives synergy in the team
Working conditions are not limited to the amenities provided in the office space and the laid out Human Resources (HR) policies for leaves and flexible timings. It goes much beyond that. If you do not get along well with your co-workers, that eventually affects your performance as an individual and as a team member.
The NewGen leadership encourages leaders to take responsibility of the overall team spirit. Such a leader is watchful of the dynamics among the team members. They create an environment that promotes building a more comfortable condition for peers to perform as a team. After all, great teamwork is a key factor of success for any company.
5. Shatters status-quo
The new age leadership style demands diversity. This is because markets keep changing at such a phenomenal pace that the conventional way of thinking fails to produce the desired results. Having or filling a team with people who always go by the leader’s words can turn out to be a disaster. On the other hand, building a team with diverse skills and mindsets can challenges conventions. This leads to a situation where in individuals leverage their strengths and the peers learn to correct their weaknesses from one another, making it a win-win scenario.
A leader does not always have all the answers. Therefore, the need of the hour is to have diversity in the team so that it can bring fresh ideas for the challenges that constantly keep creeping into the boardrooms.
6. Be part of the team
One of the biggest fundamental shifts in leadership has been of the reduced power distance between the leader and the team. Whenever there is a major issue, the NewGen leaders are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get right in! They do not play out a string of orders or pass the muck to a team member.
The NewGen leaders understand that the highs and lows are an inevitable part of the business. They stay calm, derive a solution to the challenges with peers, and ride the tide of the highs and lows along with their team. The NewGen leadership style dispels the ‘I versus you’ way of thinking, and embraces the ‘us’ attitude, which propels the enthusiasm and motivation of the team.
In conclusion
Challenges are a part of making it to the top and the NewGen leadership is definitely a new ball game. If you play it right, the results are indisputable. You can hire executive coach for NewGen leadership coaching.
