Explorer Log: Entry 4 - Leadership Compass Recalibration
What constitutes good leadership today?
We are in a historically volatile era. Demands on leaders today have not removed any of the standard managerial requirements of the past. Rather, leaders today are required to be managers and also navigate record high levels of complexity, uncertainty and change. Whew.
Given this context, there are three characteristics that I believe are required of leaders today.
Leaders today need to be curious. Curiosity starts with you. This is about exploring your own patterns because - a coaching mantra - you cannot change what you are not aware of. Slowing down and noticing without judgement some of your own tendencies, responses, thought and behavior patterns is a huge first step in being able to lead yourself effectively. Curiosity is also about being open to and even creating new possibilities. It invites you to be eager to grow and learn; not having a fixed mindset (“I’m right,” “We’ve always done it this way,” “I don’t understand and so the answer is no,” etc.) but asking how and what questions, getting curious about potential, and being open to some discomfort as you stretch yourself.
Leaders today need to be brave. How this manifests will look different for each individual, e.g. for one a brave act may be giving a speech to 500 people when for another it would be brave to speak up honestly in a small department meeting. Bravery asks us to make difficult, sometimes unpopular, but ethically sound decisions. Here is a call to admit when you do not have all of the answers, when collaboration would add value, and/or when you make mistakes - and learn from this! Being brave is your chance to role model authenticity and vulnerability to more deeply connect with others.
Leaders today need to be human-centric. I try to avoid jargon, but as a people strategy professional I cannot escape the importance of the human side of business or human-centric leadership. Put simply, it means leading with a stakeholder-focused strategy. Research by Bain & Company (Rigby, Darrell and Zach First. The Power of Strategic Fit, HBR Mar-Apr 2025) shows that this is a competitive advantage - profits are higher in organizations that embrace a stakeholder-focused strategy - so why not set your organization up for success in this way? This approach asks leaders to seek mutually beneficial (i.e. win-win) solutions rather than work from a scarcity mindset. Herein lies an opportunity to develop creative, compassionate ideas to address complex challenges.
Some of this is informed by the work of researchers and thought leaders like Lisa Sun, Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Jennifer Garvey Berger. And this is my own view, informed by my international work experience and having coached executive clients across four continents.
The themes are clear. What do you agree or disagree with?
⭐️ I am deeply invested in you being the best leader that you can be, and partner with clients on three things:
✅ Bringing calm to the chaos
✅ Having clarity in decision making
✅ Maintaining confidence in their leadership
That’s what you get when you work with me - ✨ calm, clarity, and confidence. Interested? Curious? Know someone who might benefit from this work? Let me know and let's explore, together.
Schedule a free introductory call: https://calendly.com/mcl_coach/30min
Copyright 2025 MCL Coaching & Consulting LLC
