We did not want to write the perfect compendium of the leader of the future, that is, a perfect set of formulas, to impose oneself and successfully lead organizations and people. We have already said it in our first book, “Primo. Non Comandare.” Our goal is to identify some useful suggestions for those who will have to lead companies and communities amid the challenge of a continuous transformation, toward a future that appears undefined and constantly changing, now more than ever. The “new normal” that emerges from the post-Covid era looks more like a “never normal,” a normality that can no longer be the same, and that is changing shape, every day.
In the face of the deep sense of disorientation that we feel, the even more urgent and loaded question is still the same: What are the characteristics of the leader of the future? What are the conditions that can enable the emergence of the ‘X-factor,’ that key element, essential for being a successful Ceo, for the largest number of young people? What are the conditions to stimulate the practice of this key ‘factor’ in more of the current Ceo-s?
We chose to focus on younger leaders, who are less compromised with the world as it is today and who have an innovative mindset ‘by design,’ and do not have to impose it on themselves. The choice proved us right: the twenty-five interviewees showed us boundless courage to change their industry, by first starting with transforming their lives and being consistent with the values that inspired that change. We have tried to summarize what we have learned on this journey: here are three small-big tips for the leader of the future. But also for leaders of themselves, of those who want to be protagonists of their own of the future.
#1. Be an eternal student rather than an eternal teacher. We need to keep learning, individually and as a company, and today’s leaders are the ones who can inspire, who are not ashamed of their own shortcomings, who can share them with others, to come to a shared synthesis. Being a student and a teacher at the same time is the key to tomorrow’s business success. This first trait rhymes with a lot of humility. The young protagonists we interviewed in this second series have full awareness of their limitations and the ability to turn it into opportunities for growth. All demonstrate a very well developed ability to listen. All have broken internal hierarchies to create a flow of sharing and mutual teaching, which benefits the ‘we’. Because a community ends up being more than the sum of every individuality.
#2. Be an entrepreneur. The culture of doing and building is finally back. There is a common thread among all the Ceo-s in this second series. And it is the pleasure of building something new. Tomorrow’s leaders are defined by their ability to create a new way, rather than by the ability to govern, or rationalize the status quo. This second trait rhymes with a lot of curiosity. The creative act requires genius, and a bit of recklessness, as one abandons the known path for one that is less traveled. Risks are always mitigated by discipline in the method/process, and lots and lots of hard work. There are no shortcuts. Building costs effort and involves pain. It takes time. Welcome to the age of the creator Ceo.
#3. Be more than your job. For example, doing sports helps create zones of reflection within the routine, and helps increase the sense of community and belonging to a context that we need to save, together. This third trait rhymes with health, in its most holistic sense, emphasizing the polyvalence of tomorrow’s leaders. We are not defined by our company or our office. The company and the job are only tools for generating a net positive impact in the world. Don’t bring your whole self to work. Leave room for sports, serendipity, distraction, family, friends, a Plan B. Promote this philosophy of physical, mental, organic well-being within the group and the company. We are not our work. Work is a huge right. Health is equally so. The leader of the future must promote both. Dear Ceo, you have a very difficult job to do, and it is just a job.
Let’s not be naive. There are so many barriers to remove. The biggest obstacle to change is fear. Fear of what you leave behind and of all that is new. It is the fear of having to rethink established routines and rituals, not knowing exactly what will happen. This is what we need to work on.
In order not to let ourselves, too, be overcome by fear of the unknown and be more proactive in this operation of removing barriers and obstacles, we can start working on three directions, which to date, and in our opinion, represent the most relevant obstacles to change in the business world:
#1. Economics. We need to rethink the concept of growth. The script of the perfect company or start-up for the past fifteen years has been: grow, no matter what, even at the expense of the health of the income statement. Instead, increasing revenue is no longer the only way to push through an agenda of ‘change’. It is no longer the only way to run a business. It is no longer the only goal. Growth understood as the aseptic revenue growth, decoupled from the context in which the business and the community move, is unsustainable. Now, one of the keys here is that manager’s compensation should be tied to goals that go to embrace healthy growth or de-growth of the entire network, which moves around the company. Why do we need to grow at all costs? Isn’t it enough to be a healthy business that produces benefits for everyone, including the environment? If I am the Ceo, I must drive holistic change in the company within its larger context. Our survival depends on it. So we need a toolkit of indicators that goes beyond celebrating how many more units we sold vs. Christmas of the year before.
#2. Competence. We need to rethink training and the whole lifecycle of skills, which need to be continuously updated. Right up to the last day of work before retirement, and even after that. Today, it is about integrating knowledge that is now at our fingertips with the smartphone: anyone can find temporary solutions by “googling” on the web; but today what is required in the world of work is the sharing of skills and knowledge to find solutions under the banner of sustainability, not only in relation to the income statement and the last line of the balance sheet. It is about sustainability that takes into account the well-being of all stakeholders, from the last of the employees to the furthest player in the production chain, from the territory in which we are embedded, to the end of life of the product we produce. Maybe even contouring ourselves with people who are better than us, without fear of any kind. In this respect, the new generation of leaders has a leg up, having already internalized these new values. “With great power comes great responsibility”: this was already said by Spider-Man, but it applies to everyone. Even without being superheroes.
#3. Mistakes. We need to build into our education a curriculum that demystifies risk and fear of error. We need a polytechnical, Olivettian-minded, multi-purpose Ceo who knows how to try and fail, and promote his or her group’s research along multiple directions, some of them risky, and who is no longer just a numbers specialist. Hence the importance of a mindset of breaking with the old model. This is impossible without a fundamental tolerance of errors and mistakes. We are not advocating a blind run down a cliff. This is not about burning down the house we are living in, in the grip of an act of madness, but about trying to change things, within a context of urgency (the house is on fire already), and where the cost of not deciding is becoming embarrassing. Those who take risks and put so much hard work and discipline behind their decision have a high chance of changing our world.
The faces and voices we met in the second series of Ceo Confidential show how change is possible. The purpose of journalistic inquiry is to line up stories of research, creativity and harmony with one’s being and the environment that can inspire younger generations. This book itself was born out of a movement of courage, which is to revise the predictable script of the know-it-all Ceo and the lone person in charge.
Learning together with others, creating, and ultimately embracing the world we are in seem to foster the birth of a generation with a big heart, with the courage to change the ending of a movie already written for all of us. Let us cheer for tomorrow’s leader, knowing that we all must do our part. If just one spirit is ignited by this book, it will have been worth it.
#CEOConfidentialTheSole24Ore
To buy the book: https://ecommerce.ilsole24ore.com/shopping24/ceo-factor.html
Our first video-cast series: https://stream24.ilsole24ore.com/serie/ceo-confidential/ADtHl52
Our second video-cast series: https://stream24.ilsole24ore.com/serie/ceo-confidential–la-nuova-serie/AE1QkJCB
