Leaders still need people skills
In a not-so-futuristic world where robots and algorithms take over tasks and jobs once accomplished by human workers, it’s antithetical to say “people skills” would be the No. 1 ability future leaders need. But, it’s true.
Everywhere you look, another headline addresses how artificial intelligence, machine learning and robots are transforming everything from cars and investments to product development. We’re experiencing the beginning of an incredible transformation of our economy, culture and how we do business. And that’s exactly why the future will be led by people, not bots, algorithms or AI.
Look at online job searching as an example — it’s terribly broken. Despite technological advances made to make the search appear simpler, human intervention is still desperately needed. And it’s not going to come from some junior human resources coordinator following their recruiting software’s algorithmic score. Finding and hiring the right talent for your organization requires instinctive people who personally view resumes and recognize the diamonds peeking out from the dirt. For all the efficiency this technology has enabled, human intervention remains critical.
Cultivating a strong emotional intelligence in future leaders is just as important as developing the next breakthrough algorithm. The qualities of a good leader remain constant: Be a trusted adviser, possess a calming influence and communicate a clear vision.
Tomorrow’s leaders will need to apply those skills in different ways. They will have to be authentic and credible in assuring workers that increased technology will result in a more productive workplace with clear roles and opportunities for human talent facing integration with a growing workforce of robots.
In 2016, Harvard Business Review released a 10-year study on what great executives know and do. It boiled down to four themes:
They know the whole business.
They know the industry.
They are great decision-makers.
They form trusting relationships.
To best navigate the growing complexities technology has on an organization, it’s the “trusting relationship” that is most critical. And tomorrow’s leaders — the millennial generation — have it.
The 2016 Deloitte Millennial Survey suggests the top two values a business needs to succeed are focused on people and employees — from employee satisfaction and fair treatment to operating with a strong level of trust and integrity.
What are the most important values a business should follow if it is to have long-term success?
The study also found millennials’ personal beliefs about an organization’s sense of purpose should put a high priority on people — everything from providing good wages and a positive culture to improving workforce skills and generating jobs. That differs significantly from how millennials perceived the actual priorities of their employers.
Don’t confuse soft skills with soft leadership. Millennials put a high priority on performance — efficiency, continuous improvement and achieving excellence. We can expect them to be empathetic leaders, but with a clear level of accountability for employees.
In addition to strong people skills, millennials have qualities of trusted, believable “next great communicators,” including confidence and respect for education and ideas. They have grown up in a fragmented world of choices — both personally and professionally. They live by a philosophy of try, learn, adjust and re-apply.
And while millennials are comfortable using technology in all aspects of their lives, ironically, it may be their ability to be effective, people-first leaders that becomes their most valuable asset to tomorrow’s organizations.
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David Sladack
SVP and director of sales and marketing at Brunner. Visit brunnerworks.com.