Chapter 1: The World Has Changed, Our Style of Leadership Has Not CHAPTER 1 The World Has Changed, Our Style of Leadership Has Not In a few hundred years, when the history of our time is written from a long-term perspective, it is likely that the most important event these historians will see is not technology, not internet, not e-commerce. It is an unprecedented change in the human condition. For the first time--literally--substantial and rapidly growing numbers of people have choices. For the first time, they will have to manage themselves. And society is totally unprepared for it. --PETER DRUCKER I was fortunate to share the stage at public seminars with my late father, where he began almost every session by posing two simple but provocative questions to the audiences: "By a raise of hands, how many of you believe that the vast majority of the workforce in your organization possess far more talent, creativity, ingenuity, intelligence, and ability than their present jobs require or even allow them to contribute?" Invariably, almost every hand in the room went up. Then he asked, "And how many of you believe that the vast majority of the workforce in your organization are under immense and growing pressure to produce substantially more for less?" Again, almost every hand in the room went up. Just think about it: in city after city throughout the world, there was nearly universal agreement that the vast majority of the people in most organizations face enormous and growing expectations to produce substantially more for less in an increasingly complex world.
Yet they are simply not able, or even allowed, to use a significant portion of their talents and abilities to do so. Let that settle in for a moment. The difference between what we are doing and what we''re capable of doing would solve most of the world''s problems. --MAHATMA GANDHI In order to bridge this gap, we can''t continue to "manage" people in the same way we have in the past. It''s time to change, for leadership to catch up with how we''ve changed. In a world characterized by profound disruption, we can''t continue to rely on a management style that has become dated and ineffective. Both the type of work being done (service and knowledge work in a collaborative, team-based way) and where it''s done (whether on-site, hybrid, or virtual, working from home or anywhere), we need a new way of leading. Where the workforce is more diverse than ever before, and multiple generations have radically different expectations, we need a new way of leading.
Where choices and options have grown exponentially into near-infinite choice, we need a new way of leading relevant for our times. With unprecedented choices and constant change, people are unlikely to be moved by, or ultimately even tolerate, leadership that doesn''t match today''s world. And yet the vast majority continue to lead, to parent, to teach, to coach with the same Command & Control style that brought us through the industrial age. The world has changed. Our style of leadership has not. As I work with people and leaders from around the world, I often hear expressions of frustration and concern related to the need to adapt: My boss is constantly looking over my shoulder and second-guessing my decisions. Our company talks a lot about building a positive team culture--but I don''t see it. Why did they hire me if they don''t trust me? I''m a manager at a company where I know several of my direct reports are also freelancing on the side.
They say they like the autonomy and extra income of the gig economy but need the security of a salaried job. I feel like I''m not getting their best effort. How do I win their hearts and minds when I can''t pay them any more than I already am? Working from home has been great in a lot of ways, but it also makes me feel less connected to my colleagues. I don''t feel like I reach the same level of creativity when I''m working alone--and it''s not nearly as energizing. How do I bridge the gap? My company talks a lot about the importance of diversity and inclusion, but beyond talking points, I''m wondering if they mean what they say? And how to be involved in these types of changes I''d like to see? How can I be an effective boss and keep my people? It seems like these new generations don''t mind leaving a company at the drop of a hat. I like my job, but honestly, I don''t feel like my work matters. It''s hard to find meaning when the work you do doesn''t feel significant. And if it doesn''t feel important to me as a manager, how much less important must it feel to my employees? Working from home has been nice for my team, but it has also made accountability a lot more difficult.
How do I balance holding others accountable without looking like I don''t trust them or that I''m just micromanaging them from a distance? I lead a global team and struggle with cultural differences. The truth is, I have never left my own country. How can I lead and inspire people from different cultures when I lack experience? I''m so frustrated by the state of politics and lack of civility in my country, and I''m convinced it''s seeping into our work culture as well. How can I bring about change or make a difference when I don''t know who or what to trust? I''m worried about raising my kids in this modern age. It feels like they grow up so much faster now than when I was a kid. How can I teach them to navigate our new world today when I don''t have all of the answers myself? These statements reflect real concerns people have about the challenges we face today, that we''ll attempt to answer and help navigate in the book. What would you add to the list? The question is not whether we are able to change but whether we are changing fast enough. --ANGELA MERKEL These mega changes we are experiencing are a result of what I call the "Five Emerging Forces.
" These forces of change are sweeping through our world and impacting our work and our lives in unprecedented ways. We might try to avoid or ignore them, but they will not ignore us. The Five Emerging Forces 1. The Nature of the World Has Changed Technological innovations are bringing about extraordinary changes; not only is the amount of change unprecedented, but so is the pace or rate of it. In addition, the type of change--characterized by disruptive technologies--is impacting every society, industry, organization, and person. These technological innovations are happening in all areas, including the biosciences, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, automation, virtual and augmented reality, digitization, nanotechnology, the internet of things, 3-D printing--the list goes on and on. These changes are converging and blending in what is being called "the Fourth Industrial Revolution." On top of this rapid technological disruption, never before in history has so much knowledge and information been available.
Scott Sorokin in CIO magazine notes that up until 1900, experts estimated that human knowledge doubled with every century. In 1982, it was estimated that knowledge doubled every thirteen months. Now, forty years later, experts suggest that human knowledge doubles every twelve hours. This explosion of knowledge has changed the way we view the past and made us think differently about the future. It has made it impossible to be what Dr. Carol Dweck of Stanford calls a "know-it-all," as there is simply too much knowledge and technology to be ingested. Instead, a premium is being placed on becoming a "learn-it-all"--being able to learn, and even relearn, faster than ever before. This overflow of knowledge combined with significant disruption--whether through technology or through a global pandemic--has led to major societal changes and brought some industries and companies to their knees.
Technological innovation has created new business models and even entire new industries, and opened the doors for nearly limitless possibilities. The accessibility of smartphones alone has significantly changed the way we not only do business but how we live our everyday lives. We do not live in a stagnant world; rather, it is erupting with risks and opportunities to which we must constantly adapt--as human beings, as businesses, as families, and as communities. 2. The Nature of Work Has Changed The what of work today has become increasingly knowledge- and service-based, with access to instant and simultaneous information. It is far more collaborative, innovative, and creative than ever before. Traditional manual or industrial-age work, while still important, represents less and less of the work being done as we''ve definitively shifted into a new era. Increasingly, people are being asked to focus on work that requires more of their minds and less of their hands, while those who work with their hands are being asked to augment their work with their minds.
As the nature of the world continues to change through technological innovations, this reality will only become more and more relevant. Most significantly, the way the work is being done is increasingly collaborative, requiring people to work in flexible, interdependent teams--to create and innovate together. 3. The Nature of the Workplace Has Changed In addition to changes in what kind of work we do, there are also major shifts happening related to where we work. Working from home or working from anywhere had b.