TRAINING THE LEADERS OF THE FUTURE

Article by Diego Ingrassia – “TRAINING THE LEADERS OF THE FUTURE” – May 2021_Mondo Formazione_HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW </a>
<h2><span style=”font-size: 21px;”>Wondering which skills to focus on to train new managers who will have to take on more responsibility and more complex roles in the years to come has always been an almost routine activity for our work.</span></h2>
<p style=”text-align: justify;”>But history never progresses smoothly, and few events, such as those we are currently experiencing, could have made us understand this better. What has happened is well known: in a very short time a huge number of people have found themselves working from home, away from their traditional places of work. There are many who have rightly criticised the use of the term ‘<strong>smart working</strong>’, which is not necessarily related to the idea of space and distance, but instead refers to the possibility of working in <strong>autonomy</strong> and full <strong>responsibility</strong> while accepting to be measured on results.</p>
<p style=”text-align: justify;”>The numbers, however, are impressive: we have gone from just over half a million smart workers to peaks of over 6 million and, according to some analyses, such as that of the <strong>Smart Working Observatory of the Milan Polytechnic</strong>, 5 million workers will continue to work in this way, for at least three days a week, in the post-pandemic period. A change of such proportions has generated impressive economic and social knock-on effects. At the same time, it has opened a heated debate, still ongoing, on how work will be organised and managed in the near future. The recent pronouncements of some hi-tech giants on the need to return to office work have given breath to the sceptics of <strong>agile work</strong>; on the other hand, there are those who see in this attitude an inability to understand the profound changes taking place in the world of work that Covid has only accelerated.</p>
<p style=”text-align: justify;”>There is very little point in turning this debate into a dispute between fans; perhaps it is much better to ask whether we have learnt anything from this gigantic social experiment. The classic distinction between efficiency and effectiveness can help us. Having realised that it is perfectly possible to hold many business meetings without making people travel for hours, or that some activities can be done very well without travelling to the office, generates substantial savings in many respects and has positive effects in terms of quality of life. On the<strong>effectiveness</strong> front, however, it has been realised that it is very difficult to achieve the same quality in activities that draw their maximum value from the full dynamics of relationships: in particular, creative work and all situations in some way related to processes of change. And it is precisely on this last point that we would like to focus, in order to emphasise an aspect that we consider very important. Indeed, it is enough to imagine a <strong>hybrid future</strong> (as will probably happen), which will see a return to traditional workplaces, but at the same time many people engaged for a substantial part of their time in true smart working situations, to describe a completely different scenario that will require the development of specific skills.</p>
<p style=”text-align: justify;”>For many <strong>managers</strong> already today, but increasingly in the future, it will be necessary to become fully aware of the changes taking place and understand how to evolve their <strong>leadership style</strong>. Giving more autonomy and delegating responsibility to one’s collaborators, who are called to answer for results and not for presence, losing the possibility of <strong>direct control</strong> for a large part of the time, while at the same time keeping alive the <strong>bond of belonging</strong> and the quality of the relationship, is a challenge on which much of their effectiveness will be played out in the future. How difficult it is to abandon old habits and make a real cultural leap is evident from many signs. One, in particular, reveals very explicitly the nature of the problem: the consistent increase in <strong>sales of software</strong> for controlling workers remotely. This brings out very clearly the most important aspect that needs to be worked on: helping managers to develop a leadership style based on greater <strong>autonomy</strong> and <strong>confidence</strong>.</p>
<p style=”text-align: justify;”>Our experience has taught us that <strong>emotional competence</strong> can play a crucial role in this transition. To understand that one can draw on a different idea of strength, that one can achieve greater <strong>authority</strong> by accepting one’s own <strong>vulnerability</strong> and that it is not possible to build relationships of true trust without putting oneself on the line at this level, is a change that only becomes possible by developing adequate <strong>emotional awareness</strong>. Listening to and understanding emotions helps us observe our inner world and the world around us through completely different lenses, expands our awareness and improves our ability to act effectively in an ever-widening range of situations.</p>
<p style=”text-align: justify;”>For years, the study of emotions has confirmed to us that such changes are possible and that through them, slowly, a culture that had always valued emotions negatively as an expression of weakness is beginning to change. Nature, on the other hand, has never feared delicacy, apparent fragility, giving in rather than resisting, considering these manifestations a different side of strength, often a more intelligent strategy. An idea that stems from greater awareness and maturity, as an ancient Korean proverb reminds us, with elegant simplicity: ‘The stem of the grain bends when it is ripe’.</p>
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