Business leaders always face challenges but the last 3 years has thrown up new ones. Issues such as a global pandemic, new workforce trends, difficulties with recruitment and retention, an economic down turn and a host of related problems. As if these are not daunting enough, whilst tackling all these there appears to be an unspoken rule. This rule requires leaders to project, courage, control and infallibility, or they risk being seen as ineffectual.
The burden of the weight of responsibility and high expectations can be overwhelming and not easy to discuss, it can be an instinctive part of the armoury of a leader to keep business worries private. This can create a vicious circle of burnout and mental health challenges. Yet these worries stem from challenges which are universal.
In 2020, the Centre for Creative Leadership conducted a study and found that businesses worldwide are facing the same top leadership challenges – regardless of industry, sector or organisational culture.
The report uncovered that the top 6 problems impacting leadership are:
1.Managerial effectiveness
Many leaders do not feel that they are equipped with the relevant management competencies. They may have other skills but lack in some key areas related to effective management. The problem with ineffective management is that it is negatively disruptive and spills into every area of business life.
2.Driving inspiration
Being able to inspire and motivate may come naturally to some leaders, for others it is a huge challenge. Inspiring a team is essential to productivity and growth.
3. Developing others
Developing a team means understanding workforce development and prioritising training, coaching and mentoring. This creates a dynamic, confident and skilled organisation. It is also vital to avoid a stagnant culture and employee demotivation.
4. Leading a team
Leading effectively requires personal attributes, emotional literacy and understanding of group dynamics. Understanding how to build cohesion, support healthy communication needs strong leadership and the ability to understand and lead.
5. Guiding change
Leaders have a key role to play as change agents. If they desire change, they have to show an understanding of change management to deal with resistance, deal with the change process and risk management issues arising.
6. Managing stakeholders
The challenge of managing stakeholders with at times conflicting interests is huge. It includes dealing with internal politics, managing relationships, developing collaborative relationships and getting buy in from different stakeholders.
Reviewing all the major issues, it is clear that leadership is challenging. It requires not only healthy self-management, but it also needs negotiation skills and relationship management. The culture and reputation of an organisation is directly related to the style of leadership.
It’s interesting to note that these challenges exist across the globe.
Combine these with the reality of management deficits where there may be inadequate management capacity to deal with the various projects and activities and people that need to be managed this can create huge problems.
These resonates with my experience of over 2 decades working with a variety of organisations on leadership and management challenges. There are some common threads in particular sectors but essentially it boils down to a need to enhance and build management and leadership capability. This needs various measures and in 2023, a first step might be to join our leaders forum for a safe space to share leadership challenges. For more information email info@dynamicdevelopmentconsulting.co.uk or call 0203 633 0861.
