Reframing the Leadership Landscape

Book excerpt: In an uncertain and complex world leaders should not merely respond to the speed of change but attempt to anticipate it. Sometimes it is unexpected, sometimes the signs are there but the dots are not joined together. The NEW normal must be navigated, negotiated, networked and a narrative built around it. Leaders need to adapt to a changing ecosystem in which the biggest challenges cross the boundaries of the public, private and non-profit sectors, requiring much closer collaboration. Aggressive individualism is no longer a sustainable basis for companies needing to deliver social and economic value, now, enterprises must move beyond narrow self-interest and short-termism to balance stakeholder expectations. In Reframing the Leadership Landscape, Dr Roger Hayes and Dr Reginald Watts argue that the interconnected and interdependent world requires leaders to adopt a more holistic and inclusive approach. Despite global business education advances, business mostly fails to make cross-disciplinary connections or interpret weak signals and is ill-prepared for changes in cultural and technical demands. The tool kit is here, ready to be unpacked. The only question is whether aspirant leaders are sensitive enough to read the signals and develop the skills needed to create an essential collaborative paradigm, which they must do if they wish to regain trust, fill the leadership void and help reshape a sustainable future.