Leadership and Learning

Few people are born leaders. Most of us need to practice being a good leader, and that’s why leadership development is so important.

In the White Paper: Emerging Trends in Leadership Development in 2019 and Beyond[1], the StratX group have identified key emerging trends for leadership development, including the increasing need to develop self and others and a shifting focus to develop soft skills. In their findings they reflect on the inability of leaders to sit back and say “I know everything I need to know”, as what leaders know today will very quickly be outdated.

Self awareness emerges as a significant skill for leaders, with a well-developed capacity for introspective and mindful reflection on current skills seen as a key capacity. The conclusion: When things are changing rapidly, it is important to constantly learn and challenge yourself.

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” John F. Kennedy.

Leadership skills can play a large role in career development. Often, technical skills and talent will catapult great and confident performers into leadership positions. Then comes the sudden realisation that there is a lot more to know about communicating with influence and supporting the new team to achieve goals and objectives than first expected. The StratX paper highlights the shifting focus on soft skill development for leaders, reporting that future effective leaders will be managing diverse teams, and changes in technology mean the way work is performed will more often involve team members in geographically dispersed locations.

A people-centric approach is suggested as the key for future leaders, and this will by necessity mean developing skills in areas such as active listening, self-awareness, empathy, building and sustaining innovative work teams and networks, and managing performance and achievement of strategic goals and objectives through the empowerment and genuine valuing of team members skills, expertise and ideas. Leaders of the future will need communication skills to support individuals and teams. They will also need the skills to plan, design, apply and evaluate solutions to unpredictable problems, and identify, analyse and synthesise information from a variety of sources, including information delivered by artificial intelligent entities.

Undertaking a Diploma of Leadership and Management with Wisdom Learning is an investment in your career. If you are a professional seeking to improve your capacity to apply knowledge, practical skills and experience in leadership and management Wisdom has a program to help you harness the best of your abilities, grow them, and use them to meet the challenges that will be ahead of you in 2019 and beyond. Contact us today at service@wisdomlearning.com.au or call us on (02) 6257 8588.

[1] https://www.stratxcorporate.com/industry-insights/6-emerging-trends-in-leadership-development-in-2019-beyond

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