#46: The new leader
How Leadership has changed in the past decades and what qualities the new leader should possess
Hey friends,
Welcome to the 46th edition of the “Level Up Ladder” newsletter.
This week’s action tip: think about a leader who positively influenced your life.
What was his biggest quality?
Can you emulate that quality in one or more aspects of your life?
1/ A few updates from my side
Not a very eventful week, as I spent a full weekend studying “finance” for the MBA. It was a nice course, delivered to us by Joy Chan, who is a former finance controller from KPMG now working as an MBA teacher and wealth coach
Aside from corporate finance, she has some masterclasses and also individual coaching on personal finance and investing, like this one.
Overall, aside from the interesting company finance stuff, we discussed more about a subject that is very important to me, or at least it used to be, which is investing. And how we should not rely on the state pension when we are old and how much money we need to invest on average if we want to retire early.
And I realized that I am not in the best position regarding my investments, as I have done some, but I haven’t been that active lately. So the plan is to start investing again.
But on the other hand, I look on the “bright side," as most people I know have no investments.
Romanians are very risk-averse towards this, as, unfortunately, we had some unpleasant experiences in the nineties, when a lot of people lost money on some investments that were presented as “sure deals.”.
That’s why we see the stock exchange as a “gamble”, we don’t understand it, we think it’s just a place where it’s easy to lose money, like a casino.
And this leads to people only keeping cash in deposits, which makes them lose money overall, thanks to inflation.
Or, worse, they don’t save anything, waiting for that moment in their lives when they’ll have more money and they will save lots of it.
But, you know how that happens, years go by and that moment never comes. And you end up retiring at 65, with a fraction of your income, and with a lot of expenses on health issues and drugs.
Of course, I am not qualified to give any investment advice, but what I can tell you is that I regret not starting to invest sooner, and I will be more disciplined about it.
Oh, and I’m not talking about crypto or stuff like that.
Aside from this, I am happy to have played squash again after 14 years. It was a nice experience, and I enjoyed playing with my friends, who absolutely crushed me. And I remembered how fun and intense it was.
So I’ll play more often.
And that’s about it.
Oh, and I got this beautiful cup from my wife. With one of my favorite characters, the little prince. (I have a tattoo of him too.)
2/ The new leader
This week, I want to take some time and talk about how leadership has changed over the years.
For most of history, leaders were boss-type figures meant to get things done, no matter the costs.
Essentially, it was a relentless, narcissistic culture that encouraged the “strong” to use precise systems to make the “less strong” more and more productive.
This is what happened since the pyramids were built, changed scientifically with Frederick Taylor at the end of the 19th century, and continued to be like that until 20–30 years ago.
When things changed, most workers became knowledge workers, who were working more with the head than with the hammer. And who need autonomy and purpose in their work environments.
So, an efficient leader can no longer be:
commanding
micromanaging
taking decisions by himself
But let’s see, what qualities should the new leader have?
Visionary: able to see the big picture and inspire others towards a shared future.
Empathic: be there for the people in the team, understand the situations they are dealing with, and work with them to find a solution.
Adaptable: capable of adjusting strategies and approaches in response to changing environments or challenges.
Transparent: open and honest in communication, encouraging the team to be the same, creating a trustworthy environment
Resilient: demonstrates strength and perseverance in the face of setbacks, showing the team how to navigate through difficulties.
Innovative: encourages creativity and is open to new ideas and experimentation, creating a culture of innovation.
Decisive: able to make tough decisions promptly, providing clear direction to the team.
Empowering: gives team members the autonomy to make decisions and solve problems, enhancing their growth and development.
Accountable: takes responsibility for their actions and the performance of their team, setting a powerful example.
Supportive: actively supports the career development and personal growth of team members, recognizing and nurturing their strengths and talents.
Regarding this last point, it’s always hard to accept when a high-performer leaves the company or wants to go to another team because he wants to grow. But this is one of the main attributes of a real leader: to develop other leaders.
So, instead of thinking only about yourself and your success, start thinking about your team’s success too.
Because, in the end, a leader is only as successful as her/his team is.
3/ Recommendations
I decided to change this section a bit and have more than one recommendation, and write more briefly about all of them.
Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell
As I decided to become an executive and career coach at some point, I stumbled upon this book about Bill Campbell. If you haven’t heard about him, it’s ok, I only heard about him last week, but apparently, he coached some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley, from Steve Jobs, to Larry Page and Jeff Bezos.
2. Use Strategic Thinking to Create the Life You Want
This YouTube video by a McKinsey partner who shows you how to apply strategic business thinking to your own life.
This LinkedIn post by my friend, Kate Sotsenko, who is a productivity coach for leaders.
Thank you for reading, and let me know if you liked something in particular in this newsletter.
I hope you have a great weekend, friends!
Leo
P.S.: If you want to read my content daily, don’t forget to follow me on Linkedin.
P.S. 2: If you want to take your productivity to the next level, check out my extensive Productivity course that can accelerate your career.