One giant LEAP for Leadership

COVID-19 has been the great accelerator of modern workplace disruption we never anticipated. Over the past 8 months, every organisation, be it big or small, has guided their workforce through immense change. 

Our research with Macquarie Business School confirms this, with 56% of organisations reporting an increase in productivity. But this has come at a cost - leaders have had to respond with agility to ever changing circumstances while coping with extraordinary demands. The pandemic has been the ultimate leadership test and has changed the world of work forever. With no handbook for covid and no clarity on the impact of the pandemic on future business, how can we future-proof our leaders?

Here at We Are Unity we know a thing or two about leadership. We know it’s no longer enough to simply be reactive, or even keep up. We must be proactive catalysts that take change in our stride. For leaders looking to drive effective business outcomes now and tomorrow, success will be about having a coherent long-term vision focused on growth and innovation, coupled with executable and effective short-term strategies. Success is more than just taking the rights steps. It’s about proactively developing the right capabilities to ensure you meet the future needs of your business head on (and are well prepared for the next crisis). 

We Are Unity on Leadership: The act of social influence and execution that inspires the effort of others, towards the achievement of shared business goals.

So what do the most critical leadership capabilities look like and how do we develop them? To begin with, we know that in order to accelerate and maximise commercial results, an organisation will need two distinct types of of leaders;

• Catalyst Leaders operate in ‘the unknown’ territory, focussing on long term organisational objectives and creating an inclusive, psychologically safe culture. They actively seek to embrace different, push boundaries and self-disrupt to uncover new business opportunities, and adopt agile methodologies to ensure responsiveness to an ever-changing external environment. Catalyst leaders drive for innovation in all parts of the business and inspire extraordinary action in themselves and others during times of creation, invention, uncertainty, complexity and risk.

• Execution Leaders operate primarily in ‘known’ territory, acting with discipline and data-driven decision making to manage the implementation of transformational change in the short-term.  They are highly effective in leading multi-disciplinary teams, adept at driving accountability, delegating activities and ensuring the organisation is future ready through the continued development of a robust talent pipeline. Execution Leaders also demonstrate high levels of self-resilience, allowing them to thrive in high-pressure situations and navigate and adapt to disruptive changes.  

Having a blend of both Catalyst and Execution Leaders is crucial for commercial success and the right balance for your business will depend on your organisation’s strategic goals. Through our Leadership Excellence Acceleration Programme (LEAP), we leverage our unique leadership model to create future ready leaders linked to an organisation’s strategic objectives. While each type of leader will require their own tailored development, there are four core pillars for accelerating capability that underscore both types: 

1. Power - As a leader, your influence over others is derived by confidence, experience and tenacity.

We help you to build a foundation of commercial knowhow to fine tune your judgement and prioritise difficult decisions with confidence.

2. Spark - Great leadership means establishing an environment that brings out the best in your people and all your partnerships, while acting as a catalyst for self-disruption.

We teach you how to design and maintain a psychologically safe working environment, founded in trust and transparency, to ignite creativity, disruption and innovation.

3. Bond - Forging strong connections with your people will help your performance (and theirs) endure whatever comes your way.

We give you the tools to build strong, authentic relationships, grounded in kindness and understanding to engage and inspire your teams.

4. Flex - In an uncertain working world, leaders must be able to adapt to change quickly and effortlessly.

We proactively prepare you for change and help you empower others to do the same through sharpened agility and resilience.

The right time to start developing your future ready leaders is now. Traditional beliefs and ways of working, no matter how comfortable they might be, will leave you left behind. We Are Unity is focussed on establishing progressive leadership with the right capabilities to thrive in a new working world. LEAP (Leadership Excellence Acceleration Program) provides bespoke development modules on the four core pillars above, as well as tailored modules for developing Catalyst and Execution Leaders.

If you'd like to evolve from traditional beliefs and establish progressive leadership within your organisation, get in touch with our team of at hello@wereunity.com

Author: Jenni Molloy, Culture & Performance Consultant.