NEW LEADERSHIP - LEADING IN TIMES OF THE "NEW GENERATIONS"
As long as we see people as (human) resources, describe the character of a company by means of (employer) branding, characterise the way we deal with people and their behaviour as soft (skills), we will fail in the leadership of the new generations. It is therefore important that we change our perceptions. People are not the same as raw materials, companies are not primarily about branding and being human is not the same as being soft.
Today, we are dealing with young people who are very self-confident, who critically question requirements and values and who have internalised: "Because I am, I am valuable". They don't define themselves by doing, but by being. The question of meaning, i.e. the "big why", is essential for them. This is why companies and managers need answers to new questions. Often, their parents - including my generation - did not raise them hierarchically, but as equals. They therefore do not understand why they should be subordinate in company hierarchies. They therefore favour freedom and flatter hierarchies in their working environment. These findings reflect my experience in coaching managers and teams in companies.
To be successful in leading the new generations, you need to focus on human skills. It is about work processes in which empowerment takes centre stage rather than orders. The leader thus becomes a companion, a coach and creates working conditions that are based on trust, security (in uncertain times) and a sense of purpose and perspective, thereby freeing up creativity. He or she coaches, moderates and inspires the team and sees work as a joint development process. New leaders have the curiosity and interest to open up new spaces and perspectives for their teams.
However, this does not imply that everyone in the team does as they please. Every space has boundaries and these boundaries are defined by the managers through clear objectives, their success and the respective corporate values. New leaders today show the way by being at the centre of the processes. The profile outlined here includes high human requirements. When you consider that a not insignificant proportion of managers were promoted to management positions on the basis of their technical expertise, it becomes clear how great the need for support in the area of human skills and communication skills is.
My mission as a coach is to support, motivate and inspire managers and employees in these current developments in work processes. My task is to create clarity about situations, conflicts, individual requirements and perspectives and to work with them to analyse their coaching and communication skills and improve them with tools. We work together in individual coaching sessions and team workshops to professionally develop the processes of New Leadership.
