No longer can anyone probably utter “This how we have always done it” - The world is far from simplistic and needs leaders who possess a desire to learn and understand.

Over the weekend, a fascinating interview between former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. During the interview, Tony Blair noted:

"The problem of politics is that in a world that is in fact very complex, people search for simplicity … "at least respect the fact of that complexity rather than reduce it to something that's a simple slogan.”

Just as with politics, business too is increasingly complex. As companies seek to rebuild their cash positions, there is increasing pressure on them to invest in ESG, to change their traditional models and processes, to innovate, to digitalise and to change their management approaches to employees. Leaders are facing pressures on all sides and today, it requires those with character which can adapt, learn and understand the changes taking place all around them.

Many are noting that it is more important today to possess a growth mindset when there is a continuous process of learning throughout one’s career and life. It used to be an accepted norm that senior executives could almost relax once they had achieved a certain level. How many times have those phrases been heard: “That is not how we do it here” or “Because that is how we have always done it”.

Thankfully, the world has changed and it is becoming more progressive. Every board today is talking about ESG, diversity and inclusion, digitalisation and how the customer is changing. There were two interesting comments made recently by a couple of MDs:

“ The pace of change is so great that the lifespan in our roles are probably reducing all the time. I reckon an MD can probably only be effective for 3 years in a role as they are bound to need a change post that time. You have written a lot about the fact that leaders have become older and it is for this very reason. Experience gives investors security. However, what they should be asking is whether their management teams really understand the change they are facing? “

The second commented: “ Many leaders say they are innovating but they are not. They push back against innovation as in truth it scares them. The innovation happens. It just takes longer. If you don’t believe me, just ask any digital company how long it takes to convert clients?”

It is all understandable. Most, under pressure, resort to what they trust and that will be what they have learnt over the years. However, what is needed is almost the opposite – the ability to see beyond the confines of past learning and to learn new tricks.
It is a complex world and increasingly so.