Those of a certain vintage will remember the era of resumes
in the mail, strict dress codes and urgent (printed) memos
delivered by mail trolley. In just one generation, the way
Canadian companies do business has undergone nothing
short of a revolution – or two.
At the same time, the younger half of the workforce has added
a wildly different set of priorities and perspectives into the mix. In
essence, business is operating within an entirely new setting – but
plenty of organizations are still run by people whose leadership
styles are stuck in the past.
GOOD-BYE TO COMMAND AND CONTROL
“When you think about it, we’ve had a similar leadership style
since the Roman Empire, which was pretty much command and
control,” said Dov Baron, leadership speaker, bestselling author
and corporate cultural strategist.
Until recently, that made sense. When change moved at a slower
pace, companies could stand to depend on a handful of people at
the top reviewing all the necessary intelligence to chart a course
and (slowly) contemplate action. These days, though, there’s just
too much data from too many directions for one person or one
small team to take in and assess. There’s also greater volatility
and uncertainty to contend with, as well as competitors who are
increasingly agile. Clearly something has to give, but what?
“From a leadership standpoint, there has to be a mental shift
from ‘the buck stops here’ or ‘I have to have all the answers’ to really
being a facilitator of intelligence,” said Cheryl Cran, management
coach, consultant, public speaker and entrepreneur. “Now, leaders
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The Future
of Leadership
BUSINESS IS IN THE MIDST
OF A REVOLUTION. IS YOUR
ORGANIZATION’S LEADERSHIP
KEEPING UP?
By Melissa Campeau
Leadership needs to be
employee-centric, focusing on
what employees want such as
flexible work schedules
28 ❚ APRIL 2019 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL
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