Who’s running the show?

Last year, our country had one of the most colorful and emotional elections. Emotions ran so high bashing and hate posts were running on steroids. Friends’ debate was heated, and even employees were divided over political issues. There were cases of managers quitting their jobs because they found it impossible to work with their teammates who differed in political views. Managers even quit their jobs because their bosses were expressing their political opinions and endorsing their preferred candidates.

After the fanfare, hoopla, hype and hate faded as the electoral process ended, teams and workers were fractured and divided. I had to do leadership training for many companies in-house to repair, restore and realign their energy toward attaining their company goals.

I have always suspected that what happened was only a preview of more things to come. I have always suspected that this is a generational issue but could not quite put my finger on it until book author Tim Elmore came up with this material and gave permission to share this. His article is titled: “Who Is Running the Show?”

In 2022, a nationwide retailer witnessed employees debate and divide over political issues. When the chief operations officer ordered that politics and social issues could not be discussed at work, 60 employees left in protest. They quit instantly. It was another example of the polarized world we live in today. Featuring an emboldened workforce today and the presence of social media.

So, how do executives or managers lead in such a time? What is the future of leadership? Many business leaders I speak to tell me they’re baffled.

Organizational psychologist Adam Grant calls this the “democratization of the workforce.” While there are still employers and employees, the playing field is leveled by realities like “quiet quitting” and “great resignation.” People feel empowered to request, even demand, more. Human resource executives say they’re experiencing more audacity from job candidates. Generation Z interviewees usually bring a high sense of agency and anxiety. They are asking for more and are aware of their need for and right to self-care. The attitude is: what are you going to do, fire me?

Employees often want a psychological contract with the employer that promises: You’re going to care for the community and me.

The challenge, of course, is – leaders need to lead. They must not only care for the lives of people, but they also must steward the mission and growth of an organization.

It’s impossible for employers to always choose to make employees happy. How do we balance the two? I’ve concluded that people chiefly want three items from their boss. Leaders must practice:

1. Neutrality – They want employers to be objective and unbiased.

2. Transparency – They want employers to be transparent and honest when they speak.

3. Participation – They want employers to ensure staff is heard when speaking.

Today’s workforce is more educated, exposed, and entitled than past generations of employees. Leaders must adjust their approach to lead them.

Amid this, leaders must not let these realities prevent them from leading. Those who merely cave into the demands of people aren’t leading. They are responding or reacting to the requests of others, but they’re not necessarily leading. And people will always need a leader. People will always need leaders who give staff clear boundaries, tangible targets to hit, and confidence to reach those goals.

I have concluded team members need three fundamentals at these times:

1. Context – Max De Pree wisely taught us the leader’s first job is defining reality. We all discovered that people need context during a pandemic to minimize anxiety and panic. We must clarify where things stand realistically.

2. Applications – Especially in times of disruption, people need clear objectives and actionable steps to take in such times. Clarity is the greatest gift a leader can offer their people. My friend Andy Stanley reminds us: We can all live without certainty, but we cannot live well without clarity.

3. Belief – More than ever, people need their leader to inspire them to stay steady and continue. When leaders express that the organization will make it through this difficult time and be better for it, it instills belief in followers. Confidence begets confidence. People must be led from both the head and the heart – and belief is from the leader’s heart to the team’s heart. People need hope.

End of article.

So, do you still assume that leadership training is a “soft” skill? I don’t think so.

(Francis Kong’s podcast “Inspiring Excellence” is now available on Spotify, Apple, Google, or other podcast streaming platforms.)