The future of work

Given the privilege to share ideas and observations in the recently held virtual panel discussion organized by Top 100 Filipinos on Linkedin under the able leadership of Virginia Bautista, the following points have made up the crux of my presentation. The evening also featured experts and practitioners Ian Santos and Raymond Victorino, who presented brilliant ideas and observations. Here is what I shared:

In the many years of doing business as an entrepreneur and providing leadership training in the corporate world, the one consistent thing I have observed is that there is always hype and energized exaggeration of a new thing until it settles down and reality takes over.

Take the future of work, for instance. I remember a few years ago before the pandemic, highly energized and motivated speakers began harping on the theme:

1. The 4th industrial civilization is upon us.

2. Jobs will be eradicated.

3. Robots will replace people.

4. Data is the New Oil. (and then oil dropped in price at a tremendous level and traded below $0 in the spring of 2020.)

5.  Software is eating the world.

Today the same things are happening. The hype today is in the following areas:

1. Metaverse. So many opinions and so-called “subject matter experts” are getting into the hype when Web 3 is not understood yet.

2. Web 3 will be the dominant platform.

3. Cryptocurrencies, deregulated finance.

4. Technology will replace people.

5. Software eats up the world? And now artificial intelligence is eating software.

One thing for sure, when the hype and the headlines talk so much about it, the element is not yet there… like the words DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION. You will know that you have it when the words digital transformation continues until it does not get mentioned anymore.

There was a time when the so-called subject matter experts began harping that technology would replace HR. That HR jobs will be eradicated. The pandemic has visibly shown that many other things have been eradicated, but HR is right on top of pivoting, adaptation, and recalibration. This is why many HR practitioners are overworked and suffer from burnout.

Strangely enough, not much talk, whether hype or realistic, is applied to the subject matter of leadership. And yet, behind everything that happens, whether we talk about:

• Technological disruptions.

• Demographic disruptions.

• Geopolitical disruptions, etc.

Technology will not replace the leader. Technology will never replace the leader of the classroom, the teacher. And yet the teacher who has technology will replace the teacher who does not.

What is the future of leadership? Leadership is still the same in terms of values and principles, but leadership skills have to be upskilled, updated, and upgraded. Leaders need to level up their leadership skills: Many “leadership experts” fail to read the business landscape. Sticking to the same rulebook on leadership and management frameworks that may have worked during the industrial civilization but not so much now that we are in the knowledge economy.

The future of leadership belongs to those who are trained in the areas of:

1. Cognitive intelligence – book smart

2. Entrepreneurial intelligence – street smart

3. Emotional intelligence – heart smart

There are many challenges leaders face today:

1. Leaders now lead in an environment of anxiety and uncertainty brought about by the rapid rate of change.

2. Leaders and leadership are plagued by a pandemic that can shut down their business and the economy just by an announcement.

3. Leaders and leadership are harassed by relentless regulatory and government interventions that make their decisions constantly subject to scrutiny.

4. Leaders are hounded and harassed by an ever-critical public eye that sees, spreads, and posts every flaw, defect, mistake, or failure they ever make.

5. Leaders today are challenged and badgered by a more educated member of the team who feels empowered by data.

6. Leaders today are tormented with the fear of failing, anxious about the judgments of others around them.

7. Leaders need to upscale, update, and upgrade their leadership skills, and this adds another level of requirement in an already time-starved economy they operate in.

Without the proper training, organizations may have a bunch of toxic bosses who are not leaders but are merely in charge. The terrible thing is that they fail to unleash the full potential of their people to grow and run the company and maximize resources. Worst, they drive good people away.

Technology is not the biggest challenge. Culture is. And this provides us with a sneak peek into the future of leadership or perhaps, as Charles Handy said many years ago: “The future is already here long before tomorrow arrives.”

(Francis Kong runs his highly acclaimed Level Up Leadership 2.0 Master Class Online this May 24-26. For inquiries and reservations, contact April at +63928-559-1798 or and for more information, visit www.levelupleadership.ph)