The jury is still out if the business environment in 2015 is going to look very different from 2014. To make sure you get the most out of your people in the months to come, it’s not a case of disregarding all your existing talent management experience and practices in favour of a completely new way of leading. Most leaders have the skills to deal with this brave new world; it’s just a case of learning how to put them into practice in a new context. So as we move into 2015, let’s take a look at the top lessons to take with us from 2014.

Be Strategic (Note.1)
Rather than focusing on your leaders being generic, all-things-to-all-men figures of authority, examine exactly how you need them to behave so that they are aligned with the strategy of your organisation. Do you need your leaders specifically to be innovative or delegating, for example? Once you have identified the competencies and behaviors that your organisation values, then you can set about developing those in your leaders. This is a strategic approach resulting in more targeted development spends. 

Be Authentic (Note.2)
Authentic leaders genuinely desire to serve others through their leadership. They are interested in empowering the people they lead to make a difference; more than they are interested in power, money or prestige for themselves. They are guided equally by the heart and the mind – practicing heart-based guidance grounded in passion and compassion, as well as thoughtful leadership grounded in the qualities of the mind.
They lead with purpose, meaning and values. And their people relationships are extremely strong. People follow them because they are consistent, reliable and strong. When they are pushed to go beyond their beliefs and values, they will not compromise. They are dedicated to personal growth and learning because they believe that becoming a leader takes a lifetime.

Importance of Your Co-Leaders (Note.3)
During challenging times we need strong leadership, but that comes from a strong team, not from a single autocratic leader. It takes more than one person to be able to cope with the complexity of today’s business, the impacts of global markets, increasing regulatory demand and the speed and thrust of change at the workplace.
If you are implementing change initiatives at the workplace, communicate it effectively for your co-leaders to buy into it and come with you. Amongst all the upheaval, focus on the vision of the new organisation at the end of the transition.

Putting Employees First Before Customer (Note.3)
Steady, long-term competitiveness requires an organization to be committed to putting employees first and developing quality training programs that are linked to its strategic objectives.
Without a true commitment to the employees at all levels throughout an organisation, the journey to enhance organizational performance will be an elusive adventure. Quality employees equate to organisational success. Unqualified and poorly trained employees equate to organisational failure.
An organisation’s employees have always made the difference between a truly successful organisation and a mediocre entity, but it’s amazing how often managers overlook or discount this fundamental recipe for economic survival. Organisations with cultures that focus on their people and that invest in their future will in the long-run, be more competitive than cultures that view employees as mere costs to be reduced in times of trouble.

Engaging Your Gen Y and Z Workforce (Note.4)
Now, not only is it important to keep the workforce engaged so that they will feel responsible for the future of the organisation, but we also have a demanding, fickle and hugely talented Generation Y and equally promising Gen Z coming into the workforce. Research shows that they want to work for organizations that show that they care for them. At times like these, their flexibility, innovative attitude to ways of working and technological know-how are critical skills for the future success for the organisation.

Create a Coaching Culture (Note.5)
Leaders, who coach their teams through change, rather than issuing directives, encourage employees to take control of their workload and targets. This helps create advocates of change who feel that they have a say in the direction of the organisation, particularly important when they might be feeling out of control of their future.
Ultimately, research has consistently shown that developing a coaching culture helps organisations achieve their strategic objectives as well as enhance their business outcomes. By introducing coaching related competencies into the workplace, it creates a culture that is adaptive in its continuous process of talent development and organisational learning.

Conclusion
In essence, the heart of the leadership challenge that confronts today’s leaders is learning how to lead in situations of ever greater volatility and uncertainty in a globalised business environment, allied with the needs to deal with scale, complexity and new organisational forms that often break with the traditional organisational models and structures within which many have learned their ‘leadership trade’ (Note.6). So the basic assumption that past experience is the key for future leadership success is more open to scrutiny than ever.

(From: Leadership Excellence, January, 2015)

Notes from Leader’sGene Consultant:
1：Fit with “Visioning” Factor in <> model.
2：Fit with “Value Resonance” Factor in <> model.
3：Fit with “Relating People” Factor in <> model.
4：Fit with “Engaging People” Factor in <> model.
5：Fit with “Developing People” Factor in <> model.
6：How to deal with VUCA environment, refer to “Agility” Factor in <> model.