What sort of leader do people want and need?

Whether you are leading a team, a project, or a business, you’ll know that leadership requires a wide range of skills and attributes to inspire and to achieve with others.

Long gone are the days when decisions could only be made at a certain level in an organisation, or telling people what to do and expecting them to willingly obey (which never worked!) People’s expectations are changing and so are their needs. This can be due to evolving business landscapes and new generations entering the workforce with different priorities for their working experiences. It is also hugely due to the rapid changes in working that the pandemic forced upon us.

So right now, what do people want and need? 

Put quite simply, people want to feel part of something – they want to have a sense of belonging. A sense of community is critical right now, even if that is a remote community! They also want to know they are making a difference – their ideas, their efforts, their day to day productivity – what is it all for? Is there a purpose behind people’s hard work? And linking these two together, people want hope. In all sectors, people are working so hard and there is a clear need and desire for hope for the future – that is the future of their organisation, the future of their career, the future stability and development of their work.

What does this mean people want and need in leadership? 

People need leadership that oozes passion for a vision that means something to each and every team member; a hunger and resilience to make a positive change (in the world, not just in their business); and a real desire to create opportunities that support and celebrate the team.  Just creating strategy is not enough!

Having coached and developed leaders for over 20 years, and widely researched human needs in the workplace, I  believe that:

1. People want to be inspired and empowered to be part of the change, to co-create, to experiment and to learn and grow.
2. Leaders need to be actively shaping a culture centred around their passion for what they do and compassion for who they work with. We’ve talked about ‘servant leadership’ before. And right now, people look for this more than ever. No more telling people what to do, no more ‘decisions only come from the top!’
3. People want to share diverse abilities and qualities for a collective good, they want to be part of collaborative efforts. They want leadership that is dependable and honest. Creating teams who work in silos no longer works! (did it ever?)
4. People want leaders who open doors with external partners, who make mutual commitments to make good things happen and to share expertise.

I often describe leadership as a ‘glove’ to my clients. To make it fit and do its job it needs two sides stitched together for the back and front of the hand. In impactful and successful leadership; the two parts stitched together are (1) what you do and (2) who you are being – the former creates conditions and opportunities and the latter creates the culture that each and every person who you are involved with experiences.

In summary, people are not looking for leadership as a source of authority or control and power. Instead people want to be part of the creativity, part of the solution and part of the journey.

Are you leading teams or a business? How are you and your leadership team building people’s commitment and achieving with them? You can book an informal Discovery Call with me here where we can chat through any challenges you’re facing.