Go back 20 years and the internet was hardly understood by people. Go back 50 years and making long-distance telephone calls was outrageously expensive. Go back 70 years and computers were non-existent and the entire world depended on paper to either advertise their product or to keep accounts. In other words, we have evolved from no computers to intelligent and self-sufficient computers in just one generation and this is how exponential change looks like from just the technological angle. We have also become more global, more fast-paced, more productive and more economically advanced. And all of these have happened in a very short span.
However, human beings as individuals are wired to cope with linear change. We cannot process exponential change where too many things happen in too many domains at the same time. We often depend on our past to live in the present and decide the future even when the future is changing so fast that it is completely independent of the present or the past. This trend has led global experts to call upon a new set of leaders who can deal with exponential change. And the top pgdm colleges in delhi are naturally following suit. The new leaders have the following traits in them which make them fit to forecast right and take a company forward.
The new leaders cannot be solo heroes anymore
Back when change was still linear, we could hear stories of how one person built a whole company single-handedly or saw through a turmoil time and became the hero. The change brought on challenges and one person’s way was enough to tackle the same. But during exponential change, leaders need a leadership team that can work together to keep the ship sailing. One leader’s way can no longer work as human minds are not yet capable of seeing multiple angles at the same time. This calls for a sense of teamwork among leaders. You will have to work together with the marketing, operations, finance and sales head, giving everyone’s opinion equal priority and living with the decisions they make in their own spheres.
Transparency is essential now
No leader can deal with exponential change if he/she does not believe in transparency within the team. Too many things are happening. The teams are larger now as well. You can no longer hide behind the door and act the protector by allowing every member to stay shielded from whatever is going on. The new leader has to come forward and state things how they are. Keeping the team in the loop is essential to deal with any crisis. Any good PGDM college in Delhi will prioritise transparency now as history has repeatedly thought us that no knowledge creates confusion and leads to negative emotions. Being in the loop, however, imparts importance to everyone even when they are not actively involved to solve the matter.
Trust and psychological safety are greater binding forces
How do great leaders keep their teams together? Higher pay scale? Better responsibilities? While these still work, research at Stanford University has shown that during exponential change, people crave psychological safety and trust among individuals more than the conventional factors that typically kept employees to their jobs. Take artificial intelligence for example. There is growing anxiety among white- and blue-collared workers that machines will eat up their jobs in the coming decade. As a new leader, your primary job will be to show these people that their skills are still valuable and the company has plans for them even when AI is the future. A true leader keeps the core team intact. And going forward, psychological safety and trust are your weapons.
No alternative to continuous learning
A leader of the present age has to be a continuous learner. Without this habit, he/she will frequently find him/her outside the loop of things while exponential change is taking place on its own course. Plus, as stated, the future looks completely different than what we picture it in our heads and only through continuous learning can leaders keep themselves abreast of what is truly about to come. You will need to talk about gene editing and space travel. You will need to explore brain implants and neuromarketing. Anything new is happening anywhere, a new leader needs to be there to pick up the basics and be ready for when the change hits.
EMPI, one of the best pgdm colleges in delhi ncr, is creating such new leaders. The B-School teaches Business Administrations in an entrepreneurial way where graduates get to manage the present by learning from the past while looking at the future. EMPI has passed out multiple successful executives and entrepreneurs and is riding the bandwagon of exponential change the best. So, learn from the right B-School, pick up the necessary skills and become a professional fit for the 21st-century.