Control and Command leadership is being replaced by emotionally intelligent leaders who value input and commitment.

Leaders and employees are human.  If you are looking for more efficiency, innovation or productive ownership of organizational strategy then bring your whole self to work in new ways.  Demonstrate and build a foundation of trust and influence to get more of the right things accomplished through commitment and true ownership at more levels in the organization. 5 out of 6 of the books above talk about leaders who demonstrate valuing employees’ input and being transparent or honest and expecting the same of teams within the leader’s organization.  Bad Blood certainly shows what not to do as a “human” leader.  CEO Next Door talks about common decency and boldness in decision-making and handling conflict.  Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility advocates radical honesty and challenging work.  Principles of Life and Work boasts of meritocracy and radical transparency.   Honesty and transparency can only happen with a leader who not only has a vision but works with their teams to connect them to the vision and find the best way toward that vision.

Read more about Emotional Intelligence HERE.

Culture is not a nice to have, it must be a priority.

This is not a new theme, we have heard about it for a long time now.  And yet, there are still leaders who feel this is just the squishy side of business. Granted the culture formulas are not as easy as Revenue – Expenses = Profit.  As leaders, we must find what works for our style and what works to accelerate the right inspiration and motivation to generate the right activity toward the organizational strategy.  There are more generations in the workplace and the generations want to be respected, heard and engaged through meaningful challenging work.  5 out of 6 of the books above touch on the culture and impact a leader has in being the example of the culture and managing expectations around the defined culture objectives.   If you say you want a culture of radical honesty, then you can’t shy away from hearing or discount bold feedback.  Noting and rewarding those times when the radical honesty pays off for the organization will advance the culture you desire.

Increased emphasis on Team Collaboration and Cohesion.

In the Culture Code, which I note was on several must-read lists in 2017 and 2018 as well as 2019, the author discusses teams functioning with a single mind.  As far back as 2011, Lencioni and the Table Group began advocating the concept of “First Team” where the executive’s allegiance is first to the executive team and then secondarily to the team they lead. Dalio in Principles of Life and Work uses “baseball cards” for team members to allow their strengths and weaknesses to be utilized to their fullest in his decision-making process. The shift going forward that we are seeing is increased emphasis on the interaction within the team not just having the team work together.  This interaction is seen in how the members utilize each other’s strengths and cover the weaknesses, how the members hold each other accountable, how they handle conflict and what happens when a team member isn’t going to make a commitment.  This new twist on team development has led to more prevalent and new advancements in Team Coaching Services

What’s the payback that you could see if you made a few adjustments to more fully embrace these 2019 themes?  I would propose that the paybacks would be numerous.   They could be as simple as feeling better about your ability to deliver consistent outcomes short and longer term or enjoying the interaction of your team members and seeing them empowered and delivering results together with less work overall or something more concrete such as reducing your leadership gaps and therefore reducing hiring and turnover expenses.

What will you as a leader develop this year to address these new leadership themes in a way that will keep you relevant?   Will you focus on aspects of your emotional intelligence?  Will you more purposefully define the outcomes and value on investment for your culture?   Or will you find the strengths and weaknesses of your First Team and develop the interactions that will most benefit your organizational 2019 strategy?  How will you determine the payback to you and your organization?

After looking at over a dozen “Best of ….” Business Book lists, I found that there were 6 books that made 2 or more of the lists that touch on the themes discussed above.

Bad Blood, by Carreyrou

Bad Blood, by Carreyrou was on Bill Gates, Forbes, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post best or must-read lists.

Bad Blood is the story of charismatic leader Elizabeth Holmes journey with Theranos.

CEO Next Door by Botecho, Powell, & Raz

CEO Next Door by Botecho, Powell & Raz was on Inc 2018 as well as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best Seller lists.

CEO Next Door debunks a few myths on who gets to the top and how.  It also that there are 4 key behaviors of those who do get to the top. It has life stories from CEO’s and their boardrooms.

Powerful:  Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility by McCord

Powerful:  Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility by McCord was on Inc 10 best Leadership Books, Inc 2019 Must reads for Entrepreneurs and Washington Posts 11 Leadership Books to Read.

McCord was the Chief Talent Officer and leader in creating Netflix culture.  She advocates radical honesty in the workplace and motivating with challenging work to create a culture of high performance and profitability.

The Book of Mistakes by Pritchard

The Book of Mistakes by Pritchard was on Forbes and BookBub Bests.

The Book of Mistakes advocates achieving your goals by pushing beyond your perceived capabilities by finding your purpose and avoiding 9 common mistakes.

Principles of Life and Work by Dalio

Principles of Life and Work by Dalio was on Forbes, New York Times Best Books of 2018 and Forbes and a New York Times #1 Best Seller

Principles author, Dalio is a highly respected investor that says life, management, economics and investing can be systematized into rules and understood like machines.  The reviews on this book boast uncovering a straightforward approach to decision-making, novel ideas for organizations and idea meritocracy and radical transparency.

The Culture Code by Coyle

The Culture Code by Coyle was Forbes, INC, New York Times Best Seller and Best Books of the Year by Bloomberg and Library Journal.

Culture code endorses getting teams to function with a single mind utilizing 3 skills for generating team cohesion and cooperation.

At Kinetic Insights, our PathFinders are skilled in helping leaders unleash the greatness in themselves and in their organizations. Call or email us for a quick discussion that just might put you and your team on the path to significant change.

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