The Leader of Future

Running Head: THE LEADER OF THE FUTURE Chantell Hilliard Post University The Leader of the Future BUS 508 December 15, 2012 Professor Carolyn Shiffman Table of Contents Executive Overview†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3 Challenges for future leaders†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦.. 4 Blueprint for dynamic planning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦.. 4 Areas of focus for leaders of the future†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦.. 5 Lessons from past leadership†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦. †¦. 7 Future Generational Workf orce†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦. †¦. 9 References. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦.. 10 Executive OverviewWhat does the leader of future look like? This question reflects on the Baby Boomers generation transitions into retirement leaving the next generation to move into leadership positions. For the next generation to transition into the once Baby Boomer workforce, future leaders have to face a range of challenges. This generation will need to learn how to monitor external threats and opportunities that can affect an organization. Leaders of the future have different leadership style from their counterparts. The next generation will have to learn from past leadership behaviors. Future leaders need to become technology savvy.They will also have to become acquainted with different cultures and practice the art of shared leadership. To succeed in a competitive business world, future leaders will have to develop a leadership style that fits the standards of an authentic leader. Challenges for leaders of the future As the business world changes, leadership roles will present challenges. The challenges that a leader will face knowing how to communicate is an important aspect for leaders to be effective. Through effective communication, leaders encourage others to trust and understand what is needed to be done within the organization.However, without effective communication a leader may not be able to lead his or her group effectively. Another distinctive challenge that leaders of the future will encounter are managing conflicts. Future lead ers will have to recognize conflict that is necessary and conflict that distracts subordinates and escalates. A leader who does not address conflict can see results lost productivity and lost revenue. If leaders of future want to increase performance they need to learn how to put aside personal feelings while dealing with conflicts among employees.Blueprint for dynamic planning The blueprint for dynamic planning is how a leader assesses external and internal analysis on opportunities and threats facing the organization environment. For an organization to have success, a leader needs to complete a SWOT analysis. Completing a SWOT analysis will enable a leader to focus on the organization strengths and weaknesses, spot opportunities, and lastly analyze any threats. The SWOT framework is a powerful planning tool that helps a leader understand the organization nice in the market and distinguish the company from their competitors.Monitoring the external environment requires a leader to u nderstand opportunities for the organization and threats that will hurt the organization growth. These external elements include customers, government, economy, competition, and public perception. The importance of customer relationships can help a company find ways to influence their customers to buy products and to improve sales. Government regulations are important to monitor because new laws and regulations can affect a company profit margins and determine if a company can ship their products into foreign markets.The external business environment can also exert the pressures of the economy. A leader should play close attention to the economy growing or collapsing. Monitoring the state of economy is crucial for leaders in the ever changing business world. For example, companies might need to lower prices during recessions. Because of the various economic shifts, leaders of the future will need to adapt their marketing strategies. Competition has a significant effect on an organiz ation external environment because competitors are continually differentiating their products and service from its competitors.Monitoring the competition will allow a leader to have a competitive advantage in the market. Lastly, a future leader should monitor any scandals or negative perceptions about the company. While a negative image can hurt company sales, it can eventually hinder growth and success. Areas of focus for leaders of the future If future leaders want to be effective they need to increase their focus on new technologies, appreciation of cultural diversity, and learn how to share leadership. Because of the rapid technological changes in the world, future business leaders need to be technology savvy.Having the ability to know the importance of technology, gives the future leader a competitive edged. Technology as we know it continues to evolve. Bennis (1992) suggest that leaders of the future need to embrace technology, if not they are sure to be unsuccessful on  "capitalizing on the opportunities that arise in this fast-evolving competitive arena† (Bennis, 1992, p. 189). The business world is becoming global. Leaders of the future should focus on cultural diversity because a cultural diverse workplace promotes several advantages for an organization.If leaders don’t respect the differences in other people’s cultural background they may risk falling behind as an effective leader. Understanding other people’s culture is considered a good business practice. If future leaders want to succeed in the business world, they need to implement motivational strategies that will inspire people in different cultures. To achieve a positive and collaborative environment, leaders have to embrace mutual respect amongst their diverse colleagues. Leaders of the future should understand that sharing leadership is not an easy task but quite possible.The following are ways leaders can share leadership: * Give power away to the most quali fied individuals to strengthen their capabilities (Goldsmith, 2010, p. 1). * Define the limits of decision-making power (Goldsmith, 2010, p. 1). * Cultivate a climate in which people feel free to take initiative on assignments (Goldsmith, 2010, p. 1). * Give qualified people discretion and autonomy over their tasks and resources and encourage them to use these tools (Goldsmith, 2010, p. 1). * Don't second guess the decisions of those you have empowered to do so (Goldsmith, 2010, p. ). Lessons from past leadership To be successful, a leader must learn lessons from past leadership behaviors. Many past leaders have engaged in negative and positive behaviors that can affect the organization. Following positive leadership behaviors will allow a leader to practices a leadership style that involves building an empowering workplace. Future leaders should strive to develop integrity. Having integrity means building trust with your followers. Most importantly, a leader who leads with integrit y means sticking to their word.Past leadership has shown that integrity requires a leader to have self-awareness. Self-awareness means that a leader is conscious of their strengths and weaknesses. For example, if a leader pretends to know everything and doesn’t acknowledge their mistakes, this creates the perception of lack of integrity from their followers. Leadership without integrity can have drastic consequences for any organization. Unfortunately, the Enron scandal is great example on how Enron leaders compromised integrity with their desires for wealth and power. Enron executives’ unethical practices left a scar on corporate America.Enron’s lack of integrity results in thousands of jobs lost, pensions lost, public disgrace, and felony convictions. The Enron fiasco should teach leaders of tomorrow that a true leader has the responsibility to be honest and open with their followers, have good character, obey the law and to transmit truthful data at all times . From a personal perspective, my core beliefs are solid and promote a positive leadership in the workplace. Having core values like integrity defines who I am as an authentic leader. I model integrity by being honest and making the right choices.Blanchard (2010) suggests that, â€Å"integrity is the most essential element of leadership† (p. 180). I believe that having integrity results in a leader being seen as credible to others. Without it, a person will fail as a leader. Leading by fear and intimidation are negative behaviors that future leaders should avoid. The problem with leading by fear is that it kills creativity in the workplace. Sadly, these tactics has been used by many leaders in organizations. Future leaders need to understand that leading by fear can have negative several repercussions.Leaders who lead through such means will find that this leadership style is not an effective approach for motivating, inspiring, and empowering their followers. As a result, thi s behavior creates uncertainty and high turnover among employees. Many will argue that this tactic can be beneficial for an organization. Apple Inc. , CEO Steve Jobs is a prime example on past leaders who lead by fear. Steve Jobs has been described as a complex and unconventional leader. His tyrannical leadership style created an atmosphere that employee received verbal lashings and fear of making mistakes.Steve Jobs successfully implemented innovation and provided success with Apple Inc. However, his style is worth learning so leaders of the future can avoid the pitfalls of leading with authoritarian leadership. Future Generational Workforce According to researchers by 2020 the future generational workforce will be led by three generations attempting to coexist in the US economy (Nahavandi, 2010). Currently, the workforce is comprised of baby boomers born between 1946-1964, Generation X born between 1966-1980, and the workforce of the future Generation Y also known as â€Å"Millen nials† born between 1980-2000.Because Baby Boomers are approaching retirement, employers are looking to the Millennial generation to bring in valuable new perspectives that will cater the organization mission and goals. The Millennial generation will approach their expectations and beliefs from an entirely new way that goes beyond traditional behaviors. What sets this generation apart from their older counterparts is that they are not afraid of the change. Therefore, their attitudes towards work are different from their parents because they prefer flexibility.Generation Y has high expectations from their employers and the direction of their career path. They are consistently seeking new and innovative challenges that will allow them to effectively lead others. Millennials leaders are very different from their previous generations because they rely heavily on the internet as a form of resource, communication and networking. This generation will overtake the majority American wo rkforce by storm and their leadership style will be influenced by leaders before them.These leaders will have no problem attracting and retaining followers because they are motivated to understand their subordinate’s perspectives. Conclusion In conclusion, as the workforce changes so does the look of leaders. These future leaders have to be prepared for the unexpected and unexplained challenges. Therefore, as the next generation enters leadership roles they will have to know more than traditional business practices seen by generations before. For an organization to survive, these future leaders should have a set of core values that followers will trust and respect.References Bennis, W. G. (1992). Leaders on Leadership. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Books. Blanchard, K. H. , (2010) Leading at a higher Level: Blanchard on Leadership and Creating High Performing Organizations, Upper Saddle River, N. J. : Pearson/Prentice Hall. Goldsmith, M. (2010, May). Sharing leadership to Maximize Talent. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved December 15, 2012 from http://blogs. hbr. org/goldsmith/2010/05/sharing_leadership_to_maximize. html Nahavandi, A. (2012). The Art and Science of Leadership. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.