logo
logo
Sign in

A Survival Guide for Leaders of Today, and the Need for them to be Agile

avatar
TimesTSW30
A Survival Guide for Leaders of Today, and the Need for them to be Agile

Managers have a lopsided impact on organisational outputs. Being an effective manager requires one to know how to analyse complex business problems and implement a plan for a way forward. They influence at least 70% of the workforce dependent upon them. Amidst the evolving business technologies and processes it’s certain that organisations will have new leadership needs, with agility being the antecedent need.

A research by Deloitte indicates that the teams having agile managers show a 22% increase in productivity, a 30% increase in employee engagement score, and a 48% increase in profitability. Agile leaders tend to pivot faster in response to volatile, uncertain, and complex situations, and enable the organisation to drive innovations. A study also shows that 60% of companies experience growth in profits after they adopt an agile leadership approach. Figure 1 highlights the qualities needed to be an agile leader, according to research by Deloitte.

Therefore, it is safe to say that agile leadership is the new approach for leading people, and it is the correct mindset to possess for the next generation of business leaders.

What is Agile Leadership?

Agile leadership is a growth mindset that creates self-management skills and focuses on the needs of others. They acknowledge their employees and teammates perspectives, nurture them to meet their personal and professional goals, and build a community within their teams. This benefits the team to learn, trust, get quick feedback and collaborate harmoniously with one another and other stakeholders. The most important aspect of being an agile leader is that one neither micromanages people nor creates total freedom. They strike a balance between the two with the help of the concept of the OODA (Observe-Orient-Decide-Act) loop.

How does the OODA loop work?

The OODA loop is a four-step process for effective decision-making. It encourages one to think critically, anticipate threats, and neutralise them before they become perilous. Organisations practice this loop to benchmark their ability to react to continuously improve i.e., quickening their decision cycles. While this loop seems like a linear one, it relies on constant feedback from a wealth of data points to update each step for the benefit of subsequent steps.

As a matter of course, action is never the last step. The last step is learning the validity of the hypothesis to make the future OODA loops more accurate and faster, giving leaders a better control over VUCA business scenarios.

Need for upskilling

While 71% of organisations, globally, use agile approaches, 80% of organisations in India are currently facing a leadership talent shortage. Most of the top leaders agree that using agility in business practices is the new and effective way to do business. According to a study by FICCI, the skills gap is the main reason why senior professionals become redundant. People over 45 to 50 years old who are not at CXO level, may not be employed if they lose their jobs, and hence require upskilling and re-skilling.

The Solution: IIM Indore’s Senior Management Programme

To have a glorious career as a Senior Management professional in today’s times, one must have a thorough knowledge of formulating strategies and addressing business challenges. These skills are required in all business functions such as marketing and sales, finance and accounting, operations, human resources, etc., to be able to effectively orchestrate various business operations.

The Senior Management Programme (SMP) by IIM Indore, is designed to transform experienced professionals into future leaders. This course prepares one to step up into the role of a senior management professional in major Indian companies. It is a flexible and inclusive programme taught by the acclaimed IIM Indore faculty and industry experts and is specially designed for working professionals.

Fundamentally, it’s a certification that will open multiple avenues to advance one’s career.

To know more: https://timestsw.com/course/iim-calcutta-senior-management-program/

collect
0
avatar
TimesTSW30
guide
Zupyak is the world’s largest content marketing community, with over 400 000 members and 3 million articles. Explore and get your content discovered.
Read more