Whereas in the early 2000s, leadership development was predominantly concerned with management skills (planning, organising, goal setting, KPIs, OKRs, balanced scorecards, LEAN, etc.), it has now been for some time with leadership development (development interviews, motivation, inspiration, relationships, change management, vision, etc.).
It is claimed that the leadership is not a back pusher, but a leader. Management is also commonly used on LinkedIn to describe the backseat driver. Both put the emphasis on some sort of pulling or pushing aspect, which is pretty energy intensive.
Both are needed, but it is increasingly clear that they are not enough. AI and machines are taking over these parts nicely and what remains is – being human, or pure and sincere contact between people.
If we have built our contact with people on artificial constructs, AI must take them over. Anything artificial takes up unnecessary energy, which we perceive as work fatigue.
But if AI takes all that away, then – what happens to me as a driver. Am I no longer necessary? YOU are of course necessary, but the constructs around you are not. Those constructs are not you.
Leadership in the new era will be deeply self-aware, where we really become ourselves, rather than building up leadership techniques or new constructs.
Leadership, and the new reality of leadership, is a time to look inside yourself, to take down all the walls that prevent you from truly being yourself. To do this, however, we must embark on a journey of digging into the past, where these walls have been built.
Traditional management and leadership – focusing on controlling and directing others – is a passing phenomenon. The new era demands much more from leaders than managing Excel spreadsheets or motivational speeches. True leadership starts with self-knowledge, self-development and self-awareness, which is reflected in daily work and in relationships with the team.
Why is this change necessary? In practice, in training courses, I often see how self-development is primarily led by women. Men often only embark on the path of development when life has already signalled that something needs to change – for example, when a woman has moved her bags out the door, a baby is born or her health starts to fail. We could apply the same logic to leadership: do we have to wait until a leader’s ‘bags are put out the door’ or his health gives up? Or do we consciously take responsibility before things get worse?
In addition, the rise of AI and automation has brought a whole new dimension to management. AI can provide data-driven solutions and take over routine tasks, but AI cannot replace the self-awareness of the manager.
So it’s no longer a question of how well you lead others, but how consciously you lead yourself. Leadership is not a position, it is a reflection of who you are. But do you know who you are? Or are you a version of other people’s stories, other people’s opinions, the beliefs shaped by experience, the legacy of previous generations?
