New Work and New Leadership
Our ever-changing world of work presents today’s leaders with the challenge of having to adapt their skills and leadership styles to new circumstances. What are the characteristics and behaviors of successful leaders in the World of Work 4.0? At troodi we have identified six leadership principles that we believe are particularly important in the context of New Leadership.
Leadership skills in the New Leadership approach
1. Handing over responsibility
New Leadership means flat hierarchies and each individual taking on responsibility. This means that as a New Leader, the first and most important step is to learn to hand over responsibility for tasks and processes to your team. Sounds logical, but it is not always easy. It takes trust and courage. But simply handing over responsibility is not enough. It is just as important to establish decision-making structures that make it easy for employees to take responsibility for the company. Decisions are no longer only made hierarchically by managers.
2. Focus on people
Leadership in New Work means a shift from being responsible for the content to coaching your employees:
The focus is on empowering your team members, being available to them as a sparring partner and creating the framework conditions in which your team can be successful. According to New Leadership, leaders should interact with their employees in a physiologically skilled way and challenge and encourage their individual potential. The “soft factors” of leadership are therefore increasingly important.
3. Company culture and defining a purpose
The core idea of New Work is to do what you really, really want (Frithjof Bergmann). Consequently, it is a central task of the leader to communicate the meaning and purpose of the team’s activities and with this inspire and motivate their team. This applies on a large scale as well as on a small scale: As a leader, you are the first ambassador for the purpose of your organization and a role model for the values of your organization – authenticity is crucial here. Furthermore, it is also your responsibility to derive specific goals from the corporate vision for your team and to bring them to life together in your day-to-day work.
4. Embrace Change as opportunity
In times of major disruptions, nothing is as certain as change. Thus, managers need a high level of change intelligence and an understanding of change management in order to react quickly to changes. But it is not enough to accompany or manage change. A mindset that accepts change as an opportunity for innovation and continuous improvement of the organization is essential – in other words, a positive attitude towards change. This perspective and adaptability must also be carried into the organization by managers.
5. Desire for development
In order to live change, change needs to happen within yourself. Reflecting on your own leadership actions and the desire for personal development are central qualities in New Leadership. As a leader, this desire for development applies not only to you, but also to your team and the whole organization. How can you make your employees, your team, and your organization a little bit better every day?
6. Encourage collaboration & communication
In New Leadership it is a central task to facilitate transparent communication and collaboration within the team and across different teams. You are no longer the sole decision-maker, but a facilitator of internal and external communication. You are a coach, mediator, and obstacle-clearer all in one. This is particularly relevant in the context of digital leadership in order to enable efficient collaboration even in remote teams.
Handing over responsibility
Embrace change
Collaboration & communication
Development
Company culture & purpose
Focus on people
New Leadership in organizations
Would you like to learn more about the concept of New Work? At troodi, we offer a learning program to help you do just that. Our expert for new ways of working Julian Wonner will guide you through the individual chapters. Here’s what you can take away from the learning program:
- Definition and origin of the term New Work
- Reflection on your own purpose
- Designing teamwork at eye level
- Alternative organizational structures
- Requirements for the implementation of New Work
You can watch the trailer of the learning program here.
If you would like to find out more about modern leadership approaches, you may also be interested in the “Agile Leadership” learning program. In this learning program, you can learn how agile leadership differs from traditional leadership and how you can implement this leadership style. You will learn about the four principles of agile leadership, which you can use as a guide in the learning program. You will also learn more about different methods and models for empowering your team and promoting self-organization and trust. You can watch the trailer here.
You can also create a free trial account or contact us by e-mail or phone if you have further questions.
