Redefiners Podcast Summary
Episode: Leadership Lounge: How to Future-Proof Your Leadership
Release Date: October 9, 2024
Hosts: Hoda Tahoun & Clarke Murphy
Guest Speakers: Erin Zollner, Tobias Borte Hoichenreuter, Dana Landis, Emma Coombe

Introduction

In this engaging episode of Redefiners, titled "Leadership Lounge: How to Future-Proof Your Leadership," host Emma Coombe welcomes leaders and experts to dissect the evolving landscape of leadership in today's dynamic world. The discussion centers around the essential skills and mindsets leaders must adopt to navigate complexities such as technological advancements, geopolitical uncertainties, and sustainability imperatives.

Changing Leadership Landscape

Emma Coombe sets the stage by highlighting the unprecedented challenges leaders face, from the pandemic to the surge in artificial intelligence and sustainability efforts. The central question revolves around identifying the key skills that enable leaders to stand out and how hiring managers can assess a candidate's readiness and potential for long-term success.

Erin Zollner, Leadership Advisor from Russell Reynolds Associates, emphasizes the shifting expectations of leadership:

“Leadership expectations today are changing with new technologies and geopolitical uncertainty. The complexity of CEO and senior roles is far, far more extreme and therefore the skills that are needed by those same leaders are shifting as well.”
(01:42)

Key Skills for Future-Ready Leaders

Erin Zollner outlines four critical factors essential for modern leaders:

1. Drive and Resilience: The capacity to persevere and remain stable under pressure.
2. System-Level Thinking: The ability to understand and navigate the broader ecosystem.
3. Agility and Adaptability: Flexibility and curiosity to evolve with changing roles.
4. Social Intelligence: Skill in reading and understanding others' motives and behaviors.

Emma Coombe adds to this by referencing Jim Rowan, CEO of Volvo Cars, who discussed the eight Cs of leadership on the Redefiners podcast, particularly highlighting confidence and courage:

“How can we be confident in somebody if they aren't confident in themselves?” Rowan questioned, emphasizing the balance between confidence, courage, humility, and self-awareness.
(02:53)

Importance of Self-Awareness and Legacy

Erin Zollner points out that while the four skills are foundational, self-awareness is equally crucial:

“They don't realize their potential unless they have a deep understanding of themselves.”
(04:16)

Emma Coombe shares a personal experience from a leadership retreat in the Swiss Alps, emphasizing the significance of reflecting on one's legacy and values to bolster resilience:

“Having a clear sense of their personal values and aspirations was important in preparing them for their current role.”
(04:42)

Tobias Borte Hoichenreuter further discusses how understanding one’s values aids in setting a clear leadership direction:

“When you are aware of these values, you can also act upon them more clearly... sets you up for sustainable performance in the future.”
(06:20)

Potential vs. Experience in Hiring Leaders

The conversation shifts to the hiring process, where Dana Landis underscores the pitfalls of prioritizing experience over potential:

“Research shows that women and other underrepresented people are less likely to be given high stakes financial and strategic roles on their way up.”
(11:39)

Tobias Borte Hoichenreuter advocates for considering potential alongside experience, explaining how it mitigates hiring risks and broadens the talent pool:

“Potential is about how far can someone develop and maybe how fast can someone adapt and evolve to new environments.”
(10:12)

Impact on Diversity

Dana Landis highlights the diversity implications of focusing solely on experience:

“We saw in our CEO Turnover index that in 2023, only 12% of the CEOs who are placed across the major global indices were women.”
(11:39)

She argues that embracing potential opens doors for underrepresented groups, fostering a more diverse and innovative leadership landscape.

Continuous Growth and Learning

Dana Landis emphasizes the necessity for leaders to maintain a growth mindset:

“It's important for leaders to recognize that they have to continuously lean in on their learning curve and that they're going to meet challenges they haven't seen before.”
(07:49)

Emma Coombe relates this to real-world scenarios, noting how even seasoned leaders benefit from mentorship and continuous development to stay relevant and effective.

Conclusion

The episode concludes with a powerful takeaway: Future-proofing leadership involves a delicate balance of established competencies and the agility to grow and adapt. Key highlights include:

• Curiosity, resilience, systems thinking, and social intelligence are paramount for long-term leadership success.
• Leaders must maintain self-awareness and a clear sense of their values to endure and thrive amid challenges.
• Hiring managers should prioritize potential alongside experience to foster diversity and innovation.
• Continuous learning and adaptability are essential, regardless of a leader's tenure or position.

Emma Coombe invites listeners to engage with future episodes by submitting questions and emphasizes the importance of embracing both current readiness and future potential in leadership roles.

Notable Quotes:

• Erin Zollner: “Leadership expectations today are changing with new technologies and geopolitical uncertainty...” (01:42)
• Jim Rowan: “How can we be confident in somebody if they aren't confident in themselves?” (02:53)
• Erin Zollner: “They don't realize their potential unless they have a deep understanding of themselves.” (04:16)
• Tobias Borte Hoichenreuter: “Potential is about how far can someone develop and maybe how fast can someone adapt and evolve to new environments.” (10:12)
• Dana Landis: “Research shows that women and other underrepresented people are less likely to be given high stakes financial and strategic roles on their way up.” (11:39)

Final Thoughts:
In a world where the only constant is change, this episode of Redefiners serves as a crucial guide for current and aspiring leaders aiming to navigate the complexities of modern leadership. By embracing a balance of resilience, adaptability, social intelligence, and continuous self-improvement, leaders can ensure their effectiveness and legacy in an ever-evolving landscape.