What Should Keep a Leader Awake at Night

As a leader, you are consumed with many moving parts.

These are some of the cycle of thoughts that keep you awake at night.

• Holding on to good talent.
• Keeping the business units aligned and performing at their best.
• Increasing revenue while keeping costs down.

But what should keep you as a leader awake at night is a bit different.

Facing this issue head on will help you rest well, because it has a universal effect on all those areas that are the current causes of sleep deprivation for most leaders.

It has to do with moving into the future successfully. And there are three steps you can take that will help propel you forward.

The organization of the future is already here. It is yours, if you want to accept the challenge. Three things will help you set the right foundation so you can move forward with much greater ease. You’ll find them outlined below, along with some great reading materials to help you do so.

Three Ways to Help Move Your Organization into the Future

1. Assess your ability to adapt.

How effectively do you flex with change?

These days, it is no longer a question of coping. We work in a global marketplace, where a business shift in China means impact on business in Southern California. Agility is de facto a top focus for the leader. Do you find yourself resisting change or embracing it?

For more on a growth mindset that will help you sharpen your agility and adaptability, the following book will help: Mindset by Carol Dweck, PhD.

2. Maximizing your talent.

At the team level, you should be asking yourself how you can empower your team to help you lead. You may already be great at empowering great talent, but have you thought about pooling their brain trust on issues you normally own as part of your bailiwick?

Begin to bring your executive team together on issues you normally take care of, and present these for discussion and learning. Not only will you be mentoring at a greater level for succession planning, you may also learn a few things that will help your decisions to become your best.

For more on “teams leading teams,” see the article “The Symphonic C-Suite: Teams Leading Teams” by Deloitte experts Agarwal, Bersin, Lahiri, Schwartz, and Volini.

3. How can you get ahead of the curve?

Can you actually predict trends before they happen? If so, your competitive edge will now take you firmly – and first – into the future.

Does this sound impossible? You can actually grow your visioning skills to make the “what if” a palpable tool for your strategic planning.

To flex your ability in this, begin by reading the book Anticipate: The Art of Leading By Looking Ahead by Rob-Jan de Jong, PhD. Expand your visionary capacity with practical tools provided by this Wharton professor to change your ability to stay ahead of the curve.

Here is what we know: the organization of the future is here. Whether we accept the challenge depends on continuously sharpening the skills to do so. Let me know how you enjoy these resources.

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