The case for the “SELF-DISRUPTIVE” LEADER.

With certainty that businesses will face greater uncertainty, a very different leader is required to face all of the challenges, swerves and disruption.

If companies are to avoid self-destructing, leaders need to embrace (rather than simply react to) the external disruptions they face. To beat disruption, they literally  need to “disrupt” themselves—their thoughts, their values, their actions.

The disruption of markets can only  be met with the disruption of the leadership approach. In short, the self-disruptive leader  is what companies now need.

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IN SHORT, IT IS THE ‘SELF-DISRUPTIVE LEADER’ COMPANIES NOW NEED. 

The majority of current leaders are simply not demonstrating the necessary learning agility, social and emotional intelligence, and ability to be both assured but also humble that being a self-disruptive leader requires.

Specifically, the self-disruptive leader needs to have five key qualities: they need to ADAPT—that is, have the ability to anticipate, drive, accelerate, partner, and trust.

But while these skills might be regarded as essential (and obvious) attributes

common to all leaders, only 15% of today’s leaders actually have all five of these qualities.

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ADAPT ENSURES PERSONAL AND CORPORATE IMPACT.

What makes leaders who ADAPT so valuable, is the transferability of these particular skills. Not only do self-disruptive leaders render positive personal impact, but they also have business transformation impact. In the process of disrupting themselves, these leaders guarantee they will bring  the rest of the organization with them. These are leaders who: Don’t dictate but “drive”; Listen to others to assess where they  can have “first mover” advantage; Are fuelled by purpose and would rather create networks and partnerships  rather than ivory towers.

Self-disruptive leaders embrace and recognize potential, rather than look down from above and think they know best.

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ADAPT LEADERS GENERATE | THE GREATEST CHANGE.

King Executive finds those leaders that excel strongly in all five ADAPT qualities stand to make the biggest progress in their organizations. Of course, in the real world, leaders’ actual balance of these strengths isn’t equal, and there is even evidence some strengths are naturally stronger in different countries than others. 

LOOK OUT FOR DISRUPTIVE LEADERS AND THINGS WILL  LOOK UP.

Companies that actively seek and support self-disruptive leaders understand that the disruption they’re trying to solve needn’t be the fearful journey it could be. This is because these companies are making a powerful internal and external statement that they are ready to evolve. They see skills and talent development as part of a “system” in their organization; they also see the value of devolving leadership development to more and more people (and in particular, people managers).

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A LONG WAY OFF YET.

Organizations are still a long way off from being able to call out, accept, and develop these new leaders of the future. Once organizations begin to do so, they will be able to create future-fit businesses. If disruption is inevitable in business,  so too should disruptive leadership.


CONTACT US

King Executive – Selecting High-Performance Leaders for Forward Thinking Businesses across the Southwest. We are a leading executive search and headhunting firm. We work with Owner Managed Businesses through to Private Equity Backed growth firms and PLC’s. We champion Executive Women and we aim to offer an even gender split on all of our shortlists. Contact our CEO Helen Plumridge: 07808 537696 | helen@kingrecruit.com