The Modern Leadership Issue - 4

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the layers of
modern
eadership. Most of us have an idea of what distinguishes " good " leadership
from " bad " -within a team, within an organization. Across our careers, we've
experienced working with individuals we would call great leaders, and likely an
experience or two working with someone who wasn't effective in leading. And there's
no shortage of theories of " good " leadership or effective leadership models. So why is
it so challenging to practice good leadership in today's world of work?
Because leadership is layered and complex. Current shifts in how organizations
function1
, such as adopting hybrid working dynamics or distributing authority outward in
organizations, add to the complexity of clearly articulating effective modern leadership
practices. Increasing demands for trusting relationships, safety, and well-being at work
set new expectations of leadership as well.
A model we use at TiER1 depicts the complexities of leadership across four distinct
layers, all of which are interdependent and occur simultaneously. In this article, we will
explore the layers of modern leadership through reflection and shared insights from
leaders on what they believe " good " leadership looks like at that level. Throughout the
balance of this issue of Performance Matters, we will investigate in more detail several
of the variables at play within each level of modern leadership.
leading self
At its core, leadership starts with leading self. There's a
significant amount of self-awareness, self-monitoring, and
self-regulation that goes into effective leadership-as supported
by research and literature2
on emotional intelligence and the
critical role it plays in success in life. How we lead ourselves is
the foundation of our leadership, no matter our level, making
regular assessment and introspection two key practices of
modern leaders. (Go to page 22 to learn about one leader's
journey to become a better leader through leading self.)
Good leaders realize that they are always
learning and growing. They practice regular reflection, ask for
feedback, and openly share what they are learning with their
teams. As the world of work continues to change, leaders must
be prepared to lead in completely unknown and unfamiliar
situations. This requires the ability to determine what is
needed, but also the need to be humble and realize
that they may not always know what to do.
- Kelly Woltornist, Head of Global Learning, Takeda
1 Global Human Capital Trends, Deloitte, 2023
2 Such as Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry
Self-leadership is the cornerstone of effective leadership in
any context. It equips individuals with the skills, mindsets, and
behaviors necessary to not only lead themselves
successfully but also to influence and lead others toward
shared goals and aspirations. (To learn more about
leading others through leading self, go to page 10.)
As we think about leading self, questions we often
explore include:
* How am I showing up to others? What's
working, and what might I need to adjust?
* What am I naturally good at? How am I using
that to benefit myself and those around me?
* What is something I would like to get better at?
How can I improve in that area?
For more reflection questions to guide your selfleadership
learning journey, go to page 12.
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https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/human-capital-trends.html https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2014/01/09/emotional-intelligence/?sh=5b9dfc221ac0

The Modern Leadership Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Modern Leadership Issue