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Release Date: January 18, 2022
Leadership is hard. How can you balance compassion for your people with effectiveness in getting the job done?
A global pandemic, economic volatility, natural disaster, civil and political unrest. From New York to Barcelona to Hong Kong, it can feel as if the world as we know it is coming apart. Through it all, our spirit is being tested. Now more than ever, it's imperative for leaders to demonstrate compassion.
Nhlamu Dlomu
Global Head of People
KPMG
Laurie Rebholz
Managing Director of Global Leadership Solutions
Citi
Rasmus Hougaard
CEO and Founder
Potential Project
Rob Stembridge
Global Head of Solutions
Potential Project
Release Date: January 18, 2022
Leadership is hard. How can you balance compassion for your people with effectiveness in getting the job done?
A global pandemic, economic volatility, natural disaster, civil and political unrest. From New York to Barcelona to Hong Kong, it can feel as if the world as we know it is coming apart. Through it all, our spirit is being tested. Now more than ever, it's imperative for leaders to demonstrate compassion.
As leaders, we often find ourselves donning certain identities – the tough leader, the caring leader, the visionary. They provide us with a sense of purpose and fortitude, but can they also limit us?
Leadership is complex and requires embracing multiple, often conflicting, needs and perspectives. The both/and approach – such as doing hard things in human ways – opens up new pathways and fosters growth for the leader themselves, their teams, and the entire organization.
Dive into our article “You Are Not Locked Into Being One Kind of Leader” to explore the both/and of leadership.
Visionary leaders can inspire but can also drive team exhaustion. Pragmatic leaders can relate to their teams but struggle to instil commitment to the organization.
Across all of our metrics, Purpose-Driven Leaders drive better outcomes for their followers and themselves.
What is their secret? They embrace a both/and approach that balances vision with pragmatism.
Interested in more? Click the button below to see our recent research report, The Human Leader, all about purpose in leadership.
As a leader, how do you care for your people but still do the hard things that leadership demands? Many think this is a binary choice, but making tough decisions and being human are not mutually exclusive.
In truth, they are aligned: doing hard things is often the most human thing to do. The ability to combine these two seeming opposites comes down to one thing: Wise Compassion.
In this edition, our special guests shed light on their roles in guiding their organizations through profound transformations and a shift towards a more human-centred culture. They offered insights into the specific implications of these changes for the leaders within KPMG and Citi.
- Nhlamu and Laurie explored what is needed for future leaders in a constantly evolving world of work. KPMG has focused on identifying opportunities to support leaders with the right skills, aligned with changing leadership expectations. They have promoted a two-way communication approach between leaders and their people to build trust and business growth more sustainably. For Citi, the last few years have been challenging with transformations that have impacted how they operate and lead. Laurie expressed the challenge they face in moving from a history of complexity to driving simplicity. Also, the importance and challenge for leaders to build trust and psychological safety to thrive in ambiguity.
- Rasmus shared his point of view on AI and leadership. Leaders must recognize when to leverage AI for tasks related to data processing, rational and logical thinking. It's evident that AI is the go-to tool in these areas. But when it involves anything human, leaders should rely on their human qualities and make a concerted effort to enhance and develop them.
- Laurie, Nhlamu and Rasmus discussed the concept of Both/And in Leadership. Laurie emphasized that compassion goes beyond soft leadership. It involves facilitating difficult conversations in a direct, contextual, and clear manner, ultimately leading to improved performance and the ability to do harder things. Nhlamu stressed that adopting a Both/And mindset provides the necessary perspective to address challenging questions and helps us all to get unstuck. Curiosity and adaptability were named as the key competencies needed for the leaders of the future.
Watch a full replay of Leadership Reimagined.
Artificial intelligence (AI) will soon surpass human ability in many areas of leadership. Our research indicates that employees already have more confidence in AI than in their human bosses in certain areas of leadership, like strategy and performance management.
For all its promise though, AI has its limitations, particularly in the more human, emotional parts of work that require care, transparency, and courageous conversations. Despite the complexity and messiness of human interactions, employees still value them.
The best leaders of today—and tomorrow—find a balance in their practice that embraces AI and its many strengths while also doubling down on their very human qualities as leaders.
In this edition, our special guests shed light on their roles in guiding their organizations through profound transformations and a shift towards a more human-centred culture. They offered insights into the specific implications of these changes for the leaders within KPMG and Citi.
• Nhlamu and Laurie explored what is needed for future leaders in a constantly evolving world of work. KPMG has focused on identifying opportunities to support leaders with the right skills, aligned with changing leadership expectations. They have promoted a two-way communication approach between leaders and their people to build trust and business growth more sustainably. For Citi, the last few years have been challenging with transformations that have impacted how they operate and lead. Laurie expressed the challenge they face in moving from a history of complexity to driving simplicity. Also, the importance and challenge for leaders to build trust and psychological safety to thrive in ambiguity.
• Rasmus shared his point of view on AI and leadership. Leaders must recognize when to leverage AI for tasks related to data processing, rational and logical thinking. It's evident that AI is the go-to tool in these areas. But when it involves anything human, leaders should rely on their human qualities and make a concerted effort to enhance and develop them.
• Laurie, Nhlamu and Rasmus discussed the concept of Both/And in Leadership. Laurie emphasized that compassion goes beyond soft leadership. It involves facilitating difficult conversations in a direct, contextual, and clear manner, ultimately leading to improved performance and the ability to do harder things. Nhlamu stressed that adopting a Both/And mindset provides the necessary perspective to address challenging questions and helps us all to get unstuck. Curiosity and adaptability were named as the key competencies needed for the leaders of the future.
Watch a full replay of Leadership Reimagined.
