We Grow Leaders of the Future
As our children move through our hands and those of the education system, we are all preparing them for leadership in the years to come. Peculiar to this generation, is that they will be leading during a period of planetary crisis, which means that whether they become global or corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, heads of families or community organisations, they will all lead in some form or another. Everyone is going to have to play their part to ensure the survival of life as we know it.
Interesting to note is that senior corporate leaders and CEOs in multinational companies are already indicating that there is a shift in the most important skills needed to be an effective global leader of the future. Just five years ago these skills were things like vision, strategic thinking, decisiveness, execution, drive, and accountability for results – a lot of focus on numbers and profitability. Now the following are replacing them as more essential:
• Ethics
• Honesty
• Transparency
• Integrity
• Humility
• Respect
• Flexibility
• Collaboration
International leadership consultant, John Spence says, “I find this to be a fascinating list…… it is obvious that the pendulum has swung from a focus almost purely on maximising ROI (return on investment) to highly ethical behavior that still delivers the numbers……..If the events of the past year drive a resurgence of the importance of ethics, integrity, honesty and respect in global leaders then perhaps there has been a silver lining to this economic storm. The question I ponder though is how do we keep these things at the forefront? How do we train the next generation of global leaders to focus on corporate values as strongly as they do profit margins?”
I guess the answer to this question is found at home and school. It starts where a child’s values and worldview are created – with us, in the early years. A child who is exposed consistently to dishonesty, disrespect, lack of loyalty and a win at all costs attitude, will find it difficult to acquire the necessary leadership skills mentioned above. Our contribution to saving the planet starts with future-proofing our children. Their future is in our hands just as ours will one day be in theirs.
NIKKI BUSH
Creative parenting expert, inspirational speaker and co-author of Future-proof Your Child (Penguin, 2008), and Easy Answers to Awkward Questions (Metz Press, 2009)
nikki@brightideasoutfit.co.za
www.brightideasoutfit.com
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