Leaders are producing unprecedented results by dismantling old leadership models and inventing new rules – restructuring teams being at the fore front of the agenda. In this article, we will summarise how the best organisations are navigating constant disruption by adopting agile leadership, understanding the value of ‘soft’ skills and disrupting ‘silo mentality’. Emerge as leaders of change rather than victims of it.
Become an expert in transformation, redefine the rules, & learn how to:
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- Dismantle silos
- Adopt agile leadership
- Reset expectations through redefining the value of ‘soft’ skills
What is silo mentality?
A silo mentality refers to the reluctance to share information or knowledge among employees or across various departments in a company. This mindset often originates from competition among senior managers but can also be a result of system limitations.
Silos effectively store and seal information away from other departments. Companies which thrive promote collaboration and an open exchange of information.
The competitive nature of silos arise from a battle for attention between management departments for a share of the budget or where some assigned duties overlap.
What do silos impact?
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- Workflow
- Morale
- Creativity & Innovation
- Communication
Let’s flip it, focus on this instead:
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- Transparent cultures
- Finding a common language
- Shared goal & vision
- Integrate data across all systems
- Provide ways to collaborate
On a wider scale, silos can occur purely from tunnel vision, where teams are unable to step back and look at the bigger picture. Instead they remain stagnant in their daily chores, completely unaware of the value they hold in terms of information to others around them.
Regardless, silo mentality starts and ends with senior management, as they must allow it for it to happen.
Agile Leadership
It’s time to break down walls, share secrets, and reset expectations. On a wider cultural level, people aren’t settling for less anymore. Attention spans are getting much shorter whilst expectations are increasing. Sounds like a nightmare, doesn’t it? Well, the problem is that today’s corporate environments is awash with options.
What companies can do (which is easily over looked) is get the basics right. Getting the basics right: organisational behaviours, goals, values, and attitudes is the foundation and key to productive output and longevity.
Everything else might be changing, but luckily for you, you’ve got the fundamental human needs of your team set and these rarely change…
Agile management allows you to respond quickly to market changes and consumer behaviour or industry demands in a productive and cost-effective way. It also increases the levels of trust within your organisation, leading to more effective collaboration and often increased retention.
Here’s what agile management may look like for you:
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- Prioritising collaboration and information sharing
- A transparent organisational culture
- Flexibility & adaptability from how deadlines are met down to the work-life balance of individuals within your teams.
- Continuous learning and personalised development programmes
- Empowerment and accountability
- A customer-centric approach
Agile leadership is demonstrated rather than enforced, and aims to quash organisational problems through mindsets, behaviours, & attitudes (which are usually the root cause of the problems in the first place).
How to adopt a more agile leadership approach:
This may initially require outsourced and specialised training. It can be incredibly difficult to know where to start when changing mindsets, in addition, it doesn’t happen overnight either.
Consider training exercises like development programmes or residencies. We believe that change can make a big difference and this often starts with taking teams out of the office and into a new environment. This approach may sound like an intervention, and in a way it is. We have witnessed the best results when teams are stripped back from environmental influences: hierarchies flatten out, miscommunications are brought to light, and new, vital connections are made.
In the meantime, investigate companies like Google, Netflix, Microsoft, & The Huffington Post etc. who’ve have massively reaped the rewards of this leadership model.
Reseting Expectations: What are ‘Soft’ Skills?
Continuous disruption has quashed traditional business models and accelerated the need for rapid adaptation. The future is being shaped by unexplored technology, digital transformation and increasing distrust in others.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. In a world that is increasingly reliant on technology, a more ‘human’ skillset is becoming rather lucrative.
What I am talking about is ‘soft’ skills. There are many behaviours worth mentioning that come under this umbrella term, but for now, we will summarise with 7 of its most critical ones:
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- Teamwork
- Problem solving
- Communication
- Adaptability
- Critical Thinking
- Time Management
- Interpersonal
If you ask Google to define ‘soft skills’, it will shoot out this meagre answer:
Soft skills are those skills that come naturally and uniquely to everyone. These include leadership, effective communication, teamwork, time management, motivation and adaptability.
This definition, DCo believes is under-developed and doesn’t quite capture the scope of what soft skills are and offer.
This is how we would redefine these misconceptions:
No. 1) Soft skills are natural traits
In fact they do not come naturally to everyone, and increasingly so in our ever-insular world. Like any other skill, ‘soft’ skills need to be practised and developed.
No. 2) Soft skills are personality traits
Again, they are not, individuals may have personality traits that make presenting some of these behaviours easier than others, however, no one is born with perfectly developed ‘soft’ skills. Like anything else, they must be learnt and honed, and balanced.
No. 3) Soft skills, and it’s name
‘Soft’ as a descriptor perhaps doesn’t put much confidence in the power that these skills actually present to organisations. In addition, some ‘soft skills’ like transparent communication or leadership can at first come as a shock to people, like an ice cold bucket of water to the face. This is because ‘soft’ skills often confront limited mindsets which initially causes friction. For example, as un-spoken rules or ‘truths’ come to light and are challenged.
Indeed, it’s not always a comfortable transition. But that’s what corporate training specialists are for. An ‘outsider’ perspective can offer the impact, time and attention to the specific developmental needs of individuals within the team that management may not be able to.
In conclusion
We hope that we’ve been able to help change or enhance your perspective on agile leadership, soft skills, and dismantling silos. If you require more information or advice, contact us directly or book a free training needs analysis.
