Whats Next for Senior Leaders?

-By Roland B. Smith and Michael Campbell

C-Suite Challenges

The future will be loaded with opportunities. Leaders must have the skills to take advantage of those opportunities, as well as the agility to sidestep the dangers.
-Bob Johansen, Leaders Make the Future (2009)

REASONS TO STUDY CHALLENGES

What capabilities will organizations need to be successful over the decade? What strategies the leaders need to effectively navigate complex challenges?

How will those leaders be developed?

CONNECTION
Analysis of Desired Leadership Capabilities

Business Strategy

Analysis of Complex Challenges

Leadership Strategy

Leadership Development

Analysis of Desired Culture

METHOD
A sample of 158 C-Suite leaders from 135 organizations taken by CCL.

CCL is the Center for Creative Leadership conducted a five day program called LAP (Leadership At the Peak) and DSL (Developing the Strategic Leader.

SURVEY RESEARCH
An open ended survey designed to provide increased detail, and content analysis is applied to analyze the open ended responses. What are the three most critical leadership challenges you are currently facing?

CHALLENGES TYPES
Individual Impact & Personal Style
LEADING SELF

Balancing Multiple Work Priorities Work/Life Balance Role Change or transition Influencing and Persuading Others

More Personal Control & Influence

LEADING OTHERS

Developing Others Leading a Team/Group Leading Across Multiple Groups Strategic Issues

LEADING THE ORGANIZATION

Leading Change Culture Issues Talent Management Business Operations & Performance Organizational Growth & Expansion Less Personal Control & Influence

RANKING OF CHALLENGES
2006 N=108 Leading Across Multiple Groups Strategic Issues Talent Management Business Operations & Performance 2008 N=108

Frequency Rank 1. 2. 3. 4.

Leading Across Multiple Groups Strategic Issues Business Operations & Performance Talent Management

WHATS NEXT
Strategic Agility Leveraging Talent Orchestrators of Talent Application to Organization

STRATEGIC AGILITY
Few years back C-Suite leader would set vision and strategy and then start following it. But now one have to be alert every day, week and month to renew their strategy. Affectionate acts close, warm, and nurturing. Empowering motivates others and helps them to achieve. Ambitious Determined to make progress, likes to compete. Considerate thoughtful, willing to work with others.

LEVERAGING TALENT
Determine the role and responsibilities needed. Define the competencies needed for each role.

Support the next generation to build needed skills.

ORCHESTRATORS OF TALENT
To arrange or control the man power, as to achieve a desired target. Senior executives who have the ability and personal involvement to lead the organizations talent management work toward talent sustainability.

APPLICATION FOR RAC

Boundary Spanning- Cross-functional assignments that will help to facilitate learning boundaries. Talent Management- Team leaders should encourage subordinates and other leaders to give feedback, to ask what they are learning from a job or assignment , and to share their own lesson and managerial wisdom. Challenge Studies- Human capital executives have to conduct challenge studies for leaders at different levels to more clearly understand the past and be prepared for future. Suggestion to Refine- Suggestion would ultimately inform the behaviors required to refine and execute the business strategy now and in the future.

REFERENCE..

Smith, R.B., and Campbell, M. (2010). C-Suite Challenges and the Economic Meltdown: Whats Next for Senior Leaders? People and Strategy,33(4), 22-30.