“I think we still need great leaders with vision, the ability to find and coach people, to encourage people, to help them renew themselves, to go forward……the future still depends on great leaders who reinvent themselves”. ~ Beth Comstock, Vice Chairman of GE and Head of GE’s Business Innovations
Let’s face it. Change is here. It’s disruptive and there’s a gale-force of it still to come! We are living in a world facing exponential change. There’s no turning back or trying to ignore it. As technology advances, markets are becoming more competitive and whole industries face waves of disruption. Customers are demanding more: cheaper, better and quicker solutions. What it calls for is adaptation and evolution through innovation. And, it starts with you and your people.
Adaptability
“Your people want to be innovative and adaptable: they are looking for new skills and employers have the opportunity to channel that enthusiasm into a win-win.” ~ The Hudson Report, Australia, H2 2016
There has never been a better time to pause and reassess; to reconnect with who we really are. It’s time for mindset shifts and to embrace our human-ness and to understand what we’re capable of outside of past roles, responsibilities, skills and experiences. This is the time to explore our potential for stretch and growth. To discover the unrealised skills, qualities, strengths and talents that can be tapped into in order to allow for the adaptability and reinvention required for meeting the workplace needs of tomorrow.
Employee Career Development and Upskilling
According to the Hudson Report career development, skills development is a top priority for employees today. Developing their skills is extremely important to them if they are to remain engaged and competitive in a changing market. Yet, employers lack a game-plan for building future skills. One in two employees don’t feel supported by their manager to improve their skills. They are prepared to take their career development into their own hands outside of the organisational plan. This may move them away from the organisation’s interests and goals, signalling they are ready to move.
What you can do as leader is to open up communication. Find out what your employees want, get clear on the current and future skills needs in your field and find ways to merge the two. Develop a learning and development plan which will engage and retain the talent within and ensure a better-skilled, future-ready workforce.
Innovation Culture
Innovation is not just about developing radical new technology, services or products.
“Every employee can probably tell you at least one thing they would do differently. It’s up to leaders to ask the question.” ~ The Hudson Report, Australia, H2 2016
Innovation is not limited to the organisations with large research and development budgets. While invention does get all the attention, there is also a lot of hidden potential to tap into employee insights and feedback to improve or change processes. There are opportunities to improve communication, teamwork and collaboration by fully utilising the diverse skills, untapped strengths and potential of existing employees.
It can be a matter of bringing new life and energy into the people and organisational mindset. Renewing and making the organisation more engaging, effective and productive through re-engineering and transformation. It is an opportunity to channel employee enthusiasm, to harness employee interests and to allow them to do more of what they do best. Merge these with organisational goals and needs to create that win-win.
According to The Hudson Report, there is room for improvement on the innovation culture in Australia.
- While 86% of employers say their organisation has a culture that drives rewards and innovation
- Yet, only 22% of employees say their organisation encourages innovation to a strong extent in the workplace
To embed innovation and adaptability into the organisation, business leaders will need to focus on change and culture management, upskilling and building in systems and processes to support initiatives in these areas. They need to allow time and a safe environment for employees to experiment and to fail, to learn from mistakes and move forward quickly. Leaders need to be prepared to communicate that everyone can contribute to innovation and then to listen, implement and reward the best ideas.
In conclusion
It is time to start planning and making changes now in preparation for future-readiness. If we are to stay competitive and relevant, we must adapt and reinvent ourselves and our organisations and to ensure our staff can do so as well.
It starts with a change in mindset. So take the time to pause and re-assess. Get focused on what’s changing, develop a plan to engage, grow and future-ready your workforce. Be ready to adapt and be prepared to reinvent.
For more on this, visit my website blog or contact me to organise a personal impact strategy discussion.
