We hear about “New Normal” a lot these days. COVID 19 has disrupted our lives and this has spawned a whole new set of studies and theories about what the future could hold for our lives. We cannot escape this even if we want to. As a student of Leadership, my question always is “How does Leadership matter” in this scenario? How does Leadership matter in the New Normal? John Maxwell gives a crisp but definitive answer to that question. “Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership,” he says, and I agree.
So what type of leadership will the New Normal require? I am amazed by the response I get when I ask participants in the workshops to put down the first images that come to their minds when they hear the word Leadership. The responses show an innate deep desire in all human beings to see leadership as something good, leaders as people who do glorious things for their followers. This desire has only got stressed by the COVID19 Pandemic that we are going through. My studies show that there are four specific qualities that people will look for in Leadership in the New Normal.
- The New Normal will transform the way Leadership uses “Power”: We cannot separate Leadership from Power. It is not, and it never was, the absence of power that distinguished admired leaders from dreaded leaders. It is how the leaders used the powers they had. The old normal of Power Elite, where power was concentrated on a few selected people like Capitalists, or Politicians or Military Leaders will not exist anymore in the New normal. The New Normal will shun the “Power over” syndrome to adapt to the “Power with” syndrome. The new Normal will promote Socialised Power as against Individualized power. Corporate honchos who use power only for profits cannot get many followers in the New Normal. Goodness will prevail over greed.
- The New Normal will demand excellence in Leadership beyond the achievement of objectives: COVID has made several people realise that there is a higher purpose to life and work. Hence the Old normal of a Leader seen as someone driving the team towards a common aim will not suffice anymore. Followers will start looking for higher purposes in leadership. This will require inculcating several aspects of Spirituality into Leadership. They will demand altruism of leaders. It is not just about what goals we achieved; it is about how much help we provided to the needy, will become a key metric of leadership. Ethics will find its place at the heart of leadership in the New Normal. People will start looking for leaders with top levels of integrity.
- The New Normal will enforce Values-Based Leadership: COVID has shown us the impact of our actions on others. We have seen several people suffering because of actions (or inactions) by one individual or a group of individuals. Hence people will look for significantly high value-systems in their leaders. It is not enough to be Charismatic or have magnificent vision. What values the leader holds and lives by will become very important.
- The New Normal will disrupt the chasing of Success and replace it with pursuit of Significance: Successful people were adored and held in high esteem in the old normal. However, the New Normal is revealing the fact that “success” does not always include others. Successful people do not necessarily add value to So the new question that is being asked is not how much value you added to oneself, but how you have used those to add value to others. I have said this before in my earlier blog (Four Personal Habits for laying the foundations of Significant Living in a Post COVID world), Success brings in happiness, which is temporary, which is fleeting. Significance brings in Fulfilment which is lasting, even for a lifetime.
So, the world is looking for a new Leadership Paradigm for the New Normal. Is there a Leadership Philosophy that meets all these four criteria? Fortunately for us, the answer is an affirmative “Yes”. Servant Leadership is the answer.
Only Servant Leadership can satisfy the innate desire of every human being that Leadership must be for the good of others.
Come Embrace this Leadership Philosophy. Come Join the Servant Leadership Movement.
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Dr. Madana Kumar, PhD, is the Co-founder and Chief Consultant at Leadyne Organisation Builders. Contact him here.
[…] Corporate culture has eulogized success disproportionately in the past, to the extent of downplaying collaborative work culture. Individual successes have been rewarded bountifully and this resulted in unhealthy competition within organisation itself. Employees of the future are not impressed by individual success of leaders. They are asking the question, what difference did that make to others? What difference did the success of a leader make to me? What difference did it make to the world? What difference will it make to the next generation. This is what I call as the “Life of significance”, that I discussed in my other blogs https://leadyne.com/4-personal-habits-2 and https://leadyne.com/four-reasons-why-servant-leadership-is-the-most-suited-leadership-philosophy-for… […]
[…] Corporate culture has eulogized success disproportionately in the past, to the extent of downplaying collaborative work culture. Individual successes have been rewarded bountifully and this resulted in unhealthy competition within organisation itself. Employees of the future are not impressed by individual success of leaders. They are asking the question, what difference did that make to others? What difference did the success of a leader make to me? What difference did it make to the world? What difference will it make to the next generation. This is what I call as the “Life of significance”, that I discussed in my other blogs https://leadyne.com/4-personal-habits-2 and https://leadyne.com/four-reasons-why-servant-leadership-is-the-most-suited-leadership-philosophy-for… […]
[…] chasing success and start pursuing Significance. I have written about this in an earlier blog . Significance is when we use our success to add value to others. When we use our wisdom to lift up […]
Dr. Madana Kumar, thank you. This provides an excellent, deeper insight for me regarding the idea of Servant Leadership.What really got me was this line at the end: “Only Servant Leadership can satisfy the innate desire of every human being that Leadership must be for the good of others.”
The time is now to focus on significance rather than success. I love it. Thank you, Sir!
Thanks Luis.
Thank you, Dr Madanakumar sir, for your insightful article at the right-turning curve of human life.
Someone achieves/reaching the high state of ‘Life of significance’ (As you mentioned) is by practising the total life(Exploring life in every minute with selflessness) and transforming lives in a high sense of ‘Blissfulness’.
Probably, Servant leadership might have that power to transform the leaders to achieve the Blissfulness.
Indeed you are an excellent facilitator in this field of Servant Leadership.
All the best
Thank you Ashok.
I Personally believe that this Covid 19 made us Pause, and rethink, re-prioritize, Change in action plan. Right article in the right time. Dr. Madana Kumar is excellent in teaching the servant leadership. this article is an example. It helps to focus on the Integrity in Leadership than the achievement of objectives, Value based Leadership (Servant Leadership). and definitely disrupt the chasing of success and replace it with pursuit of Significance. Thank you Dr. Madana Kumar For an excellent article. I am thinking of posting it in my linked-in and Facebook page. 🙂
Thank you Joshua. Your point about “integrity in leadership as against achievement of objectives” is an interesting one.
Dear Sir….I went through your 4 points of New servant leadership. These are the four areas I am excite and interested. Thank you.
Thank you Khaling
Sir,
The article is relevant in these times. Tribulation actually tests the will of the people. It actually very easy to feel irrelevant and lost. It is key to evolve, servant leadership will surely assist us with this.
The entire article summarizes the situation and is relatable. Specifically like the Grid it summarizes a lot. this was a great read. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Paul. Yes. It is so very important for us not to “feel irrelevant and lost”.
Dear Sir,
I enjoy to read your articles. I think where we are doing service even in remote area,no popularity, no media, but connecting with people with significant service that is the success of servant leadership.more than talking ,thinking, reading, writing, and discussing ,significant service is needed today. Thank you dear Sir.
Thanks Jeya. I loved your emphasis on “connecting with people”. So very important.
Like Akshay, I liked the quadrant, it summarizes in one chart how to lead our life. No doubt COVID will change our lives forever at least for this and next generation for sure. New leadership needs to emerge and your arguments are valid. I hate the misery COVID is causing humanity, on the flip side I like the breaks it applied to the fast pace of our lives and brought some sanity so we can reflect on where we are heading. This article is one such attempt.
Thanks Patel. Absolutely. There are two sides to the pandemic. Brining sanity amidst our fast-paced life is certainly one of them. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Thanks!! yes life of significance is crucial.
Thank you Binoy
The quadrant is a great summary, I like the difference of power over vs power with too..
Thanks Akshay
Thank you for great course. Very Good comparison of two type of leader’s
All topics are very interesting.
How to over come current situation learned lot.
Thanks Edward