crucial conversations

The ability to engage in crucial conversations, absent from the pervasive authoritarian leadership style of the past, is now recognized as an essential leadership skill. Because emotionally charged conversations can get messy, some leaders still prefer to avoid them, which creates a gap in leadership and can significantly impact employee morale, retention, and the company’s bottom line.

Jody Michael, Jody Michael Associates 

"13 Leadership Skills You Didn't Need A Decade Ago That Are Now Essential." Forbes. December 13, 2016

authenticity

Leaders used to be able to keep a distance from the masses. Today, confidence and belief in leadership is directly correlated to engagement, productivity and retention. Authenticity is about connecting to all levels of your team, personally and professionally. Access to leadership has been a trend in organizations. Leaders now need to let people see the person behind the curtain, not just the position.

Michelle Tillis Lederman, Executive Essentials 

"13 Leadership Skills You Didn't Need A Decade Ago That Are Now Essential." Forbes. December 13, 2016

navigation of ambiguity

Rapidly increasing rates of change and growing complexity has made navigating ambiguity essential in leadership. We've begun to see disruptive change in all directions, and leaders must be agile to navigate the ambiguity and stay competitive. Leaders who can remain calm and relaxed and continue to inspire their teams in the face of increasing complexity give their companies a tremendous advantage.

Rey Castellanos, Feed Your Wolf

"13 Leadership Skills You Didn't Need A Decade Ago That Are Now Essential." Forbes. December 13, 2016

resiliency

Over the past decade, the pace of change and the growing complexity of the business environment has increased dramatically. Leaders often find themselves overworked and overwhelmed in response to these challenges. Building up their resilience is an essential skill set. Resilient leaders are able to manage personal and organizational anxiety effectively and exude calm and confidence.

Irvine Nugent, Sonos Leadership
"13 Leadership Skills You Didn't Need A Decade Ago That Are Now Essential." Forbes. December 13, 2016

the frogs and the jackdaws

Thank goodness we don't understand the language of ravens, jackdaws, crickets, frogs, and pigs. Otherwise we'd probably worry about what they think too. Yet how many people seem more brainless than the frogs and the jackdaws? Does that make any difference to us? No. We let what they say upset us and render our lives utterly miserable.

Dio Chrysostom (ca. 40–ca. 120) 

His Meditations, ~200 BC