This month’s Hot Topic will explore the principles of responsible leadership and consider the ways in which this leadership style can be incorporated in our daily practices to enable our organisations and teams to flourish in the face of change.
The Response-Able Leader
Responsible leadership is about so much more than simply acting in accordance with professional rules and regulations. According to recent research, a truly responsible leader needs to be response-able: able to find effective resolutions from a distance, managing virtual teams and proactively responding to the challenges of an ever-changing (and often precarious) working environment.
To successfully meet these challenges, we as leaders and managers must work toward further expanding our repertoire of professional responsibilities, and in so doing adopt roles such as:
• The Moral Compass: Demonstrate high external ethical and moral standards to guide decision making. This extends to considerations regarding an organisation’s corporate social responsibilities, which in the current climate may involve considering emergent global social and environmental challenges.
• The Collaborator: Encourage greater opportunities for teamwork, “out of the box” thinking (particularly in regard to ideas surrounding new and innovative ways of working), and reward systems.
• The Servant: Create a culture of empowerment and sustainability by putting the interests of employees above your own. In the current climate, our employees require a sense of reassurance and continued support.
• The Judge: Remain objective and show you can be progressive by taking the evidence of others into consideration before making decisions. This can be particularly difficult at times when your own beliefs or convictions are challenged.
The Respons-E-ble Leader
While it is important to promote a culture of responsibility, trust, and transparency in any office environment, specific challenges apply in a virtual world. To be attuned to the needs of their people, leaders must fully embrace the challenges of the new virtual working world and, in so doing, become digital pioneers who seek to promote positive and sustainable change at both a micro and macro level.
Embrace digital tools: Responsible leaders must stay abreast of current trends and embrace new digital tools which are continually being developed in order to help in the planning and monitoring of internal organisational processes. Such processes will enhance transparency surrounding KPIs and help promote a culture accountability across all levels of management.
Demonstrate E-ethics: In advancement of the previous point, responsible leaders must remember their duty of care to both employees and customers and continually monitor the extent to which “e-surveillance” is employed. If digital monitoring practices could be considered overly intrusive, responsible leaders must not be afraid to take appropriate action.
Keep order: The emergence of digital technologies and significant organisational change can shake traditional hierarchies. Whilst responsible leaders want to promote a culture of autonomy and collaboration, they do not want to risk creating one which is horizontal and leaderless. As such, it is vital to identify objectives, orientate followers, and provide a clear identity based on a shared vision.
Commun-E-cate: The move to an all-digital workplace may be a struggle for many employees, therefore leaders must seek to become proficient e-communicators. This requires learning how to communicate in a manner that is clearly organised, error free and non-excessive. Additionally, leadership must promote the right tools which enable greater synchronicity, speed of feedback and ease of understanding.
Know your virtual players: Virtual teams are likely to consist of individuals from different educational, functional, geographical, and cultural backgrounds. Whilst this diversity may be an avenue toward greater digital innovation, it may also be a catalyst for communication breakdown. Take time to understand the personal and digital needs of employees and develop a cross-cultural identity in virtual teams.
Action Point
Consider if your employees and colleagues see you as a responsible leader in these times. In what ways can enhance your own Respons-E-ble leadership capabilities?