The pandemic has forever changed the landscape of many industries. It has also created unique problems that pushed businesses to adapt and innovate. In a way, it has also ushered a new era – one that’s more tech-centric and open to remote working arrangements. More importantly, it has highlighted the value of having a modern leader in the team.  

For a few months now, we have noticed that many companies today aim to hire “modern leaders”, especially for C-level positions. But what exactly makes a leader modern? How can they help companies prosper during these times?  

#1. Sensitive to Diversity and Inclusion

Previously, one of our colleagues here at Datasearch Consulting shared her thoughts about Gender Inclusivity in Hiring. It’s a timely piece, given that many employees call for more gender equality and diversity in workspaces. 

The discussion also serves as a gentle reminder for organization leaders to step up their game and reevaluate their diversity and inclusion initiatives. 

From a leadership standpoint, being sensitive to diversity and inclusion within a team or the entire organization can help modernize businesses and find more growth opportunities. It also helps improve collaborative efforts, especially in companies that use hybrid working arrangements.

Gender-inclusive leaders also excel in facilitating difficult conversations and managing relationships crucial to generating business and launching projects.    

#2. Mental Health Sensitive

Mental health problems in workplaces can significantly impact the entire team. It can lead to absenteeism and decreased productivity. Moreover, it can strain the relationship between the staff, partners, and company stakeholders. 

Fortunately, nowadays, organizations worldwide have started to pay more attention to their employees’ mental health concerns. In the Asia Pacific, employee wellbeing has become one of the key focus areas of many companies. In fact, 49 percent of companies in the region have adjusted their workplace policies to bolster employees’ physical and emotional health. 

However, it’s no secret that organizations in the region have a long way to go to address mental health problems in workplaces. This is primarily because while initiatives are in place, only a tiny fraction of companies integrate their plans into their actual processes. 

Naturally, a leader that prioritizes mental health concerns, creates sound strategies, and implements the needed changes can help turn the situation around. Organization leaders today need to be sensitive and perceptive to the mental health problems affecting the employees. This way, they can make necessary adjustments to workload, salary and compensation, and other factors. 

#3. Collaborative

Needless to say, collaboration sits at the heart of every operation. By having a team of skilled individuals who work together towards a common cause, companies have a better shot at weathering the storm the pandemic has caused. 

The question is, does the traditional approach in managing teams and facilitating collaborative effort still work? Many argue that it’s no longer relevant in today’s market. 

In the old-school setup, leaders need to provide a directive to their team. The authoritative figure also starts the planning process and simply asks for the input of the rest of the members. The plan then gets adjusted based on the collective effort of the participants.

True collaboration, on the one hand, involves everyone from start to finish. Everyone works together, guided by a structured process. Because of this, leaders need to implement techniques like team-building efforts and shared accountability. This way, they can fully harness the power and skills of the group. 

#4. People-Centric

These challenging times also call for people-centric leadership. And contrary to what most people think, people-centric leadership isn’t about being too soft on the team. Instead, it focuses on being mindful of how one’s actions or behavior can affect the members. Do you encourage people to voice out their concerns or share their thoughts? Do you provide them with your undivided attention during meetings?

With a people-centric leadership approach, employees can quickly find solutions to everyday work challenges. It also gives the team a qualitative sense of purpose, encouraging them to do better in every single project. More importantly, it helps communicate the organization’s vision and goals so the staff can set their priorities. 

Datasearch Consulting can Help you Find Modern Leaders 

Indeed, the post-pandemic era calls for modern leaders to step up and guide their respective companies to a new and uncharted territory. As a result, we can expect to see more companies explicitly looking for “modern” leaders to fill their available vacancies.  

At Datasearch Consulting, you can count on us to be your partner in finding C-level candidates that fit the criteria you provide and have the traits we have enumerated above. Please feel free to contact me at dan@datasearchconsulting.com or head to our Contact Us page for your queries.