The COVID-19 pandemic, along with the current state of both the political landscape and the reckoning of systemic racism in the US are very real indicators that 2021 is likely going to continue to be turbulent, bringing a level of uncertainty and ongoing complexity to our lives and the future of work. 

There’s also the possibility that we won’t return to our previous version of “normal”. Yet, leaders will be required to make critical decisions and solve complex problems for your organizations and workforce without knowing the outcomes from these uncertainties. In many cases, you will make those decisions without historical data and context to inform them.

So, what leadership attributes are the most valuable now, that will have the greatest impact on your organization’s growth and success in the future? Here’s my list of the top 3 leadership skills that I believe will be particularly important.

Lateral thinking. How leaders solve big problems using reasoning that may not be immediately obvious and / or rely on traditional step-by-step logic is a form of lateral thinking. This term was first used in 1967 by Edward de Bono in his book The Use of Lateral Thinking. The focus for this skill is on creativity and how to connect seemingly disconnected dots to come up with new ways of doing things and solving problems.

To quote Steve Jobs … “Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.”

Transparency. If ever there was a time that employees value a transparent leader, it’s now. Leaders who are open and authentic inspire feelings of credibility, respect, and trust from your teams. And we know from many years of employee engagement survey data, employees want and expect their leaders to keep them informed on where the company is headed; basically being honest about the good and the bad. 

Social media and the digitization of communication has made transparent leadership much easier. The ability to record a short authentic video and post it for all employees to see has become much more powerful than a long email that not everyone will fully read or digest. Employee surveys also show a preference for being able to see someone’s expressions, thoughts, and emotions first-hand during communications, especially when you’re communicating complex or sensitive subjects. 

Being transparent when times are bad or uncertain, not just when they are good, can strengthen a leader’s position in the eyes of your employees and stakeholders.  

Intellectual Humility. In this time where there is much uncertainty, leaders need to be comfortable with the reality that you don’t (and really can’t) know everything. And, some of what you think you know is likely now wrong. Successful leaders are those who are open to learning from others’ experiences.

I’m reminded of a recent article that said “In order for us to acquire more intellectual humility, we all, even the smartest among us, need to better appreciate our cognitive blind spots.”

This doesn’t mean that leaders who have intellectual humility lack confidence. It may actually mean that you have a higher than average level of confidence. 

The bottom line? Effective leadership is still more art than science. And the skills that will make you an effective leader today aren’t guaranteed to be the same ones you’ll need tomorrow. Let’s start being ok stepping out of our comfort zones, continuously developing and learning these new skills