People Management
Leadership
December 17, 2024
The challenges of leadership today
More than process managers, leaders will need to be people managers
McKinsey & Company, an American consulting firm, identified 200 CEOs considered successful and conducted in-depth interviews with 67 of them, seeking to answer some questions: how to be a great CEO of the 21st century and what do CEOs do? Why do they do it this way? And what matters most?
In parallel, at the last HR Summit, the largest human resources congress in Brazil, the greatest challenges in people management were listed, with highlights being the development of leaders (greatest concern), the strengthening of organizational culture, the retention of key talents, and the impact of artificial intelligence.
In this regard, and already focusing on the complex and dynamic challenges that leadership will need to deal with in the coming years, it is worth highlighting purpose-driven leadership, much debated by the author Simon Sinek. This type of leadership, in addition to inspiring the team to be better daily, manages to connect individual goals and needs with the organization’s strategic objectives, making people find their purpose within the company. To this end, leaders need to consistently demonstrate empathy, authenticity, and compassion, fostering an environment of transparent, collaborative, and innovative dialogue.
More than process managers, leaders will need to be people managers, with the mission of not only achieving organizational results but also leaving a lasting human and organizational legacy.
Complementing this issue, McKinsey & Company’s research identified six mindsets / behaviors that characterize great CEOs.
- They are bold: even in scenarios of uncertainty, where the tendency is to make the fewest possible errors, being bold involves seeking new opportunities, aiming to understand and meet current and future demands in a differentiated way. These leaders have a clear vision of the future and link this vision to the organizational strategy. The vision comes first and financial performance arises from this strong vision;
- They emphasize people and culture: it is useless to develop the best strategy if, at some point, employees will resist change. These leaders actively engage in issues such as strengthening organizational culture and people leadership, paying attention to each team member. The research showed that companies that focus on “people and culture” are more than twice as likely to execute a strategy successfully;
- Assemble high-performing teams: these leaders first identify which roles are most important to the business strategy and then seek professionals who can perform these roles. This forms teams with a diverse range of knowledge;
- They work in partnership: they act jointly with other leaders and the company’s board, strengthening a relationship of trust and collaboration. There is no longer room, especially on a company’s board, for leaders with aggressive, competitive, non-transparent, and non-compassionate behaviors;
- They have a clear understanding of the purpose (“soul” of an organization): this purpose must be powerful enough to inspire people and simple enough to be easily understood and make sense for the business. Leaders constantly ask themselves why their companies exist and transform purpose into an intrinsic part of the business model. Furthermore, leading with purpose contributes significantly to employee well-being, helping to build and strengthen loyalty;
- They are self-disciplined:[/0] in addition to excellent time management, they can manage themselves and deal quickly and assertively with any urgency that may arise, as well as find moments of relaxation. It is important to remember that being online 24 hours a day is totally counterproductive.
To exemplify self-discipline, I cite CEO Ladmir Carvalho, from Alterdata Software, the fifth largest software and technology company in Brazil. When asked how he manages a company with over 2,000 employees, 60,000 active clients, and still finds time to talk with his team, give lectures, and conduct training, he said: “I prioritize people. Business is efficiently delegated to those who are competent.”
Thus, the main challenges for leaders involve people: knowing how to manage, guide, train, monitor, and care for them. They are the ones responsible for organizational results. Genuine leadership is that which leaves a legacy wherever it goes; which transforms people who did not believe in themselves into empowered individuals; which fights daily for justice, ethics, integrity, and transparency, spreading empathy wherever it goes; which is remembered not for the fear it caused, but for the longing left behind when it departed.
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Who wrote this column
Denise de Moura
