Anatomy of a 21st-Century Leader

A soft economy, marked by weak sales, high unemployment and staff anxiety, has plagued businesses worldwide. Multiple industries have been made vulnerable, and many businesses have turned to new leaders in an effort to find solutions.

The shift in business is happening at a time when the pool of available leaders is dwindling. Not as many are taking advantage of retirement thanks to the economy, but quite a few older workers have left the workforce. These baby boomers hold large chunks of institutional knowledge for their organizations, and the bench of ready successors is lean.

At the same time, the global economic downturn has forced many companies to do more with less. As attrition continues, few if any successors are being hired, leaving existing staff to do work above and below them. Simultaneously, managers are challenged to cut costs while growing revenue, often working with fewer resources and higher demands. This has left many middle managers overburdened and unmotivated, which can negatively affect internal lines of succession and threaten leadership continuity.

The uncertainty affecting organizations on multiple fronts has pushed employees lacking formal authority to step up and lead many business segments in new ways. A void created either by superiors who are overburdened or by positions that have not been filled has offered these regular employees — many with high potential and great ambition — opportunities to provide leadership, even though it has not been part of their direct responsibilities.

This type of unofficial leadership can take many forms, including the front-line worker who is now designated as a team lead while a management position is waiting to be filled, or a project manager who is expected to develop and improve his or her team members even though he or she is not responsible for their formal professional development. Further, in today’s environment, many companies face extraordinary problems that are creating demand for people who demonstrate more than purely business skills.

All of these factors coalesce into six general leadership zones, or areas of strength. Each contains a number of specific practices that exemplify a new leadership model needed to succeed now and in the future, according to AchieveGlobal research released in February 2010. The study sought to define the qualities and behaviors of an effective and successful 21st-century leader. The research began by identifying leadership trends documented in peer-reviewed academic and industry journals over a two-year period.