As we look forward to 2021, what have we learned about leadership in the last 12 months?

In our recent 2020 leadership study, we tested a number of our working assumptions on what effective leadership looks like and here are the preliminary results.

THE GOOD NEWS

The fundamentals of effective leadership are consistent. Leaders who were rated as highly effective before COVID maintained their effectiveness with a combination of fundamental leadership behaviours.

We were able to isolate the specific leadership behaviours and actions that significantly increase staff resilience and engagement.

Four clear categories of effective leadership emerged:

The first three were expected. The strength of an innovation agenda was a welcome surprise.

Now is the time to do more than survive. Now is the time to innovate, adapt business models, and find new ways to engage with customers and the market.

THE CHALLENGE

While there was an early pandemic spike in leadership support, this has faded.

Overall leadership effectiveness has declined and the number of staff receiving ineffective or no support is increasing.

Back to the good news. This research identifies what leaders across the spectrum can do to boost their effectiveness and drive staff resilience and engagement. While some behaviours are more developable than others, all are coachable and achievable.

FINDINGS & INSIGHTS

Click below to review our findings on leadership and staff wellness.