Leaders of The Future: Check Your MBA at The Door

 

By Molly Rudberg, MSC, ACC

Here we are in 2019, and we still haven’t figured out how to predict the future. Other than a universal fear that robots will most definitely take over the world (or, at the very least, our jobs) at some point, the only sure thing is that now, more than ever, what happens next in the business world matters less than who is there to help us tackle it.

That’s just one of the lessons I gleaned from a recent podcast featuring behavior science and business author Daniel Pink. He was talking to Oprah about his book A Whole New Mind, in which he argues that traditional, numbers-based leadership roles are starting to go the way of the dodo. Stats and figures specialists, MBAs, your typical number-crunchers — they’re fading into the background. These roles are absolutely necessary, of course, but they can be outsourced. Instead, the future of business leadership is rooted in something much more touchy-feely: creativity.

Imagination rising

If Pink’s theory isn’t convincing enough, look at the numbers in the decade-plus since the book was published (Mind was released back in 2006, long before Instagram and other creative platforms began to reshape business as we know it).

By 2020, creativity is predicted to be the third-most sought after work skill , according to the World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs” report.

In fact, Pink advises those of us with kids not to grow lawyers and accountants but instead try to instill a sense of creativity and ability to problem solve.

Once upon a time, an MBA used to be the key to landing a great job, and was considered essential DNA for all great leaders. But with the job market shifting to keep up with infinitely growing technology, leadership is pivoting to focus less on solving problems with numbers than with creative thinking. And creative thinking isn’t necessarily inherent to most MBA programs. It’s more likely to be learned over the course of earning an MFA.

Source: storemypic.com

2019 – the year of coloring outside the lines

Before you panic and sign up for the next continuing-ed MFA course, take a deep breath. Adding more acronyms after your name isn’t necessarily the answer. But this doesn’t mean you can put on the blinders and hope for the best. Change is a good thing. And leaders who are adept at change are a great thing.

So, who do you want to be as a leader in 2019? Logical left-brainers are continually overshadowed by the more empathic, intrinsically motivated leader with a right-brain mentality. We need to make sure we’re strengthening that muscle, as the “keys to the kingdom are changing” (Pink’s words) — which essentially means to me that the entire world – and especially leadership – is changing. So, a question: Are you changing with the world? Maybe you want to, but don’t know how?

Power to the people

How about starting with people power? I’m talking about both the power that’s innate in you as a leader, and the power brought to the table by the people you choose to help lift you up. Now that we’re learning that the future of business won’t necessarily depend on the smartest Stanford statisticians or Booth School brainiacs, it’s a great time to start looking more to what I call spiritual intelligence.

Practicing spiritual intelligence means reflecting about your purpose on the planet in terms of the work that you’re doing, as well as how you’re communicating and moving through the world.

As a leader, how are you inspiring others on a day to day basis? Knowing that leadership is due for a sea change, how will you chart your course? And when it’s time for you to move on, what will your legacy be?

Leaving your creative mark

I’m already looking at how a handful of innovative leaders are leaving their mark — and not just household names like Elon Musk, whose ideas are often so far out there, they’re difficult to translate into practical wisdom. Take Mark Parker, Nike’s Chairman, President and CEO, who began making waves long before the company’s controversial (and creative) Colin Kaepernick campaign last fall. This year, Disney’s VP of Technology, Nikki Katz, will expand her “Code: Rosie” initiative, which introduces mid-career female employees to the world of coding.

So, what about you? What will your creative mark be? Don’t answer just yet. Take some time to do some thinking – real, deep, creative thinking – then go for it. In fact, thinking itself is one of the best first steps you can take – even if you don’t have the time or resources for a Bill Gates–style “Think Week”. A few ideas to get you started:

• Book some time on your calendar to free your imagination and Daydream. Try blocking out 15 minutes on a Friday afternoon to just reflect and think — no devices, no phone calls — and see what happens.
• Pick up Doodling. Take a cue from visual thinker and author Sunni Brown, author of The Doodle Revolution, and let your hands do the thinking. Even if — especially if — you’re a non-visual person, doodling can be a game changer for all kinds of reasons.
• Challenge orthodoxy. Facing a challenge on your (product, marketing, customer service, insert function here) team? Bring together leaders from other areas of the business and Brainstorm. According to this Harvard Business Review article, “Outsiders often find it easier than insiders do to connect disparate thoughts, because they come to the table with fewer preconceptions.” Turns out you don’t have to be on the same team to generate innovative solutions. One just has to be willing to think outside of the typical team box (and remove some ego).

Try to remember that no matter what you do a little differently, the very act of practicing something different is a step in the right direction. So let 2019 – a year with so much change on the horizon – be the inspiration to expand your mind, and get creative. Because while the study of business gurus Peter Drucker and Philip Kotler may get you half way there – throwing in a few creative influencers – Moscow born UK based artist Yulia Brodskaya; billion dollar CEO and spiritual guru Michael Singer; and finally the musical brilliance of Queen – will help you knock it out of the park.

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Molly Rudberg, MSC, ACC, is a Chicago-based ontological life and career coach focused on working with extraordinary leaders and businesses committed to realizing an impossible future. She facilitates workshops and speaks to organizations and groups about creating intentional, purposeful, passion-filled work, and is the co-author of “From the Yoga Mat to the Corner Office: A Mindful Approach to Business Success” (Highpoint Executive Publishing, 2014). Learn more here: www.mollyrudberg.com