Here's how you can cultivate the key qualities and skills to become a future-ready leader.

Vision and Strategic Thinking Big-Picture Perspective: Develop the ability to see beyond immediate challenges and envision long-term goals and opportunities for your organization. Strategic Planning: Learn to formulate and execute strategic plans that align with your vision and drive sustainable growth and innovation. 2. Adaptability and Resilience Flexibility: Cultivate adaptability to navigate uncertainty and change effectively. Be open to new ideas, feedback, and perspectives. Resilience: Develop resilience to bounce back from setbacks and failures. Learn from adversity and use it as an opportunity for growth.

To become a future-ready leader, you must embrace change. In today's swiftly shifting setting, adaptability is critical to success. Develop a mindset that views change as a chance for growth and innovation. Encourage your team to maintain flexibility and approach new situations with interest rather than opposition. By building a culture that embraces change, you ensure that your organization remains dynamic and competitive, positioning yourself and your team for long-term success in a constantly evolving environment.

A good leader should have integrity, self awareness, courage,respect, compassion,and resilience. They should be learning agile and flex their influence while communicating the vision, showing gratitude,and collaborating effectively.

First and foremost, it is important to remind yourself that to become an outstanding leader, embracing change is vital as it fuels innovation, drives growth, and keeps the organization competitive. Change fosters adaptability, ensuring the team can pivot quickly in response to evolving market demands and challenges. Additionally, a leader who champions change inspires a culture of continuous improvement, empowering employees to think creatively and proactively solve problems.

To develop a compelling vision as a leader, I suggest you use an innovative technique called "future-back thinking." Leaders envision a future state and work backward to identify the steps needed to achieve it. This approach encourages long-term planning and inspires creative strategies that align with the envisioned future. By focusing on where the business wants to be, leaders can create a compelling vision that motivates and guides their teams toward transformative goals.

To ascend as future leaders, it's imperative to steadfastly embrace and prioritise the 3Ps: People, Purpose, and Passion. Our vision and objectives should orbit these core principles, serving as a guiding roadmap marked by continuous enhancements rather than abrupt transformations. Cultivating an atmosphere that fosters psychological safety is paramount, ensuring openness and trust within the team. Augmenting the 3Ps, integrating the 3Es—Empower, Energise, and Elevate—propels the team towards unparalleled heights of success.

As a leader, your vision determines the path of your team and organization. To be future-ready, have a clear, compelling vision that looks beyond the immediate horizon. This includes anticipating market trends, comprehending upcoming technology, and identifying growth prospects. Communicate your vision with conviction and motivate people to support it. During times of uncertainty, a strong vision serves as a guiding star, directing you toward long-term success and keeping your business ahead of the curve.

If you can envision it, you can bring it to life. As a leader, your task is to ignite the team's passion to bring that vision into reality. Exceptional leaders understand that teams are motivated by those who demonstrate self-leadership. Lead by example, as actions speak louder than words. Why? Because people emulate what they observe. Your actions have the power to propel the organization towards its objectives.

Research finds that most people want to be able to see a compelling vision of the future and know how they fit in. This requires strong leaders able to link the organizational vision to people's personal visions and then communicate that vision consistently.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is essential for effective leadership. It involves understanding and managing your own emotions, as well as those of others. Leaders with high EI build strong relationships, foster collaboration, and create positive work environments.EI helps leaders handle stress and conflict with empathy and clear communication, motivating and inspiring their teams. It enhances decision-making and adaptability, ensuring resilience and stability. Cultivating EI is crucial for connecting with teams and driving collective success, making it indispensable for any leader. I have not seen a highly successful leader who has poor EI.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is critical for effective leadership. It includes being aware of your own emotions, managing them successfully, and understanding the emotional dynamics of others around you. Improving your EQ prepares you to handle complex interpersonal situations, form strong relationships, and foster a great work environment. A higher EQ leads to better decision-making, conflict resolution, and team motivation-all which are critical skills for a leader preparing for future problems. Developing your EQ positions you to lead with empathy and insight, resulting in a resilient and cohesive team.

For enhancing EQ practically I use "perceptual positions" technique in few steps. 1. prepare the thoughts you want to share with other person/team/stakeholder 2. imagine that you're telling them 3. step into the "shoes" of the other person - move physically to the position in front of you 4. think about their reactions and response / write down 5. step out of the role of discussion partner 6. step into the role of an "observer" and write down what you just "saw" You've now played 3 roles. Reflect on your observations shortly: you can follow some questions like - do they fully understand each-other? - do they have common goal/vision/intention? - is there any other language to use?, etc.

EQ has been spoken about for ages...yet, the leaders who "walk the talk", are rare. EQ actually has nothing to do with 'managing' emotions (yours or others), yet it has everything to do with becoming emotionally literate and learning to discern what emotions are present, feeling them and distilling the insights in them. Ie...being a fully-fledged human. Why EQ is truly relevant for leaders is that if a leader isn't highly tuned into their own emotional landscape, they cannot be with others' emotions. Considering today's complexity and need for even higher performance, there is a real need for leaders who dare look within and be with this emotional complexity. The connection and engagement that arises from this place, is one of a kind.

A leader can be the most intelligent and individually successful person in the World, yet if they lack Emotional Intelligence (EQ) they will be an INCREDIBLY poor leader. Most people think EQ is outward-looking (i.e. understanding and engaging others), yet it goes way beyond this. It's as much about yourself—your thoughts and emotions—as it is about being aware of what is going on in your own body and mind. This is why whenever I'm coaching new and aspiring leaders, Emotional Intelligence is an absolute foundation to our work together. The bonus is it helps them to become good people too!

As an executive coach with decades of experience, I've seen firsthand the importance of decisive action in leadership. The ability to make informed decisions quickly is a hallmark of effective leaders. This is where a peer mastermind group - like Vistage - can help. Your peers can help you brainstorm, assess and evaluate ideas quickly to uncover blindspots and learn from others' experiences. It's not just about having the courage to take risks, but also about being able to assess the situation, gather the necessary information, and consider the impact on all stakeholders. This skill is crucial in navigating the complexities of today's business landscape and steering your organization towards growth and success.

Decision-making is an essential component of leadership. Future-ready leaders must be able to make timely and informed decisions despite uncertainty. This involves gathering pertinent information, evaluating the benefits and drawbacks, and considering the impact on all stakeholders. It also takes bravery to take measured risks when necessary. Mastering the art of decisive action allows you to successfully manage your company through both stable and stormy periods, ensuring that it stays resilient and forward-thinking.

In today's fast-paced world, future-ready leaders distinguish themselves by taking decisive and wise action. This involves gathering information, weighing the pros and cons, and considering the impact on all parties involved. Timely and well-informed decisions are essential. It's about finding the right balance between thoroughness and speed. Hesitation can lead to lost opportunities, while impulsive decisions result in avoidable errors. Future-ready leaders must also have the nerve to take risks when needed, recognizing that not every decision will be flawless, but each is a step towards progress. In essence, decisive action is a fusion of wisdom, speed, and courage, shaping leaders who are prepared for any challenges they may encounter.

Making quick decisions is essential in today's fast-paced world. It requires confidence, clarity, and the ability to evaluate information swiftly. Trust your instincts, weigh the pros and cons rapidly, and stay focused on your goals. Quick decision-making can drive progress and keep you ahead of the competition.

Decisive Action In addition to making informed decisions, develop a decision-making framework to streamline the process and ensure consistency. Empower your team to make decisions within their areas of responsibility to foster a sense of ownership and accountability. Reflect on past decisions to identify patterns and improve future decision-making. Incorporate feedback loops to evaluate the outcomes of your decisions and adjust strategies accordingly.

Learning and leadership go hand in hand. Great leaders are lifelong learners, constantly seeking new knowledge and skills. Embracing continuous learning fosters innovation, adaptability, and personal growth, enabling leaders to inspire and guide their teams more effectively. Invest in learning to unlock your full leadership potential. Asking questions is one of my favourite ways to learn.

To stay ahead, leaders must embrace lifelong learning through formal education, professional development, and personal growth. Adopt a growth mindset by giving importance to the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Motivate your team by providing learning opportunities and fostering intellectual curiosity. Continuous learning ensures that both you and your organization remain relevant and innovative in a constantly evolving business landscape.

As Peter Drucker famously said, 'The only skill that will be important in the 21st century is the skill of learning new skills.' Continuous learning fosters adaptability, innovation, personal growth, and resilience in leaders. It enables them to navigate change, drive creativity, enhance their capabilities, and overcome challenges. Embracing lifelong learning is crucial for staying relevant, leading effectively, and thriving in today's dynamic business environment.

As a great leader, your strength is in recognising your own and your team's weaknesses. This requires vulnerability on your part. It's about elevating your people who are great at those things you are not so great at. This helps to form a fantastic balance of capabilities and experiences.

Continuous Learning Foster a culture of continuous learning by integrating it into your organizational values and mission. Create learning pathways tailored to individual career aspirations and roles within the company. Leverage technology and digital platforms to provide accessible and flexible learning options. Encourage knowledge sharing and collaborative learning through internal workshops, seminars, and cross-functional projects.

Leaders who collaborate with their people are out in front of the organization sharing plans for the future, even during hard times when it's hard to look someone in the eye. They don't hide behind closed doors or conveniently delegate important communication needs to others. They provide information, clear expectations, and status of what's going on when the chips are down. These authentic leaders are especially adept at "walking their four corners." They are among the people, joining their meetings, being interested in what they're doing, and connecting with them on an emotional level. By modeling these traits, these leaders will foster a collaborative spirit and get the best from their teams.

You must recognise that as a great leader, you definitely DO NOT have all the answers. In my teams, I've always tended to engage them as a democracy. I know when to switch styles to a more authoritative leader to drive results (e.g., when tough decisions must be made). This is the balance of collaboration. 80% of the time, we're working as teams towards a goal. Everyone contributes as equals. Some are more technically focused than others. Others are more business-focused than others. It's this diverse perspective that makes the democratic approach great. HOWEVER, sometimes a decision just absolutely needs to be elevated beyond the team to be made. Great leadership is knowing when to switch styles.

Collaborative Spirit To further enhance collaboration, implement collaborative tools and platforms that facilitate seamless communication and project management. Develop cross-functional teams to work on strategic initiatives, leveraging diverse skills and perspectives. Regularly conduct team-building activities to strengthen relationships and trust among team members. Promote a culture of transparency and openness where feedback is actively sought and valued.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)- Self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skills. Adaptability and Agility- Flexibility, continuous learning, and resilience. Visionary Thinking- Strategic planning, innovative mindset, and future orientation. Effective Communication- Clarity, active listening, and influence. Technological Proficiency- Digital literacy, data-driven decision making, and tech savviness. Collaboration and Teamwork- Inclusivity, delegation, and conflict resolution. Ethical Leadership- Integrity, accountability, and transparency. Decision-Making Skills- Critical thinking, problem-solving, and risk management. Global Perspective- Cultural awareness, understanding global trends, and networking.

In my experience besides embracing change, mindful leadership style, and having a vision, it is important for a leader to have a high level of self-awareness. which can come by knowing who one is at the core, core values, purpose, natural gifts, and talents, being someone who invests time in reflection and ongoing learning. Deep listening without judgment with curiosity, genuine interest, and a collaborative spirit inspires team to give their best, as they feel heard, seen and valued

To cultivate the key qualities and skills to become a future-ready leader, you can take the following steps: a) Thinking Globally: Gain international experience by working or traveling abroad to understand different business environments and cultures. b) Appreciating Cultural Diversity: Actively seek to understand the cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and values of your colleagues and clients. c) Demonstrating Technological Savvy: Keep abreast of the latest technological advancements relevant to your industry and understand their implications for your business. By focusing on these three qualities and continuously developing them, you can position yourself as a leader who is prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the future.

Foster a culture of trust and empowerment within your teams. Encourage them to make independent decisions and view mistakes as learning opportunities. Provide guidance while allowing them to take the lead on projects and during meetings. Always be prepared to offer support and take responsibility if challenges arise. Remember, accountability ultimately rests with you, but it’s essential to cultivate a sense of ownership among your team members.

Know your future team's outlook. As a future ready leader, you'd be leading team members across different age cohorts and hence different generational mindsets. We can't go on with our own beliefs and values. We've to unlearn and relearn the ways of the young as well. It could be millennials, Gen Z, Gen alpha. What matters is that you're seen as a leader who is accessible, empathetic, wise, caring and someone worthy of respect. Apart from the functional skills, focusing on the future team composition matters as well