On the Future of Leadership

2017 Conference Interview with Marshall Goldsmith, as interviewed by Carol Kaufmann, IOC Founder and Executive Director

In his new book, Marshall Goldsmith, establishes a new direction for leaders: the concept of the leader as a coach. Historically, leaders were often considered above the people they led. This is apparent in the religious tradition, and the apprentice tradition. Yet, now in the era of the knowledge worker, leaders do not necessarily know more about a topic than their employees. Ideally, a marketing manager should know more about marketing than a CEO and the CTO should know more about finance than the CEO. 

"The leader of the past knew to tell, the leader of the future knows how to ask." - Peter Drucker

Today, the role of the CEO is not one of an expert - but of a facilitator. As a result, leadership is undergoing several important changes that successful leaders need to adapt to. 

5 Qualities of Future Leadership

1. Global Thinking: historically leaders have been domestic, today leadership is global. 
2. Cross cultural appreciation: global cultural sensitivity. 
3. Technological savvy: leaders of the future embrace technological trends and advancements. 
4. Building alliances and partnerships: leadership of the future is interconnected. 
5. Leadership as coaching: leaders of the future will coach and facilitate instead of command. 

So how do current leaders help move toward flat organization and a more innovate leadership style? According to Marshall Goldsmith, change starts with individuals. If a leader demonstrates these characteristics, others will follow: "if you want everyone else to do this, you go first." 

If you enjoyed this interview with Marshall Goldsmith, we recommend visiting his Institute of Coaching author page to view the other numerous resources he has generously contributed to the institute throughout the years:

More Resources by Marshall Goldsmith