Equipping leaders for the 21st century

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show that leaders who want to succeed in the 21st century need to develop a unique portfolio of attitudes, behaviors and skills to enable them to work at the highest level and drive performance and profitability within their people and their organization, ultimately contributing to the sustainability of their operating environment. Leaders of the future will need to make a positive impact on their organizations and the wider world.

Design/methodology/approach

This article aims to investigate the nature of this contribution and to stimulate discussion on how to build leadership capability for success in the 21st century.

Findings

Meaning is the central component of creating the leadership mindset and skillset required for success in the 21st century and is the key factor that leaders need to address to engage their people and stakeholders. This article draws on the experiences of Costa Coffee, which has already begun to develop a 21st century outlook and is beginning to reap the rewards of creating meaning and engagement throughout the organization.

Originality/value

The paper presents a series of issues and questions for leaders with 21st century ambition to consider and discusses how they can benchmark their current 21st century leadership capability.

Citation

Encombe, J. (2008), "Equipping leaders for the 21st century", Strategic HR Review, Vol. 7 No. 5, pp. 23-27. https://doi.org/10.1108/14754390810893062