Are You a 21st-Century Leader?

A recent Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) article pointed to the growing need for transformational leaders in the 21^st century, but how exactly do you make that type of an impact on your work? By following the numbers, understanding shifts in industry trends, and closing the communicative gap between you and your co-workers, you can effectively become the executive your company needs moving forward.

Who is the 21^st-century leader?
Throughout the 20^th-century, disengaged leaders reigned supreme. They sat in their offices with a panoptic view of the work floor, diligently avoiding their employees day-in and day-out. This outdated method simply doesn't work in our highly fluid and, at times, erratic economy, according to Sheri Nasim, CEO of the Center for Executive Excellence.

Nasim notes leaders should be fully involved in as many aspects of operations as possible, not to ensure the business is going well but to establish relationships and expectations with employees.

"In a service-based economy, you don't just want employees to bring their hands to work," Nasim told SHRM. "You want them to bring their hearts and mind."

Building a relationship with employees is one way to create a healthy work culture and engage with workers—key characteristics of a well-run company in 2016.

A 21^st-century leader should be constantly engaging with their staff.

The mathematics of engagement
As a leader of a company you have to accept early on that your role isn't to make the change yourself, but to inspire it in other people. In this sense, you can't shy away from employee interaction. Communication is a highly sought after characteristic by the workforce because of the lack of executives who commit to it. According to a Webber Shandwick study, just 26 percent of employees believe their leaders listen to them.

In this scenario, two parties fail to engage—the leader and the worker. A State of the American Manager study found just 35 percent of leaders are engaged with their staff. The result? Nearly 65 percent of managers who are defined as not engaged or actively not engaged cost the U.S. economy between $320 and $400 billion annually. Bad leadership has repercussions on more than just your company—that's why wealthy and powerful companies spend almost two times as much on leadership than competitors and yield revenues three or four times greater, according to a Deloitte study.

How to be transformative
Just as you need to learn how to fall to ride a bicycle, it takes some work to become the leader your company needs. Begin by working on the company's brand and image through your recruitment process. Treat potential candidates with the same respect as current employees. The national average length of time for hiring new employees is around 52 days, according to Deloitte. Get top talent a job offer sooner, and inform those who won't make the cut as quickly as possible. Respect is a valuable commodity that costs less than your morning coffee.

Implement an applicant tracking system (ATS) to help you speed everything up and find the best candidates sooner. Once you have your ideal workforce, begin to work with them daily to help them achieve their goals. SHRM recommends reviewing how your powers as an executive can help them succeed, not hold them back or create fear.

Leaders that embody change, seek out the opportunity to work with employees, and spread a positive attitude around the office daily will reap the rewards of an actively engaged workforce.