"...Keeping up, staying up and getting ahead are now more 
difficult than we have previously imagined. There is no 
turning back, but there is turning forward."
--- Mike Jay, http://www.emergenics.com


Predictions for the future can be stimulating and challenging, 
especially if one is a top executive in a business enterprise 
attempting to make strategic decisions. Our rapidly changing 
global environment presents problems never before encountered. 
No one knows what will be required of leaders in the future, 
but some speculation is worthy of our attention.

Predictions from experts in their fields have not always been 
accurate. Here are two examples:

 o In 1899 the U.S. Commissioner of patents, Charles Duell, 
   declared, "Everything that can be invented has been invented."

 o In 1905, President Grover Cleveland prophesied, "Sensible 
   and responsible women do not want to vote."

New industries are already well on their way to becoming 
established products and services for the future: micro-
robotics, machine translations in real time, urban traffic 
systems, bio-mimetic materials, machines capable of emotions, 
inference and learning, and bioremediation for cleaning up the 
earth's environment are a few.

Each of these opportunities is by nature global, with no single 
nation or region likely to control all the technologies and 
skills required to turn them into reality. No matter what the 
product or service, however, leaders will face new challenges 
in the way business is conducted. What will be required of 
leaders in the future will be different than in the past. 

To be sure, some leadership qualities will always be important: 
intelligence (emotional as well as cognitive), confidence, 
ability to articulate and inspire a vision, ability to motivate, 
unfaltering optimism, perseverance, resilience, and strategic 
decision making.

New research confirms several leadership competencies that will 
gain in priority over the next few years and into the future.

 1. Thinking globally
 2. Appreciating cultural diversity 
 3. Developing technological savvy
 4. Building partnerships and alliances 
 5. Sharing leadership

 (Global Leadership: the Next Generation; Goldsmith, M., 
 Greenberg, C. L., Robertson, A. & Hu-Chan, M.; FT Prentice 
 Hall, 2003).

Writing about leadership in the future, Harlan Cleveland goes 
so far as to say that leadership will be so shared that there 
will be Nobody in Charge (John Wiley & Sons, 2002). With the 
flattening of hierarchies and dissolving of boundaries, the 
ability to galvanize attention and move disparate groups of 
people forward will require excellent negotiation and 
consensus-building skills.

Communicating across multi-cultural and multi-generational 
communities is becoming more important as a competency for 
leaders in the future. And, a lot more of managing and leading 
will have to be done virtually.

Only a few of the prominent business schools have begun to 
teach new and future leaders how to manage diverse cultures 
in a virtual environment. Yet this is a clearly emerging 
competency. 

Even smaller companies will be required to work in a global 
environment. Expect to see an increase in diversity issues 
arise in leadership development programs. The use of executive 
coaches is expected to gain priority as a primary tool for 
developing leadership competencies. 

It is important to remember that leadership is an emergent 
quality that is produced by the acts of many people in complex 
systems. The corporate culture must recognize and accept the 
need for leaders to get help. Leaders cannot walk on water or 
leap tall buildings, no matter how strong they appear to be. 
Executive coaches are necessary for the continuing development 
of leadership strengths, and will be even more so in the future.

Important concepts covered in the full 2,000-word article: 

 How will future leaders be successful?
 The impact of technology
 Dissolving global boundaries 
 Five priorities for the future
 Who's in charge? Nobody!
 Resources

To read a brief synopsis of the full, 2,000-word article: 
 http://www.coachingmatters.com/a_leadership_map_for_the_future.htm

To find out how your coaching/consulting newsletters can 
be custom-designed with your company name, photo, logo and 
professional bio on the front page, visit:
 http://www.customizednewsletters.com .

Annual subscriptions (6 per year) are available: 
  http://www.coachingmatters.com/pricelist.htm