Do You Have These Surprising 21st Century Leadership Skills?

If you want to master leadership and life, this is for you. If you keep on asking yourself “Am I a good leader?”, this is also for you. Because we are about to dive into ten surprising 21st century leadership skills.

The best leaders in the world have something in common. They possess certain energy and aura which attracts and inspires. You know who I’m talking about. And you can probably name at least 3-5 such leaders even in the present days. So, what makes a leader so great?

Sense of Awareness

Great leaders have a sense of awareness. They observe and assess themselves and everything around. They are aware of who they are, why they are who they are, and how they are reacting or responding to circumstances.

These great leaders also realize that what they consider to be true is not necessarily true for everyone. 

How can you develop your awareness? Here are some questions you can start answering to develop your 21st century leadership skills, starting with awareness:

• What thoughts are you thinking?
• What emotions are you feeling?
• How are people around you reacting and responding to various circumstances?
• What is happening in your environment?

Serenity to Accept What Can’t be Changed

The best leaders also know what battles to fight. They accept the reality as it is and focus on what is in their control and power.

They don’t fret over the past and what could have been. This frees their energy and mental strength to be present and do the best they can in the moment. The past is the past, it can be useful with its lessons and that’s it.

Great leaders also have the ability to not judge others or situations as good or bad. They focus on what it is and the unique abilities everyone brings to the table.

They are able to release expectations and just let things unfold as they are supposed to. 

Making Great Choices

Leaders are constantly required to make choices and decisions. And the great amongst them are exceptional at this.

One skill they have is the ability to use holographic thinking – utilizing logic, emotions, and intuition.

They are also aware of what influences their decisions and what kind of assumptions they are making. Furthermore, the best leaders realize that their own view of the world and situation is just one of the models. There are always better models out there to be developed and implemented. 

One other aspect of making conscious choices is where the choice comes from. Great leaders are focused on the value and purpose of the choice, not the fear of what might happen. They don’t settle for either-or options that don’t fit their purpose.

Knowing that there are multiple solutions to any problem or situation is what helps here as well. Furthermore, great leaders trust themselves and their teams that they have all the answers they need to create an optimal solution. 

Trust in the Process

The best leaders trust the process. They trust the process of learning and mastery. They realize that they grow in life and leadership as long as they are alive.

In other words, they are always work in progress. Great leaders do the best they can in every moment and know that whatever the outcome is, there is a purpose behind it. 

Another aspect of trusting the process for great leaders is the fact that they know what their true goals are. This means that they don’t jump to the newest and hottest thing. At the same time, they consistently review and reevaluate their plans and make adjustments when needed. 

“ I have failed many times, and that’s why I am a success.”

Michael Jordan

Authenticity

Another one of the signs of a great leader is authenticity. Great leaders realize they are unique and bring their talents to all they do.

The best leaders know that when they are authentic, everything they do is effortless.

Finding your authentic power is one of the best things you can do. To start on the journey, answer the following questions:

• What are your most important values in life?
• What makes you feel most passionate?
• If you had to name one thing that made you unique and stand out, what would it be?
• How well are your current circumstances allowing you to be authentic?
• What can you do to be more authentic under non-ideal conditions?

Lack of Fear

This is correct. We are really talking about being fearless.

Courage is doing things in the face of fear. And courage is necessary for any leader.

However, what the best of the best have is lack of fear. They are truly fearless.

Great leaders embrace the unknown and take reasonable risks without worry or doubt.

They realize that fear does not exist in the present moment. There is ultimately nothing to lose, so there is nothing to fear.

Confidence

This one might not be too surprising. You probably know that the most important of all 21st century leadership skills is confidence. We all look for confidence in our leaders. We need to know they are really in control and able to lead us through good and bad.

Yet, the greatest leaders actually know that confidence is an internal capability. There is no need to wait for something external to bring confidence. You can always choose to create it.

How can you be confident from within? Wihtout waiting for experience and proof?

The answer is simple: By knowing that you can handle whatever happens and that you grow and learn from all experiences.

While it might be true that your first public speech might suck, you can still deliver it with confidence. Confidence that you are performing at your best. Confidence that you learn and grow as a leader with every performance. And confidence that, regardless of the outcome, you can handle anything and everything.

Ability to Connect

The best leaders have a sense of connection to everyone around them, the mission they are working on, or some other purpose.

They are not only aware on how everything affects them, but also on how they, the leaders, influence on everyone and everything around.

There is a sense of connection and oneness. That we are ultimately one.

This leads to a state of flow, where you can work on something for hours without feeling drained or even tired. You don’t even realize how so much time has passed while you were fully engaged in your work. This is a sense of oneness with what you are doing.

Presence in the Moment

Another one of the key 21st century leadership skills is presence in the moment. This is the ability to truly focus on one task or activity at a time.

The best leaders are able to focus on the now. They realize that the past is something to learn from and let go. The future is something unpredictable. The only things there ever is, is the present moment.

Ultimately, all you can control is the present moment. And in the present moment, there is no fear or worry. This is why the best leaders are also fearless.

One easy step to start with, for developing presence in the moment, is removing distractions. You can begin by ensuring your environment is free from interruptions (silence your phone, remove email notifications, etc.).

100% Engagement

Last but not least, great leaders are fully engaged in what they do.

Think about it. If your full potential is 10 right now, as you grow and learn in your leadership journey, you expand this potential to 11, 12, and so on.

Yet, some days your energy will only be at an 8 (for example, you didn’t sleep well the night before).

What great leaders do is play full out. On the day your maximum is 8, you go for 8/8. On the days when it’s 12, you play at 12.

When you are 100% energetically engaged, you are willing, able, and motivated to do whatever it is you are about to do.

In other words, you choose to take the action. You choose to speak up. You choose to have a candid conversation with your manager. You choose to let go of an employee.

Summary of the 21st Century Leadership Skills

Awareness, acceptance, conscious choices, trust in the process, authenticity, fearlessness, confidence, connection, presence in the moment, 100% engagement.

The next time you wonder, “Am I a good leader?” return to this list. Evaluate where you are and how you show up as a leader for each of the ten skills and disciplines.

Then, focus on improving one. Only one. The one that will make the most significant difference.

Being a leader in the 21st century is a privilege. And an opportunity to create other leaders.

Start by lifting yourself up and then helping others do the same.

And if you are looking for more leadership tips and mentorship, sign up for our newsletter. Join the movement of #LeadingAuthentically with #HolographicLeadership.

Note: The list of leadership skills is based on the COR.E Disciplines developed by iPEC. If you want to learn more about them, don’t hesitate to schedule a call with us.