new leadership is required

August 1, 2014

With the emergence of a new class of global professional talent comes the need for a new style of leadership. According to the 2013/14 Randstad World of Work research, business leaders and employees agree the ability to motivate and inspire others is the single biggest attribute to successful leaders (41%). Challenging times have, however, tested the employee-manager relationship in the five years since the global financial crisis – two-thirds of HR and line managers surveyed rate their CEO’s ability to motivate and inspire as good (43%) or excellent (23%), while just half of employees surveyed rate their CEO’s performance as good (36%) or excellent (17%) in the same area. 

Compare the top three attributes managers and employees consider most important in a leader and it’s clear the ability to build trusted relationships is more important to employees, while a complex operating environment sees leaders prioritise the ability to adapt to changing or competing business demands.  Across Asia Pacific, 66% of employees say overall they trust their organisation’s leaders. The need for a new style of leadership should focus on accountability, transparency and meaningful employee engagement. 

A new, more inclusive and open style of leadership will also be driven by increased market regulation, as well as technological and generational change. In markets as diverse as Australia and China to Singapore and Hong Kong, cohorts of Generation Y want more collaboration and less hierarchy in the workplace. To lead the organisation successfully, tomorrow’s leaders will need the ability to motivate and inspire, create and innovate, influence and engage. 
About the World of Work Report
The 2013/14 Randstad World of Work Report: Talent Strategy Game-Changer Series stems from over 14,000 survey respondents (more than 7,000 employers & over 7,500 employees) across seven countries in Asia Pacific – Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, New Zealand & Singapore.


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