Leaders of any era have always had to buoy spirits, explain difficulties, celebrate gains and capture imaginations. It's true that much has changed over the years, but many oft-cited discontinuities are simply shifts by degree. Product development, executive decisions, company life cycles and technology penetration are all happening faster than ever. Massive deals are completed in weeks or days rather than months. Leaders today must be more decisive and more comfortable with rapid, iterative modes of action.
More complexity is needed to make things simple.
The level of technical sophistication embedded in most businesses has increased significantly. But complexity doesn't sell, simplicity does. Leaders today must be more technically savvy and more adept at leading technical workforces with higher levels of specialized knowledge than ever before. Greater diversity makes unity harder to achieve. The generational impact of younger employees on businesses is larger than ever before.