The 9 Essential Leadership Strategies in the Age of Information

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The 9 Essential Leadership Strategies in the

Age of Information
New technologies demand fresh approaches
Jesse Lyn Stoner

Published: 05/11/2015
Once upon a time, in a land called Industrial Age, the leaders of organizations resided at the top
of a hierarchy, managers were in the middle, and workers were supervised.
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It was the job of leaders to do the important thinking and come up with bright ideas to move the
company forward, and the job of managers and supervisors to make sure those ideas were
implemented.
Because no one cared what the managers, supervisors, and workers thought, many of them parked
their brains at the door as they came to work. Others only used part of their brains, limiting their
focus to implementation without regard for the effect on the larger organization. Eventually the
companies became gunked up. They were not healthy places for people, and their long-term
results did not reach their potential.
Because their life spans were short compared to that of the universe, they had never lived in a
different age, and most of them couldnt imagine that things could or should be different. They did
not see that changes were beginning to transform the fundamentals of the Industrial Age.
Over the years, as new technologies emerged, many of the children began to look at their parents.
Instead of saying, I want to do what my Dad or Mom does, they said, No way!
Having grown up in a world driven by technology and under the influence of the emerging new
age, they saw the potential for interconnection, interdependence, and entrepreneurship. A new era
for entrepreneurs and startups began.
Unfortunately, some of these new leaders recreated organizations that drained peoples
energy. However, many of the companies thrived. The leaders of these companies understood the
essential leadership strategies required of the emerging new age: the Information Age.
Each evolution, from Stone Age to Agricultural Age to Industrial Age, has required new
leadership strategies.

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These are the essential leadership strategies of successful leaders in todays emerging Information
Age.
1. Paint a very clear picture of where the organization is going.
Whether you are the leader of the entire organization or the leader of a team, its no longer
possible to be physically present to manage what happens every moment. If you try to control all
the details, you will drown. The ticket out is to ensure everyone is aligned around a shared vision.
Then they can use their own brains to figure out the best way to work together to achieve it. The
role of leadership shifts to a focus on communicating and modeling the vision.
2. Provide leadership no matter your level or role.
No matter what your official organizational titlesupervisor, manager, administratorif youre
not leading, youre standing still or going in circles. You must be able to think both strategically
and tactically. Leadership must be emergentallowed and supported to emerge as needed. This is
reminiscent of an essential leadership skill of the Stone Age, where the one who saw an
opportunity or danger, or the one with the greatest skill in relation to a particular need or
opportunity, was the one who responded and organized others to respond.
3. Connect vision and execution.
It used to be that strategy was the province of the top of the organization, and the bottom was
responsible for execution. This disconnects leaders from the realities of the organization and
separates vision and execution. Vision and execution are not sequential. Vision requires action to
be clarified and refined, and execution requires reflection to be effective. The mid-space is
the area between vision and execution. Too often its a vacuum. Managing the Mid-Space
describes seven things you need to do to connect vision and execution.
4. Develop leadership capacity.
One of the most important jobs of leaders is to develop other leaders. This is a business issue. Soft
and hard are so interrelated that the distinction is meaningless. You must be responsible not only
for business results but also for developing future leaders. Therefore, whats important is not
only achieving results but also how you deliver them.
5. Value and utilize diversity.
Effective problem solving depends on utilizing the perspectives that others bring because of their
experience, orientation, gender, nationality, etc. If there is any question in your mind about this,
watch this wonderful video clip of Halla Tomasdottirs Ted Talk on how her financial services

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firm used five traditionally feminine values to help Iceland recover from its economic collapse
in 2008. The feminine approach is not better than the traditional male orientationit simply fills
in what is missing in the current unbalanced approach.
6. Influence without authority.
As the world becomes more interconnected, relationships in organizations become more complex.
No matter what organizational structure is in place, you must be able to work with others across
reporting lines. You also need to communicate and collaborate with diverse stakeholders such as
vendors and even competitors. Understanding how to influence without authority is a key
competency. You can no longer say Do it because I told you so. Your ability to influence is
dependent on your credibility and character.
7. Collaborate across boundaries.
No one person can have all the answers, nor can any one group. The complexities of the
organizations and the challenges you face demand that work be organized around the right people,
regardless of the department in which they reside. Silos didnt work well before, and they are
impossible now.
8. Use technology to stay connected.
Technology has created many challenges. It also holds the answers. Nothing will ever replace the
value of face-to-face time, but the reality is that most teams need to be able to work together over
great physical distances.
9. Drive profits through principles and values.
Organizations are made up of people. When you take a big picture and long-term view, you cannot
afford to treat employees as commodities. For organizations to be effective and sustainable in the
long-term, leaders must take into account the social and environmental impact of their actions.
First published April 1, 2015, on Jesse Lynn Stoners Blog. 2015 Jesse Stoner.

About The Author

Jesse Lyn Stoner

Jesse Stoner is a business leader, consultant, and author of several books including the
international bestseller Full Steam Ahead! Unleash the Power of Vision, co-authored with Ken
Blanchard, which has been translated into 22 languages. She has worked with hundreds of leaders
using collaborative processes to engage the entire workforce in creating their desired future. Her
clients include Honda, Marriott, Edelman, Skanska, SAP and YPO to name a few. She writes an
award-winning leadership blog and was named in the Huffington Post as one of the 100 Thought
Leaders to Follow on Twitter @JesseLynStoner.

2015 Quality Digest Magazine. Copyright on content held by Quality Digest or by individual
authors. Contact Quality Digest for reprint information.

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Source URL (retrieved on 05/18/2015): http://www.qualitydigest.com/inside/quality-insidercolumn/051115-9-essential-leadership-strategies-age-information.html

Links:
[1] http://www.forbes.com/sites/martinzwilling/2013/12/25/a-new-era-for-entrepreneurs-andstartups-has-begun/
[2] http://seapointcenter.com/emergent-leadership-topples-the-pyramid/
[3] http://seapointcenter.com/vision-and-execution-are-not-sequential/
[4] http://seapointcenter.com/manage-the-mid-space/
[5] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsmgvrcH94U
[6] http://seapointcenter.com/influence-without-authority/
[7] http://seapointcenter.com/expand-your-vision/
[8] http://seapointcenter.com/essential-leadership-strategies/

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