By Hakan Kapucu
Mostly-needed leadership skills of the technology age
There are leadership styles: Technoversal, Self-disruptive, Transpersonal, Altrocentric, and Leadership 4.0. Let’s extend this list a little further for everyone finds something familiar: Servant, Democratic, Laissez-faire, Transformational. Some of these leadership styles are old, and some are new. But the thing that is for sure, this list continues with many others.
Leadership definition and why the need is a distinction at this point
All of these styles have their core ideas that frame their definition. Now imagine how many leadership definitions we have. Then, think about the classic question: Who is a leader? As their essence and basic principles differ, we reach many depictions of leadership but no consensus. Then, let’s boil leadership down to need: Why humans need leaders. When it is the need that defines leadership, ever since old times, what makes people gather around the leaders is usually chaos and disorder. So, ‘’Leadership is the child of chaos and disorder.’’1 But when we consider which leadership style and skills a leader must possess, the question requires a little more detailed answer.
A leadership contradiction
The debate concerning leadership styles, skills, and behaviors keeps going. The questions about best leadership and what qualities leaders need to possess are perpetual. A quick wrap-up is not so easy at this point. Because a leader may appropriate one particular style, or the leader can try to employ the characteristics of many leadership styles. But in either situation, the leader may face the reality that one leadership style is not enough to answer all of our age’s goals, and all leadership styles are not to be possessed by one leader. A leadership contradiction happens here: One is not enough; all is not possible.
Why the contradiction matters and a solution
Imagine a prospective leader’s path to becoming a leader and the endeavors to overcome. Especially when we consider the difficulties leaders and prospectives face in today’s fast-pacing environment, the way to leadership must be clear. It is for giving optimal guidance to them and raising new leaders. As one leadership style may not be enough, and all leadership styles are not possible, prospective leaders will need another alternative. It can be learning mostly-needed skills of our age as the leader of our age goes beyond traditional expectations and definitions.
The ideal leadership of this age
We are in an age where global crises such as biodiversity loss, wars, climate, and other advancements like digitalization and technology continually add new expectations from business leaders. In this world, a leader who only answers to business goals will not be a great leader of these times. A good business leader will be one who has the necessary skills, behaviors, and a data-driven mindset (tech-savvy) to meet goals. A great leader also possesses an understanding outside the business world, such as global structure, biodiversity loss, and climate crisis, which will finally impact every individual.
Leaders’ impact
Leaders can play a significant role in solving these problems as they influence their followers. So they can also be change agents outside the business domain. And such crises are not likely to come to an end unless leaders and their followers take responsibility. So a leader must be aware of the outside world. The leader must be tech-savvy (data-driven) and a skill-based leader who adopts the most in-demand skills and behaviors. Leadership in this age must give practical solutions to complex problems. Meeting business goals and doing something against other concerns will require a leader to possess the most in-demand behaviors. So what these skills and behaviors are which will allow any leader to meet goals such as growth and profit and go beyond conventional business expectations.
APARTS Behaviors
APARTS is leader skills and behaviors. APARTS stands for Agility, Problem-Solving Efficiency, Adaptation, Respect, Tech-Saviness, and Seeking Different Perspectives.
Agility will allow a leader to act rapidly and overcome volatility challenges. Problem-solving efficiency equips a leader with setting an algorithm against complexity issues. Adaption ability prepares a leader to become mentally ready for any environment this age requires, which will help to eliminate the uncertainty. Respecting followers will create a collective leadership rather than a hierarchy, for leaders can be ethical and lead experts who work for the same company and the goal. Tech-savviness and a data-driven mindset will allow a leader to grasp necessary technicalities. Seeking different perspectives will help the leader use the power of others’ minds and clear the path against ambiguity.2 These behaviors are the result of deep research.
DOER Behaviors and DOER Leader
DOER stands for Diligence, Opportunism, Empathy, and Resilience. A leader who possesses these behaviors is a DOER Leader. While the diligent leader can fulfill painstaking tasks that take a long time, the opportunistic leader will identify and retain occasions that will work for the company. The empathic leader will understand followers, create employee continuity, and build a human resource of talent. The resilient finds the courage to thrive after something unfavorable, for the work will not interrupt.3
About the Author
Hakan Kapucu has founder roles at companies and projects. He has over 20 years of work experience. He has analytical thinking, and he is a polyglot.
He contributes styles and concepts to the literature. He has novel works in leadership, technology leadership interactions, and leadership-biodiversity loss-climate correlations.
Hakan took courses from the top universities and respected institutions in different parts of the world. He is an MBA with Summa Cum Laude.
He traveled to many countries on different continents of the world. Hakan believes in ethical working, the power of knowledge, and conscience as he wishes to spread the good. He regards it as a right that all flora and fauna exist for their own sake, so humanity ought to give them a chance to keep going.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/1hakankapucu
References
- Kapucu, H. (2022). Technoversal leadership for biodiversity and climate. Unsustainable Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.unsustainablemagazine.com/biodiversity-technoversal-leader/
- Kapucu, H. (2022). Technoversal Leadership. E Scholarly Community Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/25584
- Kapucu, H. (2022). Be a leader rather than a doer. How about a DOER Leader? HCM Excellence APAC & Middle East, 4(01). Retrieved from https://www.hr.com/en/magazines/all_articles/be-a-leader-rather-than-a-doer-how-about-a-doer-le_kyjogynq.html
![iStock-2151090098 [Converted]](http://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/iStock-2151090098-Converted-218x150.png "Deconstructing the Myth of Entrepreneurship")
First, it’s a perfect finding coming from a novel perspective. People indeed want to have skills and styles in the way to leadership, but they get problems while obtaining them. They don’t know the whys of failure. I never saw this approach, which is pure logic. Like gravity, it was out there waiting for discovery, and someone found it. Regarding technicality, the taste of work is delicious, and the language flows. I send big congratulations to the author and publisher.
This article is the voice of insight and expertise on leadership. Finally, it’s nice to read something different about this topic somewhere.
Interesting work here offers time-saving knowledge to those prospects on a journey to becoming leaders. That makes it an insight that readers won’t find anywhere. So, it is quite a contribution to the reader and publishing outlet.