Reskilling and Upskilling Leadership to Facilitate Learning and Keep Up With Evolving Skill Requirements.

The Problem

Imagine John, a long-time senior manager at his company, is focused exclusively on his team’s quality and timely deliverables. Throughout the years he has used a very directive style, telling people what to do and how to do it, and it has worked well, so he believes. 
More recently John has been experiencing higher turnover in his team, and the feedback from the newly implemented employee satisfaction survey shows high levels of disengagement, specifically in his organization. 

Laura, a successful sales rep in the tech industry, was promoted to a senior sales management position. She feels very grateful for the opportunity but is struggling to lead her team to reach their quarterly quotas in the current difficult market environment. In fear of failing to show successful results, she is taking on the work to compensate for the team’s modest numbers. Laura feels exhausted and the team feels demotivated and clueless about how to proceed.   

Both examples represent symptoms of an issue: leaders stuck in their comfort zones of past successes and at risk of becoming irrelevant, as leaders, over time. 

Marketing expert Seth Godin warns against this danger. At the same time, Todd Maddox notes many established leaders stop learning new skills once established, resulting in lost innovation, missed opportunities, morale deterioration, and talent retention declines.

Problem Origination?

The organizational psychologist Adam Grant notes that most problems stem from resistance to change, excessive focus on day-to-day job issues, lack of time and resources, and adopting an inflexible mindset that doesn’t support multifaceted solutions in today’s ever-evolving environment. Adherence to outdated ways will only bring disaster.

What Is the Solution?

For leaders to remain relevant in today’s fast-changing environments, ongoing learning should become part of daily routine. It is not enough to be focused on doing a great job. Todd Maddox suggests adopting learning as part of life through micro-learning and exploring unfamiliar subjects. Participation in industry events and deliberate career detours may further broaden one’s horizons.

Natalia Peart’s book “Future Proofed” suggests conducting skills audits to pinpoint gaps, networking to stay current on industry trends, and devising an action plan specifically adapted for today.

By adopting these strategies, leaders can move from being at risk of obsolescence to visionaries of innovation. It requires creating an environment where learning remains consistent, and adaptability remains commonplace.

Conclusion

The risk of falling behind is real but avoidable, but leaders are responsible for adapting, learning, and growing continuously. Now is the time to break free from status-quo thinking and embrace change with an inclusive vision for leadership. Remember, the future doesn’t wait—let’s prepare together!

Cristina Ferreira da Costa
President & Founder
CDCConsulting Partners, LLC

+1 (404) 528 9792
[email protected]