Due to events in recent years, such as changes in work values and practices post-pandemic; a growing awareness around mental health and an uptake in digital technology, scrutiny is at an all-time high with leaders being expected to evolve rapidly and make agile decisions. Now, a candidate-driven employment market, economic uncertainty, and the cost-of-living crisis promise to make things even more complex.

At Moon Executive Search, we specialise in matching organisations with galvanising leaders. We have seen an upsurge in enquires as companies have become hyper-aware of the changing landscape, knowing they need leaders who are ready to take them into a fascinating, but uncertain future. Over the past two decades we’ve built a reputation for keeping our fingers on the pulse and empowering our clients to future-proof their businesses from the top down.

From our perspective, there are five key elements of business leadership in 2022:

Creating A Culture of Kindness

With growing cultural diversity within teams, empathy for people from different backgrounds is essential. Neurodiversity has also become a key consideration. Evidence has shown that better results come from harnessing the diversity of your team and being receptive to differing working styles. Retention is currently a major issue. This, coupled with awareness around mental health, mean that employee well-being has never been higher on the list of priorities. People development should also be high on that list. Leaders should consistently remind team members that their development is key, by adopting a collaborative style which makes them feel valued.

Trust & Openness

Remote working has caused some leaders to adopt measures to keep close tabs on employees. But if you trust your workforce, most of the time you will be repaid with mutual respect and dedication. If people feel safe and included, they will be more likely to put their ideas forward, growing in confidence day-by-day. That said, leaders still need to be straight talking – allowing space for healthy disagreement, and face conflict head-on, but with a healthy measure of empathy.

Harnessing Digital Technology

Technology is there to make our lives easier and our businesses more successful. But it can sometimes make things more complicated. While some businesses have the same route-to-market they had ten years ago, others have become unrecognisable in that time. This can give leaders the uneasy feeling that if they miss out on the next technological development they could be completely left behind. Some react to this by hopping from system to system or using a whole mesh of software in conjunction, but of course this can be both costly and ineffective. Others try to become experts in every tech development, but this can draw them away from the helicopter view you should be taking as a leader.

To take advantage of new technology you only need to understand what’s available and how it can help you. Rather than understanding everything in minutiae, it is perhaps better to appreciate the limits of your own understanding, trust the opinions of team members, give them the autonomy to manage their specialisms, and then demonstrate good judgement yourself to outsource when appropriate.

Vision Through the Mist

It is your role to take a big-picture view and guide your team toward your ultimate vision. But with the complexities of the modern world this is arguably harder than ever. In the face of change, risk calculation becomes blurred—when do you stick to your guns? When do you pivot and evolve? In many industries conventional wisdom has been replaced by shades of grey, with different approaches being advocated from different perspectives. The challenge is to harness the value of those perspectives but take care not to over-complicate things. This ensures you push forward by continually bringing the team back to the overarching vision.

Building An Employer Brand

With the employment market offering freedom of choice to candidates, it’s important to have a positive reputation in your industry, by building a brand both for you as an inspirational leader, and for your organisation. This has long been a priority in larger businesses, but with networking sites, social media, resources like glassdoor etc., all leaders should now be very brand conscious. LinkedIn activity, local press coverage, positive social and environmental responsibility, trade shows and award ceremonies will help you retain and recruit top talent and drive motivation amongst your existing team. In turn, this will create a deeper sense of identification and belonging, firing the team up about their company and leadership.

Looking for a leader to take you forward? Contact us and find out how we can help: recruit@moonexecsearch.com

Business leader looking for your next opportunity? Feature on our database of top candidates: Build Your Board.