The Future of Work: Attract New Talent, Build Better Leaders, and Create a Competitive Organization

Chapter 6Ten Principles of the Future Manager

Managers of the future are going to have to challenge the traditional ideas of management and push back against the many business practices that are outdated and no longer relevant. They will have to adapt to the future employee, which means new ways of working and thinking about work. In speaking with managers, many of them acknowledge that things are changing yet they aren't sure what those changes look like or what kind of a manager they should strive to become.

Figure 6.1 shows what these 10 principles of the future manager are.

Figure 6.1 Ten Principles of the Future Manager

In order to adapt, the future manager:

• Must be a leader.
• Follow from the front.
• Understand technology.
• Lead by example.
• Embrace vulnerability.
• Believe in sharing and collective intelligence.
• Challenge convention and be a fire starter.
• Practice real-time recognition and feedback.
• Be conscious of personal boundaries.
• Adapt to the future employee.

Must Be a Leader

If someone were to ask you, “Do we need more managers or more leaders?” what would you tell them? Most people would immediately say, “Of course, we need more leaders!” It's easy to see why most people would say this.

Typically managers are focused on enforcing control. They organize, oversee, supervise, delegate, and make sure things get done the right way and on time. However, often these managers ...