Four Leadership Types

I’ve just been looking at an interesting report from Deloitte on the leadership approaches emerging in response to “industry 4.0”. Having interviewed a range of senior leaders, they note for approaches which seem to be fruitful (and I quote):

1. 1. Social Supers: Some leaders have figured out how to do well by doing good, generating new revenue streams by developing or changing products and/or services to be more socially or environmentally conscious. Social Supers believe societal initiatives, more often than not, contribute to profitability and those initiatives are fundamental to their business models. Social Supers also exhibit greater rigor around decision-making and believe their workforces are ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
   2. Data-Driven Decisives: Certain executives are far more likely to say they have clear decision-making processes and use data-driven insights. They’re almost twice as likely as other surveyed leaders to say they are ready to lead their organizations in capitalizing on the opportunities associated with Industry 4.0. Data-Driven Decisives are also more likely to invest in disruptive technologies, to be concerned about the ethical use of new tech, and to train their current employees to access the skills required for Industry 4.0.
   3. Disruption Drivers: We call executives who reported both investing in technologies to upend their markets and competitors, and making technology investments that have achieved or exceeded their intended business outcomes, Disruption Drivers. These leaders are more confident they can lead in the Industry 4.0 era (45 percent versus 32 percent) and more assured their organizations are prepared to capitalize on the opportunities associated with Industry 4.0, and they take a more holistic approach to decision-making.
   4. Talent Champions: Leaders who are further along in preparing their workforces for the future than the rest of the field are Talent Champions. They believe they know which skill sets their companies need and that they have the correct workforce composition, and they embrace their responsibilities to train their employees for the future of work. About two-thirds have been able to generate new revenue streams through socially driven initiatives, versus half of all others surveyed.

I think this is a really fascinating piece of analysis and I wonder if there are parallels in church leadership as leaders focus on particular emphases:

1. Compassionate: Some church leaders focus on the importance of  community and the lived experience of human beings. They consciously pursue the Common Good of all people – both within and beyond the church. In order to achieve this, they will often take time to understand situations properly, nurture new leaders and adopt radical new options…
2. Contemplative: Some church leaders recognise that there is a need to base decisions on hard data, research and a proper awareness of reality. They don’t make decisions on the basis of ideology or wishful thinking but try to get a clear picture of what will work before they take action…
3. Courageous:  Some church leaders know that we can’t pursue “business as usual”. They are able to adopt different approaches and strategies that disrupt the way churches work and create new opportunities…
4. Nurturing: Some church leaders believe that their core purpose is to build up other people as leaders and disciples. Their time is spent “helping other people shine”. By doing this, they increase the capacity of the church to serve the common good, carry out proper research and adopt new strategies…

In my own list, I have mapped Stephen Crofts “three C’s” plus one “N” onto the four styles observed by Deloitte. I find this intriguing, and note that there are huge overlaps between them in practice. I don’t think anyone can be effective if they operate in one mode alone…

From my point of view, this may provide a helpful analytical tool for looking at the way leaders may develop in increase their effectiveness and impact…