A pragmatist. Someone who gets the job done. A person unhindered by dogma. Who changes their mind when the facts change. Someone who knows how to read the room.  A horizon scanner.  Some one who recognises that it’s more important to create the right culture than the right strategy. Someone who spends more time talking and thinking about people than budgets and performance.

Such a leader is determined to realise the benefits of diversity and inclusion, takes seriously employees health and well-being and is actively engaged in talent development and retention. Modern leaders don’t try to manage, they provide direction and then step out of the way. They encourage collaboration, shared leadership and innovative thinking and provide ongoing support and encouragement. A modern leader is  more human, they trust and are in return trusted,they demonstrate empathy and they show appreciation.

You can tell a modern leader by the way they act. A modern leader does not tell riskque stories, start meetings by asking who saw the match last night, or asking their PA to collect their dry cleaning in their lunch break. I modern leader does not have a drinks cabinet in the office, a corner office ,a reserved parking space or hold breakfast  meetings.

I modern leader takes a turn in making the coffee and tea in team meetings, knows the names of team members partners and those of their children and pets. A modern leader takes their full annual leave entitlement and is prepared to take three weeks off in the summer confident able people are in place and their are no plots to oust them.

A modern leader acknowledges their people have lives outside of work. So doesn’t schedule team meeting for first thing Monday morning as report reading and preparation would eat into the individuals Sunday night. Like wise a modern leader does not fire off emails, or text when ever a thought or question occurs to them but saves this for ,”office hours”. A modern leader has to very effective but underrated skills. They are very good with names and faces and in case anyone is in any doubt about the steel within the velvet glove, they know the right questions to ask!