Apr 23, 2020
In this podcast resource you’ll hear Ian McDougall,
founder of Business
Genetics and our
Episode 16 guest, share with Harv of
Collective
Intelligence the results of some astounding research he’s done
with Gen Z’ers. Using a select group of early-stage leaders/execs,
Ian identified 8 factors seen as essential ‘effectiveness’ skills
(agility, ambiguity, emotional intelligence, failing, flexibility,
integrity, forming trusted & enduring relationships, and judgement)
needed to navigate the new world that lies ahead. We can all,
regardless of age, learn from this one (and make use of it in our
workplace recruitment strategies).
Research Context Summary:
- Ian talked to 30 young people in late 2019. All were Gen Z future
executives who were either interns in major companies or at early
management level. A very select group who were very articulate and
considered.
- The 'effectiveness skills' are described in the words used by
the Gen Z managers of the future, and there was a very high level
of consensus amongst the answers given.
- “Identifying soft skills for the new world” was the brief. Each
skill identified relates to each other. They are not stand alone
and the managers of tomorrow will have/need an amalgam of these
characteristics.
Hear about the first six key skills at:
- 6:15 - Agility (dexterity) - the ability to
shift from one state to another, responsiveness to impact and the
ability to address such shifts rapidly...
- 9:28 - Ambiguity - the ability to manage
ambiguity (chaos), whilst avoiding paralysis, and accepting it will
be part of your professional life...
- 13:15 - Emotional Intelligence - empathy and
the understanding of another person that transcends rational or
commercial requirements...
- 18:01 - Failing - being allowed to fail and
having the capability to handle your own failure and learn from
it...
- 21:03 - Flexibility - having ‘working’
relationships with people and avoiding rigidity in your thinking
and behaviour...
- 25:06 - Integrity - something that cannot be
claimed but can only be conferred on an individual...
And the final two, most distinguishing
factors:
- 30:16 - Forming trusted and enduring
relationships - the ability to build a completely
dependable relationship beyond the normal state of expected
behaviours…
- 36:46 - Judgement - the ability to convert
real-life experiences into principles that guide sound counsel when
you’re in unknown territory. Is this learned or innate? In Ian’s
experience, judgement is highly intuitive…
And finally, hear how to apply this in a job interview
setting at 41:26.
Just think what a team of people with these attributes could
achieve together - they would be ‘unbeatable’! The two Ian's agree
here that the notion of leadership is now obsolete and should be
replaced with the idea of ‘effectiveness’ - and as Ian McDougall
points out, ‘Collective Intelligence is very good at producing
effective people’.
NB: this recording (and associated research) was conducted
in Aotearoa-New Zealand prior to the world-changing events of
March-April 2020 but the skills outlined by Ian and his commentary
are more pertinent than ever.