By Satya D Sinha
Hybrid Leaders are at the forefront of change and by enabling transitions of firms to higher levels of productivity, these top echelons are catalysing the global economy growth like never before.
Navigating the complex challenges of the ever-changing business environment is not a mean feat. It requires meticulous planning, effective implementation, and importantly, a hybrid approach to leadership. Unlike the conventional perspective, hybrid leaders combine the best leadership elements and adapt in accordance with the specific requirements of the situation. Hybrid leadership motivates employees, boosts engagements, and brings out the best in their teams by constantly offering guidance, support, and necessary resources required to accomplish projects. No wonder, hybrid leadership is the talk of the town with every business prioritising shift to the approach for garnering more market share to drive profitability. If you too are eager to adopt hybrid leadership then here are key reasons and benefits to do the same:
a) Turbulent Environment: Being flexible and adaptable have emerged as prominent success characteristics in today’s fast-changing business environment. Organisations are contending with significant disruptions caused by the emergence of new-age consumers, remote work, digital transformation, and technology adoption among others. To successfully cope with these changes, a hybrid leadership approach can come in very handy. Hybrid leaders are flexible, quickly adapt to situations, and seamlessly switch roles to effectively lead their teams to success and better business performance. All these things come together to enhance the long-term sustainability of the business and help firms stay ahead of the competition.
b) Team Dynamics: Effective team management is a key to accomplishing desired success in the business. The importance of harmonious relationships between team members is a prime objective of leaders and a hybrid approach can simply do wonders in this regard. In fact, empowering teams is among the basic tenets and lies at the heart of the hybrid leadership approach. Hybrid leaders strongly emphasize empowering their teams and by delegating authority and fixing accountability, they inculcate a sense of ownership among team members. These actions, in turn, inspire teams to exceed expectations and deliver superior value on performance parameters. The approach also encourages teams to take initiative, explore new ideas, embrace responsibility, and ultimately contribute to the success story of the organisation.
c) Diversity Culture: Promoting diversity and inclusivity is among the leading priorities of firms across the globe. Diverse opinions breed creativity, encourage innovation, and help organisations broaden their vision to leverage emerging opportunities. Hybrid leaders encourage diversity and create a culture of constant improvement by involving stakeholders in the value creation, communication, and delivery process. In other words, hybrid leaders lay a strong foundation for creativity and innovation by embedding diversity and inclusivity in the culture of the organization.
d) Technology Transformation: Technology adoption and integration are among the most pressing concerns for top management of firms around the world today. Hybrid leaders with their open, embracing, and constructive attitudes can power the “technology transformation” and transform them into tech-forward businesses. Hybrid leaders put a great emphasis on data-based decisions, new-age tech solutions, and the digital transformation of businesses. All these things come together and help firms in making informed decisions that are firmly grounded in data-driven business models.
e) Progressive Approach: Another striking benefit of hybrid leadership is the sharp focus of the approach on the future. Hybrid leaders devote a considerable amount of time to making organisations future-proof. This is done through fostering transparency, seamless communication, and offering equal opportunities to one and all. Further, the coaching approach helps hybrid leaders establish a strong bond with their team members which, in turn, proves very effective in boosting both top-line and bottom-line performance of the organization.
f) Collaborative Efforts: With the business challenges becoming increasingly interdisciplinary, the need to adopt a collaborative approach couldn’t be overemphasized. Hybrid leaders enable teams to exchange ideas and foster inter-functional coordination to achieve superior business results. In fact, hybrid leaders foster this collaborative approach across the value chain of the business ecosystems to deliver superior customer experiences at significantly lower costs.
Owing to its numerous benefits across the hierarchical levels, the hybrid leadership approach is fast gaining prominence in the corporate world. Hybrid leaders are in high demand across businesses and by boosting the performance of firms to the next level, these top echelons can become instrumental in transforming the very face of the global business environment. Importantly, the approach is immensely beneficial as it creates a win-win situation for all stakeholders in business ecosystems and can take the productivity and profitability of firms to a whole new level.
(The author is Satya D Sinha, Co-founder & CEO, Mancer Consulting, and the views expressed in this article are his own)
