
Why leaders should learn to value the boundary spanners
Entrepreneurial talent who work with other teams often run into trouble with their managers. Here are ways to get the most out of your ‘boundary spanners’...
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by Michael R. Wade Published July 13, 2021 in Brain Circuits • 2 min read
Disruption in a variety of forms has shot through the economy over the past few years and shows little sign of slowing down. At IMD’s Global Center for Digital Business Transformation we studied the leaders of these transformations and the qualities they needed to succeed. Our research found that effective leaders in environments characterized by significant disruption shared some common characteristics, and labeled them as agile leaders.
In addition to having these characteristic, agile leaders tended to exhibit the following behaviors.
Agile leaders who rank highly on these competencies and behaviors tend to significantly out-perform other leaders on measures such as work engagement and leadership effectiveness in highly uncertain environments. So, ask yourself: are you displaying these behaviors on a regular basis? If not, what do you need to work on to become more of an agile leader?
TONOMUS Professor of Strategy and Digital
Michael R Wade is TONOMUS Professor of Strategy and Digital at IMD and Director of the TONOMUS Global Center for Digital and AI Transformation. He directs a number of open programs such as Leading Digital and AI Transformation, Digital Transformation for Boards, Leading Digital Execution, Digital Transformation Sprint, Digital Transformation in Practice, Business Creativity and Innovation Sprint. He has written 10 books, hundreds of articles, and hosted popular management podcasts including Mike & Amit Talk Tech. In 2021, he was inducted into the Swiss Digital Shapers Hall of Fame.
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