The very nature of leadership has changed because of the pandemic and other disruptive forces. As a result, the human element will play an important role in leadership in a post-pandemic world.
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More than 200 distributors across product segments, generations and geographies agreed with these two core premises in the new report, “Reimagining Leadership,” the first in a triannual series of reports called “The Future of Distribution” from Dirk Beveridge, Founder of UnleashWD and Executive Producer at We Supply America.
Core findings include:
- 78% of the survey respondents agreed that the very nature of leadership is changing.
- 83% believe we must lead differently coming out of the pandemic than how we led going in.
- Despite recognizing the need for change, however, more than half of survey respondents said distributors are still leading in an antiquated way through Managing and Controlling, and just 6% believe businesses are currently embracing the Noble Calling of leadership. At this level, management is called by a higher purpose and is intent on making an oversized impact on and beyond the bottom line.
- There is a 41 percentage-point difference between where leaders are now (Managing and Controlling), and where distributors said they need to be in the next five years (Noble Calling) if they want to succeed.
- 93% believe that the human element will play an important role in leadership in a post-pandemic world.
“Distributors are at an inflection point. If they want to survive, they must chart a new course,” Beveridge said. “They need to embrace some qualities and let go of others that led to their success in the past. The ability to move quickly and embrace creative solutions must be a core competency. They must innovate the leadership role.”
The research results and analysis, as well as a guide for distributors to take action, are available free to download at leadership.futureofdistribution.com.
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