#NIBA2020: A new age demands better leadership

Award-winning leadership expert and board adviser, Dr Kirstin Ferguson spoke to delegates about leading ethically through crisis on day two of the 2020 NIBA Virtual Convention.

Dr Ferguson believes that the legacy of every leader is being written right now as we work through this current crisis.

She said, “All leaders across the world have an opportunity, right now, to assess their leadership style through understanding that the collective experience we’re going through will not just impact the way we work in the future but also what we expect from our leaders.”

Right now is the time for leaders who are adaptable and agile, transparent but decisive, empathetic but honest and above all self aware. Dr Ferguson believes that leaders need to shift from being reactive to become more comfortable with the unknown and reinvent what organisations do and how they do it.

These trying times have shown us that leaders must learn to be more attuned to their impact on their teams. She added, “The most valued leaders around the world during this crisis have been those who have been self aware and therefore able to lead decisively and courageously while doing so ethically and compassionately. Sheer intellect has not, and has never been, enough and leaders do need emotional intelligence to navigate crisis effectively.”

“It is up to leaders to create a safe space for employees, ,make people less anxious and not more. Bring your whole self to work, it will help your team be themselves.”