Portrait of the Manager of Tomorrow
7 July 2015
Read by 2994 persons
1. He will be more individualistic in managing his career
The time of long careers within the same company is over. Unlike his predecessors, the manager of tomorrow will have a more individualistic management of his career and will be much less attached to the company and its values. If companies can now more easily separate themselves from an employee, the latter is also freer in his movements and entitled to go elsewhere to see if the grass is greener...
2. He will be a shrewd psychologist
The introduction of the LMD (Licence-Master-Doctorat) curriculum in the 2000s is one of the direct causes of the increasingly high level of qualification of employees who will expect more interesting tasks from their manager in their daily work. The need for recognition and personal fulfillment will be stronger and will be added to the classic requirements of remuneration and benefits. The manager of tomorrow will therefore need to be a shrewd psychologist and listen more attentively to the needs of his collaborators to maintain their motivation.
3. He will be a mediator between his hierarchy and his teams
Proximity and empathy will be the key words for the manager of tomorrow. In a considerably degraded social climate, the manager will have to learn to channel the pressure exerted by his hierarchy in order to convey it less directly to his teams. He will be increasingly required to act as "human resources" to reconcile the profitability requirements of his hierarchy and the well-being of his teams, to learn to put himself in the place of others and to understand their concerns and expectations.
4. He will be socially and environmentally committed
For several years now, social and environmental responsibility has been gaining ground within companies, which are now paying more and more attention to progress that can be made in terms of professional travel or the use of computer equipment. The manager of tomorrow will have to learn to lead by example. This will mean sorting his waste, checking that the lights are turned off when leaving, or reducing his paper consumption. These are all small ecological gestures that will demonstrate his awareness of his environmental responsibility.
5. He will be a project manager at heart
To be able to compete with the competition brought about by the globalization of markets, companies of all sizes will have to adopt the same strategies as large groups, including the outsourcing of unprofitable or poorly mastered activities. As a true project manager, the manager of tomorrow will have to deal more and more with external service providers, negotiate directly with his clients, precisely define the scope of what can be outsourced and what cannot be for reasons of quality or strategy, and contribute to breaking down professional silos.
6. He will be at the head of increasingly heterogeneous teams
With the lengthening of working hours and the unrestrained globalization of the job market, the business world will become increasingly heterogeneous. The collaborators of the same manager will become increasingly dissimilar, and he will have to learn to make them collaborate. If this diversity of age, gender, ethnic origin, or religion is the richness of a company, it also makes it complex. The manager of tomorrow will have to juggle the concerns of each individual and meet the expectations of the majority.
7. He will be resolutely more internationally focused
With India, China, and Brazil representing more than 40% of the world's population, companies that are increasing trade exchanges with them will need internationally focused profiles to continue their export activities. In addition to English, which is now essential, managers of tomorrow will need to master at least one "rare" language, including Chinese, Hindi, or Portuguese.
8. He will be essential on social networks
With the rise of professional social networks, business relationships are gradually becoming "virtualized" over the years. As a result, using all the tools to ensure professional monitoring and develop one's e-reputation will become essential for the manager of tomorrow. So much so that, very soon, not being present on the web will be almost inconceivable...
9. He will be stress-tested
Because he will operate in an increasingly competitive environment, the manager of tomorrow will need strong nerves and know how to manage his stress on a daily basis. So that it is not paralyzing, but on the contrary an important driving force, the manager of tomorrow will have to learn to deal with it, to know how to relativize a grueling professional daily life and take it upon himself.
10. He will be looking for a balance between private and professional life
While yesterday's manager gave pride of place to his career, tomorrow's manager will increasingly want to find a balance between his personal and professional lives. While they want to succeed in their careers, they are not prepared to make excessively costly sacrifices, and the rise of paternity leave in recent years reflects the desire of fathers to become more involved in the education of their children at the expense of their careers.
Philippe Montant General Manager ExeKutive.biz
