The Ideal Leader in a Post-Crisis Context

What is employees' opinion of company leaders in a "post-crisis" context? What qualities do they recognize in them and expect from them given the company's future challenges? Indeed, the deterioration of the economic and financial context has weakened leaders who have been forced to "implement major changes" in companies, "with a whole series of unpopular measures". In this post-crisis period, what do we expect from tomorrow's leaders?

1- The key role of frontline managers
From the employees' point of view, frontline managers now have a key role in employees' attachment to the company and their commitment to work. The personal relationship, proximity and working conditions with their manager take precedence. Therefore, to strengthen employee commitment, leaders will now have to act on levers such as equity, respect, support in times of difficulty, and trust.

2- Tomorrow's company facing managerial challenges
Following the crisis and its waves of layoffs, the company is now facing new challenges. According to a majority of employees, the company must now focus on its commercial development, on job preservation, on its reputation and on the quality of its brand image. To meet these challenges, leaders will have to evolve and return to a more participative management style.

3- Robot portrait of the ideal leader
If we draw a robot portrait of the "ideal leader" of tomorrow, they must:

• Be close to their teams
• Listen to them
• Take their opinions and suggestions into account
• Build a relationship of trust with their teams
• Have good communication skills
• Promote cooperation
• Recognize the work of their employees

They are considered a key player in establishing social ties within the company.
In short, the ideal leader in line with the challenges of the future is one who will be able to apply participative management and bring together the essential qualities in the eyes of employees such as - ability to listen and take opinions into account, ability to motivate and communicate, ability to build a relationship of trust. So, today's leaders, do you think you are among tomorrow's leaders?

Philippe Montant CEO ExeKutive.biz