We’re all the same size on screen

In conversation with Amanda Sinclair, Professorial Fellow at Melbourne Business School and expert in leadership, change and diversity 

As organizations adjust to new ways of working, what makes great leadership?

Amanda Sinclair is a widely published author who is recognized in academic and corporate circles as a pioneer in diversity and women in leadership. We asked her what leaders need to focus on in a hybrid environment, and what that environment means for inclusivity.

Is leadership changing as employers move to a hybrid model? 

What this experience has shown us is that leaders must have ways of empowering their people. You can't watch over them or keep them under surveillance: you need to show them you trust them and care about them. And make them feel like they have a voice – that they can speak truth to power. 

This all calls for a different kind of leadership. In the past, managers were rewarded for being focused on the output at any cost, rather than thinking about how to get there together with their team. That will have to change. 

So what do you think is leaders’ most important characteristic now?

The thing that has emerged time and time again is the importance of trust, which has been a fascinating one to watch play out politically. 

A really great example is Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand's Prime Minister: she's demonstrated an extraordinary level of trust in her community and an amazing responsiveness to them. And research has also shown that the reason Denmark, for instance, has had a high compliance rate with Covid-19 restrictions is trust in the government. 

In the workplace, the question that's come up for many employees is, are we trusted to work at home? Leaders need to be able to show that they are.

Do you think leaders already have the skills to cope with this new working environment, or do they need to up-skill?

The whole portfolio of important leadership skills has changed radically.