According to leadership expert and consultant Mark Fritzthere, there are essential skills that combine to enable professionals to excel as leaders, citing the ability to handle ambiguity, resolve conflict and handle dilemmas. But he adds that it is a fourth that defines truly great leadership.

The digital era is creating a new generation of procurement professionals. and of course that comes with its own challenges, good leaders are essentially great problem solvers, and applying that ability in any environment is what sets great leaders apart from the rest.

According to leadership expert and consultant Mark Fritzthere, there are essential skills that combine to enable professionals to excel as leaders, citing the ability to handle ambiguity, resolve conflict and handle dilemmas. But he adds that it is a fourth that defines truly great leadership.

In an age where people fear for their jobs, leading people through a change in their career is becoming more and more important. In most organisations, leaders will have an eye on those they believe could succeed them. So how does that look in a shifting environment? How can you realistically mould someone for a role that may not yet exist?

“The number one thing you have to hire for is business judgement,” Mark adds. “The ability to make decisions will always be necessary, even more so as we enter a data-driven era. Having analytics is one thing – making decisions with it is another.”

It’s pertinent. Much of the guidance when roles change or restructure relates to mindset and how the individual offers value to the organisation. There’s a huge psychological aspect because people want to know what it means to them; they want to remain relevant. Addressing that is arguably the biggest challenge organisations face in the digital era.

You need to create role models that demonstrate the change – and you need to be that role model too. People copy what they see that works. If there are more key role models driving in the direction you want to go, the average person will try to adapt and go the way you want. The fastest way to adapt a culture is to have strong role models in key positions at every level of the organisation. Without them, people just stay the same.”