The year 2022 is finally coming to an end. This year has been a dramatic one. It started with the fear of Omicron and ended with the fear of recession. However, we have seen prosperity, a positive outlook, and a thriving job market, as well as war, a looming crisis, and sectors suffering.
This year reminded me of the city of Dublin. If you visit Dublin, you can witness four seasons in one day. Almost every economic and social ups and downs in the previous 365 days can be seen in this way.
When the storm hits, it is the true test of leadership—how well can you steer the ship? How well can you set examples? How well can you lead? Here are some memorable leadership examples that we can take with us into 2023.
- Remember to Walk the talk –
Remember when your boss forbids or discourages you to do something and then gets caught red handed doing that. That kind of behavior didn’t sit well in 2022.
Boris Johnson, accused of hosting parties during the lockdown, when they were telling everyone to stay indoors and practice social distancing, made it worse for him. He had to ultimately resign as Prime Minister of the UK. This is a classic example of a leader who didn’t walk the talk.
2023 will be a litmus test for leadership in this manner. Leaders will be challenged, removed, and questioned if they don’t walk the talk. For example, they talk about cost cutting, but they are caught indulging with company money when they could have saved that cost or if they preach openness and transparency but do not practice them. 2023 will give a hard time to such leaders, so it is time to start walking the talk.
2. The need for a War time CEO –
For many organizations 2023 will be a year for essential but drastic transformations. Tough decisions, unpopular decisions need to be made and a new kind of leadership needs to take the center stage.
Disney was one of the first companies to set precedence on this. They invited their former CEO, Bob Eiger, to take the top job back. The official announcement stated, “The Board has concluded that as Disney embarks on an increasingly complex period of industry transformation, Bob Iger is uniquely situated to lead the company through this pivotal period.” This is a classic example of the need for a wartime leader. If you want to transform your company and team in the coming period, you would need a new type of leadership, i.e., a wartime CEO who is capable of making necessary yet unpopular choices, can make decisions under stress, and has a clear vision and a bigger picture in mind. It is not necessary to get a new leader, but the existing leaders should invoke this wartime CEO style of leadership in them if they want their people to reach the transformation goals in 2023.
3. In the end, it’s all about the relationships you build –
Can you build strong bonds with your colleagues even if you are working in a super competitive, cutthroat environment? I’ve seen firsthand what a toxic culture can be created when people wield daggers and knives. 2022 did teach us that we can make and build relationships even while being competitive and ambitious.
The best example of this was the emotional moment when tennis legend Roger Federer played his last match. No doubt it was an emotional moment for him, but it was heartwarming to see his longtime rival Rafael Nadal equally emotional. Everyone’s attention was drawn to Nadal’s tears during Federer’s final game.
This was an iconic moment that emphasizes that your success isn’t just measured by your victories, losses, gains, and profits but also by the relationships you build at your workplace. If you are a leader, reflect on this, imagine, and think about how many lives you have touched and how many strong relationships of trust and respect you will build in 2023.
4. Less is more when it comes to meetings –
Its a good time to look back at your 2022 calendar and see how many meetings you had. Now think how many of those meetings could you have avoided. I am sure quite a few.
2023 is going to be a year of change which means we need to make space in your calendar and brain to be able to cope with that transition. If you continue with the “ I am very busy” tag this year, then you will find yourself in the wrong side of the year. So we have to make time to learn, unlearn and relearn new skills, methods and transformation to be able to ride on top of this wave of change.
Elon Musk wrote an email to the Twitter family telling them on how they should operate with meeting. Now there are many things that Elon Musk did or didn’t in 2022 that can be put under scrutiny if they were effective or correct, but his take on meetings is definitely effective. Here are the main highlights
- Dodge big meetings
- Ditch frequent meetings
- Leave a meeting if you’re not contributing
- Drop the jargon
- Communicate directly, irrespective of hierarchy
- Follow logic, not rules
5. The most important thing is to have fun and be unapologetic about it –
Yes, we know 2023 will be a tough year. But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have fun. There needs to be magic in the mundane to make sure we can bounce back stronger and better. The video of the Finnish Prime Minister dancing at a party went viral in 2022. Initially the reaction was a little divided, but the unapologetic reaction of the PM, Sanna Marin, sends a strong message. Of course, it shouldn’t be like the first point (you tell your people to be in lockdown and then you party). Personally, this is one thing I will take with me into 2023. In the midst of reorganization, cost cutting, a mundane outlook, budget cuts, and high pressure, I will remember and remind my team to have fun every now and then to recharge their batteries and comeback fresh with new energy and zeal.
What did you learn in 2022 that you will take with you into 2023? 2023 doesn’t seem to be a booming year, but we can still make a turnaround if we do it right, if we do it together, and if we do it now.
2022 was the launch year of Method in Madness. We did 11 blogs, 28 podcast episodes and 3 workshops. In 2023, we will be back with more stories on leadership, transformation and change. Thanks for your support in our madness journey. Fasten your seatbelts, 2023 is going to get even more mad.
Have a lovely holiday and fantastic end of the year.
