THE global investment community has a clear message for Saudi CEOs and senior corporate executives: Disruption of markets can only be met with disruption of old-school leadership methods. So adapt your personal leadership style. Today's disruptive forces in technology and digitization, privatization and corporatization, demographics and consumer behavior, all are challenging the limitations of legacy leadership not only in Saudi but worldwide. The need for a new leadership mindset is amplified in a market like Saudi Arabia. In fact, in the new Korn Ferry Self-Disruptive Leader study, 70% of investors surveyed said they believe Saudi companies need to deliver significant transformational change in the next 3 to 5 years to succeed in today's rapidly changing economic environment. For this study, we spoke to 795 investors and business analysts from around the globe, including a panel focused on analyzing Saudi companies. We wanted to hear directly from those controlling investment funds what they expect from top corporate leaders to give them confidence companies can navigate the turbulent waters of today's rapidly changing business environment. Two messages came across loud and clear. First, senior leadership matters today more than ever before. Globally, 78% of investors pointed to the CEO as critically important when deciding in which companies to invest and 76% said confidence in the senior leadership team is the number one consideration influencing investment decisions. In Saudi, 75% of investors believe the need for transformation will make leadership more important to company performance over the next 3 years. However, it's the second message that should raise red flags in boardrooms everywhere. On average, only 15% of executives worldwide have what it takes to be truly great leaders in today's business world. That number is consistent across most markets we studied. In Saudi, only 32% of leaders were viewed as demonstrating the level of agility and adaptability necessary to lead a real transformation. Bottom line, a new kind of future-ready leader must take priority. For the last 100 years, leaders have been taught that control, consistency and closure are the core principles of business leadership. As we accelerate further into the age of disruptive technology and the competitor landscape evolves more quickly than ever before, that is no longer a reliable blueprint for success. So what are investors and analysts looking for from senior corporate leaders today? Globally, learning agility, social and emotional intelligence are hallmarks of great leaders today. They must be able to make decisions quickly and take smart actions while motivating their people and building trust. Leaders today also need to be able to balance being both self-assured and humble. In Saudi, given the highly accelerated need for corporate transformation in an ever-changing business environment, 80% of investors see the need for leaders who can continually reinvent themselves and proactively drive change. That number is 11% above the global average. They also want to see leaders show ability to follow through on ideas with effective implementation strategy while demonstrating a greater willingness to listen to opposing ideas and better empower their people to drive ideation and results. 82% also said the want to see leaders foster greater collaboration inside and outside of organizations, bringing together diverse groups of people with different experiences and skillsets. That ranks 17% above the global market average. Most important, today's leaders need to show both an ability and willingness to adapt to an ever-changing environment. That requires a new level of self-awareness, ability to look inward at personal styles that have developed over many years, and in many cases do a full 180-degree turn on certain traditional leadership characteristics and traits they relied on to build successful careers. As part of our leadership analysis, in addition to investor surveys we looked at 150,000 executive profiles and assessments from a proprietary Korn Ferry data base to try to better define the qualities and traits that are most likely to equate to success in future business leaders. These five skillsets make up the ADAPT dimensions of leadership: • Anticipate: Demonstrate contextual intelligence to make quick judgments and create opportunities; focus on the societal needs that the organization wants to serve; provide a direction to unify collective efforts even among disoriented environments. • Drive: Energize people by fostering a sense of purpose; manage the mental and physical energy of themselves and others; nurture a positive environment to keep people hopeful, and optimistic, and intrinsically motivated. • Accelerate: Manage the flow of knowledge to produce constant innovation and the desired business outcomes; use agile processes, quick prototyping and iterative approaches to rapidly implement and commercialize ideas. • Partner: Connect and form partnerships across increasingly permeable functional and organisational boundaries; enable the exchange of ideas; combine complementary capabilities to enable high performance. • Trust: Form a new relationship between the organization and the individual that centers on mutual growth; integrate diverse perspectives and values; help individuals to uncover their sense of purpose and facilitate them in providing their maximum contribution. While these new leadership dimensions are a far cry from traditional "command and control" ideals that dominated C-suites for so many years, they reflect the characteristics of executives who have proven adept at disrupting markets and transforming corporate cultures to best position their organizations for success today. Investors are willing to admit that they share a certain level of responsibility for the shortcomings of today's executives. For years, the key measure of success isn't what have you done for me lately, rather what will you deliver in the next quarter. In fact, 70% of investors argued that short-term financial pressures stripped leaders of ability to push through innovation, digitization and real change. Investors still expect results. That will never change, particularly in a market like Saudi with high expectations for future growth and economic potential. What has changed, however, are the measures they are using to predict future success. That's where confidence in leadership matters. Those leaders who demonstrate a real ability and willingness to disrupt their own personal styles as a core strategy for disrupting markets are the ones most likely to translate that vote of confidence into an actual investment in future growth and expansion. * The writer is Senior Client Partner, Korn Ferry
