In today’s IT, not only is the job market changing, but so is the very idea of leadership. The image of a manager who has all the answers and controls every process is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.
In today’s IT, not only is the job market changing, but so is the very idea of leadership. The image of a manager who has all the answers and controls every process is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.
This was stated by Renata Delporte, Senior Vice President of Human Resources (SVP HR) at SoftServe, in an interview with Forbes.
According to her, one of the main problems of modern leaders is their unwillingness to admit their own limitations. And this is precisely what becomes a critical weakness in times of change.
«I have a favorite saying for leaders. I have two news for you: good news and bad news. The good news is that God exists. The bad news is that you are not.» The ability to admit that I am not God is the most deficient trait in leaders,» she describes the key transformation that leaders must go through.
This is not just self-irony, but a fundamental change in the role of a leader. Today, what is expected of him is not omniscience, but the ability to hear, feel the team, and accept the complexity of the world without simplifications.
Delporte emphasizes: vulnerability, which was previously considered a weakness, is now becoming one of the most sought-after qualities.
«Today, you have to be alive, real, vulnerable. Because when I’m vulnerable, I feel myself and people,» she explains.
This is directly related to the effectiveness of teams. In a world where the speed of change is constantly increasing, rigid management and attempts to «know everything in advance» simply do not work. Instead, those leaders who are able to adapt with the team will benefit.
In this context, she also looks at the problem of burnout differently. According to her, it is not an individual weakness of employees, but a signal of a systemic problem in management.
«The topic of burnout for me is always about unprofessional management,» says Delporte.
The key task of a manager, according to her, is not to «squeeze the maximum», but to create conditions in which people can be effective without constant exhaustion.
«A person is not just a job. You are not just a function,» she adds.
Another important point is the ability to work with reality, not fight it. A significant part of the exhaustion, according to her observations, arises precisely from attempts to return to «the way things were before.»
In the new leadership model, the leader is not a controller or the «top of the pyramid,» but rather someone who helps the team navigate uncertainty.
And that is why, Delporte concludes, the ability to admit one’s own imperfections and stop playing the role of an «omniscient» leader is becoming not a weakness, but a competitive advantage today.
