Seizing The Reset Moment & Traits of Future Leaders

December 20, 2021 Victoria Bushnell

In the final interview from our Reset Series, OneLeap’s CEO, Hamish Forsyth met with Oli Barrett (MBE) to discuss The Reset Moment. What opportunities lie on the horizon for businesses as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, and what can business leaders do to seize them? Watch the conversation highlights here.

A member of OneLeap’s entrepreneur community, Oli Barrett (MBE) is a prominent “node” within the UK start-up and business world. As co-founder of StartUp Britain, Chair of The Times Growth Summit, and board member of London Tech Advocates, to name but a few of his passions, Oli is uniquely positioned to talk about the overlapping worlds of start-ups, innovation, and corporate leadership.

THE RESET MOMENT: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR LEADERS?

The Reset Moment presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reflect and explore new opportunities. For leaders in particular, there is a fleeting moment to reflect and seize the opportunity to “keep the glue unstuck” – to choose consciously to keep doing things differently than before.

Below we summarise the key ideas for business leaders discussed between Oli Barrett and Hamish Forsyth when they met virtually to discuss The Reset Moment.

WHAT CAN LEADERS DO TO SEIZE THE RESET MOMENT?

REFLECTING IS EVERYTHING

Among the turbulence of emerging from a global pandemic there is a very real risk that business leaders will miss the opportunity to reflect upon the things that went wrong, but also importantly, the things that went right.

There is no ‘good time’ for reflection, particularly when firefighting. However, leaders need to find the time to reflect to avoid building back worse.

“Famously Eisenhower said, "Plans are useless, but planning is everything”, and maybe the recovery equivalent is, ‘Reflections are useless, but reflecting is everything’.”

RETHINKING THE WAY WE WORK

Now is the moment to question not only what we do, but also how we do it:

Should we be working four days a week, instead of five?
How can ‘side hustles’ be a bigger part of our working lives?
What can we do to promote cross-sectoral work?

“If we don’t [take the time to rethink the way we work], we might have come out of a formal lockdown, but we will stay in a mental lockdown for the next few years.”

SPARKING CREATIVITY

Are adaptations that stuck during the pandemic hampering our collective creativity? Oli raises the question of what more can we do to amplify voices that may have previously gone unheard, and stimulate cross-sector creativity:

CROSS-SECTOR MENTORING

We are seeing a rise in cross-sectoral work, but how can we promote cross-sector peer mentoring - How do we create spaces where people are free to take risks with ideas, express ignorance, change their minds, and be challenging?

Big companies have an opportunity to become connectors and convenors by offering up space (whether it’s through hot desking, or room for clubs and speaking events) to entrepreneurs, scientists, and students.

THE BIG BROTHER EFFECT

Recording meetings brings value through the ability to share and re-watch content. But the flipside needs to be considered by leaders too - are we muting our true selves in the knowledge we are being recorded?

People need spaces to be vulnerable and flippant – to express passion, and at times, frustration.

WATER COOLER MOMENTS

Corridor conversations, water cooler conversations, post-work drinks and after-parties all provide an opportunity for ideas to collide with a positive outcome.

What can we do in an increasingly virtual and hybrid world to create these thought sparks?

“The ability to take risks with ideas, to create experiments, to push boundaries. My goodness, we need that more than ever at the moment.”

To conclude, we asked Oli to share his thoughts on the traits that leaders will need to successfully leverage this Reset Moment.

TRAITS OF FUTURE LEADERS

Bold leaders of the future will be highly connected - not only within their line of expertise, but also within their peer group, and across sectors. This will become more critical as the workplace changes and operating across time zones becomes more commonplace.
Curiosity and openness will be superpowers. Business leaders are constantly under pressure to form a view, express an opinion, and come to a formal conclusion. However, acknowledging uncertainty and expressing vulnerability are important to develop empathy and build relationships at a distance.
The future winners in business will be those that have a developed understanding of what a company is and can be for. For start-ups, the notion of B-corporations and sustainability will be embedded from the start. For corporates, we will move beyond cashflow forecasts, to impact forecasts.

With thanks to Oli for taking the time to share his views with us!

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