Article: What will be the defining leadership style of the 2020s? Written by Emma Molloy Wednesday 07 December 2022 Share Share to LinkedIn Share to Facebook Share via email In the past 2,000 years we’ve moved through classical, transactional and transformational leadership. What about now? Do we need to rethink again? A group of CMI Companions discuss where modern leadership needs to be going Over the course of the 20th century, leadership has metamorphosed time and again: from the classical idea that great leaders are born not made; through authoritative, transactional leadership; to a more inspirational and motivational transformational style. With the turn of the millennium came yet another new approach to leadership: more facilitative, collaborative, authentic, people-centred, “organic”. Now we may have reached another turning point where we need to rethink the blueprint of management and leadership once more. Recently, at a roundtable facilitated by Nigel Girling CMgr CCMI, Head of Professional Qualifications at Inspirational Development Group, a group of CMI Companions discussed what might come next. “I see many organisations using the same criteria, job descriptions, interview techniques and interview questions as if they were looking for the leaders that they were looking for 20 years ago – and that worries me,” says Nigel. “The world had already moved on significantly long before we even got to a pandemic. We now have organisations full of people who are very good at things we don’t need as much as we used to, and we need more of the things that they may not be quite as good at.” So if the motto of the 1980s was command-and-control, and the buzzword of the 2010s was authenticity – what should the blueprint of the 2020s be? And how will this shift happen? Nigel put this question to a peer-learning session of CMI Companions… Want to learn more about leadership styles in the 2020s? Login or register below for Free Instant Access Login If you are already registered as a CMI Friend, Subscriber or Member, just login to view this article. Confirm your registration Login below to confirm your details and access this article. Sign in with email Email remember me remember Forget? Please confirm that you want to switch off the "Sign in with email" remember me feature. Yes No Register for Free Access Not yet a Member, Subscriber or Friend? Register as a CMI Friend for free, and get access to this and many other exclusive resources, as well as weekly updates straight to your inbox. You have successfully registered As a CMI Friend, you now have access to whole range of CMI Friendship benefits. Please login to the left to confirm your registration and access the article. Article Our extensive range of articles are designed to keep you in the loop with all the latest management and leadership best practice, research and news. Members See More CMI Members have access to thousands of online learning and CPD resources. Learn more about our membership benefits Join The Community CMI offers a variety of flexible membership solutions, tailored to your needs. Find out more and get involved in the CMI community today.