Decent article in the WSJ about tips and advice on Managing the Future Workplace. I say decent because many of the tips and pointers are items that are pretty much common sense:
Stay flexible. Managers will need a flexible organization, so that it can be repositioned quickly to address new threats and master new challenges. You will have to be prepared to re-evaluate your mission, strategy and goals more frequently than before, in order to adjust to the uncertain and changing environment.
Devour data. Managers will need to have their “ears to the ground” in order to hear changes as they are coming. That means you’ll need to seek out fresh sources of information, intelligence and data. You’ll need to follow the example of leaders like A.G. Lafley, former CEO of Procter & Gamble, who required his top executives to go out into the field and talk to the ordinary women who use P&G products.
Insist on candor. To succeed in an uncertain and rapidly changing environment, it’s critical that everyone in an organization be brutally honest. There’s no time for dealing with the small lies that people routinely use to burnish their own record or avoid offending others. Everyone needs to know exactly where things stand at all times.
Several others are there as well. To me, on top of what is said in the article, its about demonstrating leadership and knowing when to help out your team and when to get out of their way.
Onward and upward!