As we move headfirst into an era of increasing automation, workforce diversity and disruption, tomorrow's leaders will need to build specific skill sets to help their employees cope with the rapid changes that are on the horizon. The capabilities required will be extensive and likely require potential leaders to expand their knowledge and experience in relatively unchartered territory such as risk management, terrorism, cyber security, artificial intelligence etc.
Understanding and coping with the demands of these new areas of interest and practice will require leaders to be mindful, i.e. be able to firmly centre themselves in the present moment, visualise and strategize without feeling pressured or overburdened. They will also need to be innovative as the upcoming changes will require leaders to think of new strategies, reengineer existing models and protocols while developing and testing new methodologies and systems of practice.
Finally, leaders will need to extensively collaborate and shift from a "me" to a "we" thinking mode. With the wide scale disruption in business and industry that we are likely to see from the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, leaders will need to develop skills to work together to find solutions that can work for all. Moral dilemmas and conflicts of interests which will no doubt be part of the discussions will need to be carefully considered and addressed from a "mindful perspective" where the interests of all, and not any one of the parties concerned is paramount.
Together, these three domains form the acronym: MIC, which stands for Mindful, Innovative Collaborative Leadership, a way of thinking about leadership challenges that orients a leader to be mindful, innovative and collaborative.