CORPORATE SUFI: Leadership in the current age of disruption

Today we live in a world shaped by unprecedented disruption across technological, social, economic and cultural platforms. For example, today it takes only 35 days for a new technology to reach a critical mass of 50 million users. Disruptors like Uber, Spotify and Airbnb are showing us how new patterns are replacing old ones very rapidly. The most successful companies today will need leaders who can not only anticipate change but also create it in a world that is increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous.

Let’s look at 5 key strengths that describe disruptive leaders:

1. They are authentic - Disruptive leaders embody the values they advocate and accomplish their vision through influence, not authority. Guided by their passion, and heightened self-awareness, they are able to create synergy with their genuine desire to service others through their leadership. Steve Jobs transformed the way we perceive personal computers globally. According to Steve, rather than studied analysis, creativity springs from self-belief, intuition and spontaneity; all aspects of authenticity.

2. They challenge the status quo – Disruptive leaders challenge assumptions and frameworks including their own and are not afraid to admit mistakes. “Declaring a soft drink war on Coke was madness,” recalls Richard Branson. “I consider our cola venture to be one of the biggest mistakes we ever made - but I still wouldn’t change a thing.” Since his first venture, a student magazine, Branson has created about 200 new businesses, including space travel, reflecting his distinctive non-conformist and fearless approach to life.

3. They ride the wave instead of fighting the tide – Disruptive leaders think ahead of the curve to keep their organizations relevant and meaningful. Despite the shift from the bricks and mortar-retailing model to online platforms, Starbucks has been able to consistently outperform the retail industry because it thought ahead of the curve to create an elevated Starbucks Experience. With their recent offering Roastery, they have introduced a whole new premium coffee category of customized, handcrafted beverages using cutting-edge brewing methods and delivering a ticket that is four times the ticket of a typical Starbucks store.

4. They are inclusive – Any great change cannot be accomplished without bringing together diverse people and ideas by mobilizing them around a compelling vision of the future. When Benioff started Salesforce, he instituted the 1-1-1 integrated philanthropy model, whereby the company donates 1% each of its products, equity, and employees’ time to the community. Since it’s founding, the 1-1-1 model has expanded far beyond Salesforce —companies, such as Twillio, Yelp and Atlassian have all adopted the 1-1-1 model. Igniting positive and purposeful change that goes beyond making profit, a disruptive leader is able to go beyond regulatory frameworks to creating a philosophy of initiative, collaboration and adventure.

5. They are agile and action oriented – Disruptive leaders possess a powerful vision of what they want to accomplish and they know that the only way to achieve it is doing what needs to be done. Often the uncertainty derived from navigating continuous changes means that leaders have to operate in conditions where they rarely have enough data to make informed decisions. Yet they have the courage to leap into the unknown with little more than their gut instinct and insights drawn from experimentation.

In the age of disruption, leaders who are not afraid to embrace uncertainty and inspire their teams to forge ahead by being their best will be the ones to create value that is both inclusive and meaningful.