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In the age of Wiki, rampant freelancing and cross-generational workplaces, French writer Emmanuel Gobillot details a new type of leader: The decentralized leader. Read on.
 
THE DUTIES OF A LEADER:

• She engages people
• She creates alignment, accountability, and commitment to the task at hand

 
CHANGES TO MODERN LEADERSHIP:

• Demographics – Now, four different generations of workers exist in the workplace; leaders must be able to connect to employees of all generations
• Expertise – We can access a greater number of people who may have as much knowledge as a professional in that field.
• Attention – It’s harder to maintain attention. So, we rely on our communities — a single newspaper, newsfeed or web community — to distill information.
• Control – Leaders rarely have direct control over their talent, especially since many now work for several bosses at once.

 
TO DEAL WITH THIS CHANGE, LEADERS NEED TO:

• Create simplicity – Leaders promote simplicity by reminding the group what it stands for — the guiding principle that governs the team. 
• Create a narrative – Groups must understand how they contribute, what they need to accomplish, and how things are changing. They will adjust their actions according to these changes to meet their roles and goals. 
• Establish tasks, not roles – Roles—such as job titles—can restrict workers to very specific tasks. Assigning tasks for employees, rather than solid roles, allows individuals to create multi-faceted identities at work. 

Leaders need to assign tasks that appeal to the identities workers create for themselves. 

• Establish love: People do need to be paid fair wages, but it’s not enough to keep them committed. They need to love their work, so they enjoy their tasks. A leader should focus on building a strong, thriving community, and the people will work for that community.