Skip to main content

Site navigation

  • University of Technology Sydney home
  • Home

    Home
  • For students

  • For industry

  • Research

Explore

  • Courses
  • Events
  • News
  • Stories
  • People

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Study at UTS

    • arrow_right_alt Find a course
    • arrow_right_alt Course areas
    • arrow_right_alt Undergraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Postgraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Research Masters and PhD
    • arrow_right_alt Online study and short courses
  • Student information

    • arrow_right_alt Current students
    • arrow_right_alt New UTS students
    • arrow_right_alt Graduates (Alumni)
    • arrow_right_alt High school students
    • arrow_right_alt Indigenous students
    • arrow_right_alt International students
  • Admissions

    • arrow_right_alt How to apply
    • arrow_right_alt Entry pathways
    • arrow_right_alt Eligibility
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for students

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Apply for a coursearrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Scholarshipsarrow_right_alt
  • Featured industries

    • arrow_right_alt Agriculture and food
    • arrow_right_alt Defence and space
    • arrow_right_alt Energy and transport
    • arrow_right_alt Government and policy
    • arrow_right_alt Health and medical
    • arrow_right_alt Corporate training
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Tech Central
    • arrow_right_alt Case studies
    • arrow_right_alt Research
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for industry

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Partner with usarrow_right_alt
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Explore our research
    • arrow_right_alt Research centres and institutes
    • arrow_right_alt Graduate research
    • arrow_right_alt Research partnerships
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for research

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Research centres and institutesarrow_right_alt
  • University of Technology Sydney home
Explore the University of Technology Sydney
Category Filters:
University of Technology Sydney home University of Technology Sydney home
  1. home
  2. arrow_forward_ios ... Newsroom
  3. arrow_forward_ios ... 2019
  4. arrow_forward_ios 04
  5. arrow_forward_ios Leaders need these five qualities to stay relevant

Leaders need these five qualities to stay relevant

3 April 2019

In a work environment characterised by continuous change, the top-down hierarchy of companies of the 21st century has been reimagined by a new paradigm: collaboration.

people brainstorming with post-its

There is now a need for new, adaptable leadership styles in which leaders move away from being a detached voice of authority and empower their employees with trust and autonomy.

Here are the five key qualities that future leaders need to succeed.

1. Adaptability

Today’s senior leaders are likely to have started out their careers in significantly different work environments than exist today. TV portrayals such as Office Space and The Office paint a picture of the old corporate culture of hierarchy and uninspiring workspaces, and a time in which competitive wage packages and promotions trumped quality of life and purpose. 

The ranks of today’s workforce have been filled out by millennials; having changed significantly from the heyday of the baby-boomers, there is now a greater focus on doing good for the benefit of social and technological progress. Edelman’s 2019 Trust Barometer explored this desire for change and found that 76 per cent of employees believe that CEOs should take the lead on change rather than waiting for it to be imposed by the government.

As the values of their workforce change, so must the leaders - requiring receptivity to new points of view and negative feedback. To enable a highly driven and invested workforce, leaders must learn how to motivate their staff in more subtle ways than giving a pay-bump. 

2. Decisiveness

Since globalisation began, the speed at which change occurs in the world has continued to increase at an exponential rate. Whilst cartography and ship-building may have first bridged barriers created by oceans, social media and a 24-hour news cycle can now bridge the gap between any two individuals across the globe within seconds. 

Given these advances, news and fake news can travel at alarming speed with devastating impact. This climate requires highly decisive leadership and the ability to make quick decisions in real-time. The most effective leaders will thrive in this new, chaotic world and react with agility. 

From the perspective of the workforce, it’s also imperative for leaders to be actively engaged beyond the direct agendas of their own business, as 71 per cent of employees agree that it’s critical for CEOs to respond to industry, political, and national crisis events in challenging times (Edelman 2019 Trust Barometer).

Discover the skills and connections to grow into a future leader

Learn more

3. Resilience

As communication has sped up, so too has the broader pace of innovation. This now means that, rather than being an infrequent occurrence, disruption has become the new normal. To remain competitive and weather this volatile environment, leaders must develop a culture that fights to maintain progress through innovation, resilience, creativity, and critical thinking.

Scott Farquar, the Australian CEO and Co-Founder of Atlassian Corporation - now estimated to be worth US$1Billion - adopted this approach when building his company. From the days as a start-up in his university share-house, he endured many bumps on his path to success through delayed product launches, products failing after hitting the market and most notably, a failed bid to develop Redfern’s Australian Technology Park.

By enduring these trials, Farquar learnt the value of resilience and the importance of this in workplace culture, making the persistent effort to utilise the full potential of his team, and using this to create a competitive advantage. 

4. Transparency

Living an ‘always on’ life through social media has become a convention that has created a universal desire for greater transparency in other areas of life. This now translates to work and has created an expectation for leaders to demonstrate transparency through frequent and authentic communication.

For leaders, consistent communication and listening to your workforce signals to your staff that they play a role in the decision-making process. Being open about how your organisation is performing also allows you to take your staff along on the journey, rather than limiting this insight to the leadership team. The effect of this is that your staff feel more invested, accountable, and loyal, which ultimately results in greater productivity.

5. Democracy

Authoritarian leaders in today’s workplace often fail to inspire, as employees who see themselves as future leaders become alienated when dictated to and those with less ambition become subdued into passive compliance. The end result is the alienation and demoralisation of the workforce and, according to 2019 G2 Crowd Employee Engagement report, the behaviour of managers can significantly impact employee retention, with 11 per cent citing the behaviour of their manager as a key reason for resigning. 

An alternative democratic style of management has proven highly successful as it reduces the layers of management that staff must navigate in order to do their jobs – enabling greater collaboration and horizontal development. 

Future leaders will have to earn their position in this flatter team structure in which titles alone aren’t enough to create influence. The best of these leaders will earn the trust and respect of their team through continually demonstrating, in a highly transparent environment, that they are the most capable person to run the organisation.

UTS postgraduate courses provide students with the skills and connections to grow into future leaders.
Learn about our postgraduate options and find the right course for you.

Share
Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share this on LinkedIn
Back to Postgrad blog

Related News

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation and the Boorooberongal People of the Dharug Nation upon whose ancestral lands our campuses now stand. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands. 

University of Technology Sydney

City Campus

15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007

Get in touch with UTS

Follow us

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Facebook

A member of

  • Australian Technology Network
Use arrow keys to navigate within each column of links. Press Tab to move between columns.

Study

  • Find a course
  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • How to apply
  • Scholarships and prizes
  • International students
  • Campus maps
  • Accommodation

Engage

  • Find an expert
  • Industry
  • News
  • Events
  • Experience UTS
  • Research
  • Stories
  • Alumni

About

  • Who we are
  • Faculties
  • Learning and teaching
  • Sustainability
  • Initiatives
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Campus and locations
  • Awards and rankings
  • UTS governance

Staff and students

  • Current students
  • Help and support
  • Library
  • Policies
  • StaffConnect
  • Working at UTS
  • UTS Handbook
  • Contact us
  • Copyright © 2025
  • ABN: 77 257 686 961
  • CRICOS provider number: 00099F
  • TEQSA provider number: PRV12060
  • TEQSA category: Australian University
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility