Directors urged to adopt agile leadership style for business optimisation

As the workplace and the future of work get revolutionised by the Covid-19 pandemic and technological trends, organisational and business leaders has been urged to adopt the agile leadership style to optimize their businesses.

This was the thrust of the hybrid May 2022 edition of the Institute of Directors (IoD) Nigeria Members Evening with the theme, “Agile Leadership and Governance in Unprecedented Times: What Future for Company Directors?”

Toyin Folashade Sanni, executive vice chair, Emerging Africa Group, in admitting these are unprecedented times, said leaders have to rethink their strategy. “Business and technologies forces already required organisations to manage change and make decisions more quickly than ever before”.

Sanni, who was the guest speaker at the IoD May 2022 Members’ Evening said that by adopting the agile leadership technique, organisations and leaders can survive and thrive in times of crisis and change.

According to her, agile leaders identify trends that will continue beyond the crisis period. “Agile leaders have more than one strategy; they think ahead and guess the future. Agile leaders define areas of greatest risk and take action; use downturns to reshape your business for the future; new leadership styles for tomorrow’s challenges,” Sanni said.

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Ije Jidenma, president and chairman of the Governing Council, IoD, said the event offers members the opportunity to engage and build strong networks with each other. According to her, the IoD Members’ Evening is an important networking event aimed at promoting interactions and engagement opportunities amongst existing members and non-members alike.

She said that the networking takes place through knowledge sharing sessions and discourse on relevant issues of economic importance, and nation-building from the perspectives of the public and private sector.

“It also provides the opportunity for our members to air their views and exchange ideas with other members of the Institute on developments in the socio-economic and business environment. I believe everyone will leave this event with one or two valuable lessons to take home.

According to her, the theme of the May edition of the IoD Members’ Evening underscores the need to improve Directors’ response to organisational issues and threats in these uncertain times, and it reinforces the need for agile, swift and vibrant leadership.