Managing in the Modern Era

Ever thought that you're experiencing an increasing number of wellbeing and performance challenges?

You're not alone. David Smithson-Rudd writes about the reasons why and what you can do to move forward.

Much is made of how management evolves over time. Attitudes shift, new practices emerge, and job roles change as new concepts develop. Fundamentally, though, leaders still lead people. How they go about it needs to move with the times.

We’ve entered an era of remote or hybrid working, generative AI, purpose-centred businesses, and two generations of workers raised in the digital age, within arguably the most socially conscious era in history.

The pressure of these shifts on leaders can be significant, particularly for those who have been managing people for a long time. The question becomes: how do modern managers stay relevant and effective in this environment?

Events, dear boy, events

In a recent article, Planning without overwhelm, I referenced the state of world affairs and how they’ve impacted how people feel about the future. Leaders and employees alike are uncertain about what’s coming. We need a reality check: history shows us that humans have always existed within uncertainty.

Cycles of war and peace. Technological acceleration. Change is not new, but it feels new when you haven’t lived through it before.

At an event I attended last weekend, someone asked, “When are we going to stop using the pandemic as a marker in time?”  and it got me thinking. COVID-19 is often credited with huge societal shifts, but, as a recent Guardian article suggested, it didn’t create most of the change; it simply accelerated what was already underway.

People need a clear reason for events and developments, or perhaps, something to blame. They have ample things to choose from: political distrust, rampant climate change, disinformation, inequality, and a stagnant economy. Leaders are navigating a perfect storm, and they’re not immune to its effects.

The target of our ire

With fewer people engaging in formal politics, workplaces have become the primary outlet for people’s discontent. It’s where they spend their time, it’s where they engage with the economy, and it’s where unspoken frustrations often land.

Anecdotally, I hear the same thing from leaders across sectors: they are seeing an increased level of wellbeing and performance challenges than they once were. I initially concluded that this was due to post-pandemic mental health challenges, but what struck me was how many leaders didn’t acknowledge their own pandemic scars.

They were leading teams that were confused, frustrated, and emotionally depleted, while feeling the same way themselves. The best leaders manage their emotions well (they have to), but, in my opinion, even they have less resilience than they once did.

According to the Health & Safety Executive, 875,000 UK workers experienced work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2022/23, an increase of 45% compared to 2018/19. This figure dropped by 11% in 2023/24, but we are still left with an elevated level of work-related mental health issues.

So, what can leaders do?

Facing the future

If we accept that an employee’s main connection to the wider world is through their employer, then leaders must also accept that they have a central role in shaping how people feel about work, life, and the future.

Yes, it’s unfair, and no, it’s not your fault. The truth is that forward-thinking leaders don’t waste valuable time brooding about it, they lead through it. They remember how their own mentors made them feel capable, confident, seen. That’s what your people need right now. Here are three shifts you need to embrace:

1. From authority to authenticity

The era of command-and-control is done. People don’t follow titles anymore, they follow trust. They want to see your personality. They want consistency and compassion.

You can still be direct. You can still set high standards. If you hide behind explicit authority or formality, you’ll lose the room.

2. Acknowledgement of the world’s challenges

Leaders don’t need all the answers, but they do need to acknowledge reality.

Mental health matters. Inclusion isn’t a fad, no matter what Donald Trump says. When your organisation ignores real-world issues, such as climate change, economic insecurity and systemic inequality, your people notice. Saying nothing is saying something.

3. Prioritise development

Let’s be honest: the UK education system still doesn’t prepare young people for the working world. What we do know is that our frustrations won’t fix anything.

That’s why good leaders step in. They guide and they coach. They help people build real skills. They take development seriously (even when the workload’s heavy) because they know it’s a long-term investment.

This one’s personal for me. I did well at school, I grafted in part-time jobs from my teens, yet I still entered the workforce with gaps. It’s why I’ve always worked hard to give the teams I lead better preparation than I got.

Leading with humanity

Feeling daunted? Don’t be. This isn’t about being perfect, it’s about being real. You can still hold people accountable, still push for excellence, still drive results. If you want people to show up with commitment and care, they need to see it modelled from the top.

Managing in the modern era isn’t about chasing trends or using new buzzwords. It’s about having the emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and guts to evolve: your style, your mindset, your approach.

If any of this strikes a chord, or if your organisation could use an external perspective to help you move through this, then let’s talk. I’d love to help.