A new type of leadership is frequently required in reaction to changes in the technical, sociological, or economic spheres. Traditional leadership styles might not be enough as we negotiate complex global concerns like climate change, technology upheaval, and pandemic recovery. So, is a new kind of leadership necessary?

As to Renée McGowan, CEO of Marsh McLennan IMEA, this new leadership strategy could prioritise teamwork, empathy, and the capacity to effectively handle ambiguity and shift. McGowan, a global citizen of Australian descent, has developed a 25-year career leading local and multinational companies in well-known locations throughout the globe.
Her inaugural book, The Friday Email—88 Tips for Aspiring Leaders, is the result of her voracious curiosity and creative methods for fortifying human-to-human interactions as a leader. At its core is her commitment to developing the leaders of tomorrow.

The CEO-turned-author dives deeply into the idea of choosing mastery over success, the idea of slowing down to accelerate development, and the critical role cognitive diversity will play in defining company success in the years to come in an in-depth interview with Khaleej Times.
What inspired you to create the "Friday Email" idea?

It was an idea I had during COVID. We had a discussion as a team about how to function in this setting where social interaction is restricted, given that I was accustomed to traversing the world and interacting with coworkers. I had an open discussion about "how am I going to do this" with the individuals I was working with at first.

How are we going to build relationships?
One suggestion was to begin with an email, but no one wants to receive another one, particularly during COVID-19. We nonetheless made the decision to give it a shot. I made a short film one Friday while I was feeling really happy after going for a run. In actuality, the first one was a video. We decided to write again the following Friday since the response was so enthusiastic, and things really took off from there.

What emotional difficulty did you observe emerging in businesses during the epidemic as a business leader?

The primary impact of the epidemic was, understandably, the stress it placed on everyone. However, there are even more concerns when you compound the stress of your job. I was quite pleased of our company since we declared early on in the pandemic that no coworker would lose their job at the worldwide height of the outbreak. In order to let coworkers know that it doesn't matter if you're not giving it your all at this moment—we understand that you have other responsibilities—I also wanted to emphasise that.

The reason for this was that they wanted to avoid worrying about their work on top of everything else they had to worry about, such the health of their family, how their children would fare in school, and how some individuals might struggle to feed themselves at certain times. Removing the major source of stress that was the unpredictability of work was one aspect of it. Subsequently, it transitioned into extremely uplifting messaging that could inspire the teams.

Q. This is a great illustration of compassionate leadership, which is much needed these days, particularly in light of the epidemic. You mention in the book that leaders of the future will not resemble those of the present at all. Could you explain the distinction to me?

I must admit that at the time, Daniel S. Glaser, our worldwide president and CEO, set the tone from the top by making that statement. An organization's management and leadership actions establish the tone that eventually affects the entire organisation. As I previously indicated, Covid actually opened up this human-to-human link.

We are all feeling a human-to-human connection, regardless of our position within the business or degree of achievement. This is what I believe will have the biggest influence going forward because it will get simpler to have access to more information and make more decisions based on insights that are provided to you.

It's likely going to grow more difficult to determine the kind of people and talents you need, as well as how to develop them. This will call for empathy and a human-to-human connection, which will be essential for tomorrow's leaders.

The leader of tomorrow won't be able to get one viewpoint from their closest friend or relative. As our problems get increasingly complicated, we will require a variety of viewpoints, including cultural and cognitive diversity. For me, this was a major revelation.
I believed that my team was varied. However, I had an epiphany: we were the best team I've ever been a part of, very productive, and entertaining. However, it got to the point where we understood that because we all had the same viewpoints, our ability to execute at a high level would be constrained. We loved working together because of this.

Q. How can team leaders foster cognitive diversity?

This is the reason I address cognitive diversity in the book as well, as it presents a far greater challenge for a leader to surround themselves with varied thought forms. It seems novel, difficult, and uneasy. And occasionally, having others around who agree with you might possibly make things simpler and even more enjoyable.

Perhaps if you laughed along as well, things would go more quickly. Conversely, if you surround yourself with diverse thought forms, you will need to discuss issues because of the disparities in viewpoints. For a leader, it may present a totally different problem, but in the end, this is what will ultimately decide the team's progress.

What does professional progress mean to you?
It has to do with lifelong learning. If you arrive at work one day and there's nothing new to learn, in my opinion, you should start planning your next course of action. Even after 22 years with the company, I still learn something new practically every day. Therefore, I truly believe that progress is centred around that ongoing learning process. at order to learn as much as you can and become proficient at asking insightful questions, you should try to absorb as much information as you can.

Q. You also imply that there's room for everyone to win in the book. It frequently feels the exact opposite in a professional situation when competition is high.
We're all going to flourish in various ways, so there's more than enough room for anyone to succeed. Even if two persons are performing the same task, everyone will approach it differently and have advantages and disadvantages of their own. For me, it all boils down to that diversity puzzle. When you acknowledge that each individual is unique and will contribute a variety of abilities and viewpoints, you will find plenty space for everyone to flourish. For this reason, I also emphasise the value of developing an abundant mentality as a fundamental component of effective leadership.

What is the best way to develop an abundant mindset? What are the biggest obstacles that individuals still encounter when attempting to embrace it?
A "growth mindset," which views potential as nearly limitless, is linked to an abundance mindset. In contrast, a scarcity mindset concentrates on the constraints. Thinking in that way makes you imagine opportunities as slices of pie, with some receiving greater chunks than others. This ongoing concern of "not enough" fosters rivalry rather than cooperation. When someone is inherently ambitious, they frequently have a propensity to mistake their own achievement for others' failures to meet your own standards of success.
According to an abundant mindset, there is more than enough space for each of us to succeed and every situation doesn't require a winner and a loser. Some individuals find it difficult to understand that there is room for others to achieve because of their inherent desire, but if you can shift your perspective, you can make plenty of space for numerous people to flourish. Your perspective changes as you adopt an abundant attitude from "I can't" to "How can I?" and "Not enough" to "There's always more — how can we make that happen?"
As a culture, we're starting to place too much emphasis on achievement instead of developing a set of specialised talents or a set of professional values. Why, in your opinion, is it crucial to prioritise mastery over success?

It truly comes down to how we're living our lives right now, where being "busy" has almost become a status symbol as we emphasise our hectic schedules and how quickly we're advancing both emotionally and professionally. This method has the risk of making us mistakenly believe that being busy equals productivity. Ultimately, we choose the easy instead of the difficult but essential. In The Friday Email, I talk about how important it is to choose mastery above achievement.
Think of mastery as the continuous journey rather than merely arriving at a destination, and success as a certain point in time. When something is fully mastered, it indicates that you have invested the necessary time to study it, developed into an expert, and realised how far you still have to go. If your sole emphasis is success, you'll frequently strive to move through your profession at the speed that the outside world dictates. The goal of mastery is to continuously work towards bridging the gap between where we are now and where we aspire to be—the "near wins" on our path.

Q. We are socialised to expect things to happen as quickly as possible in the modern environment. How then do we reduce our speed?
Not only should we slow down the speed at which we live, but we need also slow down the way we think and make decisions. It entails taking a moment to process information and thoroughly evaluating our "To Do" lists to determine what is actually important, as opposed to acting hastily. Frequently, we respond quickly, just checking things off our lists, but what we actually need to do is take our time, ask the correct questions, and look at the broader picture. Achieving actual mastery over a limited set of skills requires dedication and effort, and it is crucial for both professional and personal development.

How has it been for you to live in the United Arab Emirates and witness the region's growth?
I've had the good fortune to reside in a number of nations and sizable cities across the globe, including New York, London, Sydney, Hong Kong, and others. One of the things I adore most about the United Arab Emirates is that it is a global hub that understands its place in the world and that doing business here is really fast-paced.

I find the way we operate in the UAE to be really stimulating, and I'm also highly stimulated by the amazing culture and significant international aspect that greatly diversify both our professional and personal life here.

The ambitious objectives that are in place in the United Arab Emirates and other regions of the Middle East are very admirable. The UAE sets objectives and strives to be the best as a society, and even if it doesn't complete a project, it still learns, develops, and grows. This is the ambition in particular. I find that to be really encouraging.

How has the position of women in the region's corporate leadership changed?
Due to its high level of international and cosmopolitanism, the United Arab Emirates is providing greater chances for individuals from all walks of life, not only women. It's great that, from the standpoint of business leadership, female labour force participation has significantly expanded in the Middle East in recent years. Over the next few years, I'm positive that the proportion of women in top positions will continue to rise.
As we start to integrate the next generation into the workforce and into leadership roles, we'll see a compounding and acceleration of companies' recognition of the value that comes with a variety of viewpoints over the course of the next five years. "Gen Z" will bring in a brand-new, novel, and drastically different viewpoint, especially when it comes to communication methods and technological difficulties, which will be crucial.