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Author Marshall Goldsmith is a pioneer and authority in the field of global senior leadership coaching, one of Forbes' "Five Most Respected Executive Coaches," and one of the 50 most influential management thinkers in 80 years. The article is short but profound.

Recently, we interviewed more than 200 potential leaders and asked them to describe their ideal leader. It is widely believed that an ideal leader is someone who can establish good internal and external cooperative relationships. We mapped out the main relationship networks that potential leaders engage with daily and found that the following six internal and external relationships are becoming direct challenges in assessing their future leadership capabilities.

Relationship 1: Become a Growth Partner for Subordinates Employees no longer expect companies to provide them with so-called "security," and with that, blind loyalty has disappeared. Most potential leaders see themselves as "free agents" rather than traditional "employees." They believe they are responsible for realizing their own value and view future leaders as partners, not bosses! Therefore, leaders must become good partners to their subordinates. There is no alternative—if you are not a good partner, you cannot have good employees.

Relationship 2: Say Goodbye to the "Three Grabs" In the past, many leaders competed with colleagues for employees, resources, and ideas—and they were rewarded for "winning" these competitions. Successful leaders share human resources, funds, and ideas, and are not bound by boundaries. Sharing talent expands the expertise and breadth they need to manage; sharing funds can transfer mature business capital to high-growth businesses; sharing ideas helps everyone learn from successes and failures.

This may seem easy, but it is difficult to implement. CEOs need to improve skills in negotiating and achieving "win-win" relationships, guiding department heads to learn strategies that accept short-term losses for long-term gains.

Relationship 3: Become a Team Partner Many potential leaders are no longer aloof department heads but partners within the team. They will work like general managers of consulting firms. For example, at McKinsey, a director may know less about a client than their subordinates. For junior consultants, if the resources and support they receive do not serve the client's best interests, they should challenge their director. This mindset teaches CEOs to reach consensus with directors and form a relationship of accountability for results.

Future potential leaders need to take responsibility, share information, and view issues from both micro and macro perspectives. If middle managers know more than senior managers, the latter must learn how to enhance their influence.

Relationship 4: Say No to Short-Term Sales Future potential leaders must also actively develop external relationships, establishing new types of partnerships with customers, suppliers, and competitors.

As companies grow, the past short-term sales strategy of buying single products is shifting to a new model of purchasing integrated solutions. Large retail groups like Home Depot or Walmart are unwilling to work with thousands of suppliers; instead, they work with fewer suppliers who can provide not only products but also customized delivery systems. Additionally, many customers want "network solutions," not just hardware and software.

Therefore, as supplier and customer relationships evolve, leaders of supplier companies should become partners rather than salespeople. Building long-term customer relationships rather than achieving short-term sales performance means that suppliers must have a deeper understanding of the customer's overall business and make many small sacrifices to gain greater benefits.

Relationship 5: Ally with Suppliers IBM's increasingly customized solutions include non-IBM products and services. This practice is becoming more common for the benefit of customers and the companies themselves, and similar trends are emerging in the pharmaceutical and telecommunications industries.

Thus, many companies used to "squeeze suppliers" to get the lowest prices and increase profits, but now they realize that their suppliers' success is directly related to their own success. In fact, some companies regard commitment to suppliers as one of their core values. They seek common ground while reserving differences, focus on mutual interests, and deliver products or services to end customers!

Relationship 6: Today's Rivals, Tomorrow's Customers Unlike the past, most potential leaders now view competitors as potential customers, suppliers, and partners, maintaining complex and diverse relationships with them. Because today's competitors may well become tomorrow's customers, the definition of "winning" has also changed. Unfairly "squeezing" competitors and undermining their businesses can have serious consequences. Therefore, in the era of co-opetition, to pursue more long-term interests, competitors should not collude or engage in unfair competition but should trade with integrity and fairness.

(Source: China Business Review)