The notion that success is a poor teacher is hardly new, but today its wisdom is even more urgent: things are changing so quickly that what worked well today – this business technique, that technical innovation, those leadership skills – might be outmoded by tomorrow; what seems new and exciting to your audience now might be old hat by dinnertime.

I think Tendayi Viki’s list of traits that an entrepreneurial leader needs as we move full throttle into the fourth industrial revolution is really insightful. I wonder if he might have added a couple more, though:

It’s OK to be unsure of yourself

Tendayi flagged “humility” in his article – humility to admit we don’t know what the future holds. But I think it goes deeper than that. The leader’s role has turned topsy-turvy: we’re told to be more hands on and more hands off, get involved more and give more rope. It can seem as if the accepted notions of leadership have gone out the window. They haven’t of course – it’s about adaptation. But it’s OK to be a little, well, unnerved.

The supremacy of communication

Communication is one leadership skill whose importance is only increasing. You as a leader might feel uncertain in this new environment – remember, so do your teams and individual employees. In this environment, leaders cannot hide. Strong leadership today means being more visible than ever – even if you work remotely – to ensure you’re the human glue that binds.