Disruptive innovation is all around us, and it’s causing disruptive change in our organizations at increasing pace and scale. Whether driven by technology, demographics, globalization or a host of other forces, organizations are wrestling like never before with delivering current performance while preparing for a changing future. This has profound implications for leaders in organizations.

How are risk tolerance and job function related, and what do they have to do with leadership development?

There are three critical dimensions that balanced leaders pay attention to in order to mobilize teams, focus on the future and deliver results more consistently and effectively than their peers.

In many organizations, lines of authority and reporting are complex. You may have more than one boss or be tasked with leading a cross-functional team where no one reports to you. Leading within this type of organizational structure can be challenging if you're accustomed to leading dedicated resources with clear, hierarchical reporting. Without consistent and clear lines of reporting, a leader must develop interpersonal skills to influence without authority.

We work in fast-paced, changing organizations that have structures that are less and less…structured. To get work done, leaders have to be savvier than ever at knowing when, how and who to talk to. This requirement can be a heavy burden for a new leader, having entered the management ranks with a small network and communication skills that may or may not be ready for the task.

The matrix is here to stay. It’s an organizational structure, when done right, that can be agile and responsive to the market; can knit together global and local priorities; can leverage centralized skills and can enable local accountability.