In recent years we have also heard of purposeful leaders, conscious leaders, visionary leaders, inclusive leaders, and so on. Seems like everyone has an idea of what qualities and traits are essential for the making of a successful leader.
With so many approaches and models, it is hard for companies to architect the framework, mindsets, practices, and experiences they need for executive education and, consequently, CEO excellence.
If we look back and search for outstanding leadership through history, we find some of the most used examples involve:
- Apple – After a decade of dwindling sales, Apple’s former CEO, Steve Jobs, focused on product development and drove one of the greatest business comebacks in history.
- IBM – In the early 1990s, IBM was on the brink of bankruptcy when former CEO Lou Gerstner identified its unique competitive advantages, analyzed the behaviors of employees and customers, and created a successful turnaround strategy.
- Continental Airlines – Then-COO Greg Brenneman was able to pull Continental out of a bankruptcy nosedive and into a soaring success by providing excellent customer service, eliminating nonprofitable flights, and other initiatives.
Effective organizational leadership isn’t a simple formula that can be copied as it depends on many factors. What worked for Lou Gerstner and Greg Brenneman will not work for organizations today.
Good leadership is mainly situational and requires employing different styles, initiatives, and strategies to match the company’s needs.
In their response, Simon Slade, CEO, and co-founder of SaleHoo, summarized the essence of leadership.
“Leadership is complicated.
While a good leader will always solicit and consider input from the team, there are also times when a decision needs to be made quickly and firmly without outside influence.
A big part of being an effective leader is knowing how to be fluid with different leadership styles and when to use each style for the benefit of your team. There are times when you need to be firm, clear, and independent, while there are other times you need to blend in with your team as a fellow colleague and not “the boss.”
There are other times still that you need to blend into the background and become a fly on the wall, letting your team flourish and blossom in their own right, without the heavy formality of leadership.”