Often confused with management excellence, leadership requires a different set of skills and above all a specific mindset. It is meant to enable the gathering and mobilisation of energies towards a collective ambition.
Leadership has many rewards and significant obligations, the main one being the constant awareness that the ability to lead is above all the ability to be followed.
You must work daily on your leadership. It is not only a matter of technique as is the case when building up management skills. The exercise is all the more challenging in smaller companies where the CEO must constantly balance being a leader and a manager.
Ultimately, the key to success is a subtle mix of honing technical skills whilst experimenting how to always be a step ahead of the game.
Hence, leadership is the mastering of the dynamic balance – in the long run – between one’s postures and convictions.
Erasing any room for doubts is crucial : truthfulness of the messages delivered, the decisions made and the impact on the strategy.
In any crisis, transition or uncertain situations, it is often the opportunity for leaders to reveal themselves and make a difference. It is also true in disruption or massive growth phases.
For any executive, the opportunity to fully assert their leadership is real. It starts with the desire and courage to embrace the unknown, explore new territories – including anti-conformism if needed – and experiment with confidence overcoming the risk of failure.
Ready to embark on this extraordinary journey ?