The Story of Executive Leadership
Executive Leaders know how to work smarter, not harder
They are able to think ahead, think strategically, and creatively problem solve to maximize returns with minimal investments of time, labor, and capital. The story of executive leadership is not the same story as leadership writ-large or even management. Conflate these at your peril..
General leadership and management is often outcome oriented. Leaders and managers make sure their teams are operating well enough to achieve deliverable outcomes, whether that’s a product or service. Executive leaders are future-oriented. They are thinking about the long-term life of the business and identifying which deliverable outcomes most align with that vision.
That may sound like splitting hairs, and it might be, but there are two key differences. Context and strategic thinking skills. For example, you may have the strategic thinking skills to be an executive leader, but your role is in middle-management. Contextually, this means that you need to focus on more immediate deliverable outcomes and use your executive leadership skills to manage up. You are not in the position of power or authority to make executive decisions. Conversely, there are plenty of executives who are more results-oriented than they are strategic. Meaning they need to see it to believe it and are less willing to get creative and take risks to plan for the future of the company. They may be riding on coattails so to speak. In this case, they have the authority to make executive decisions, but they lack the skills to strategically lead.
Context matters. Far too often we see people in positions of power and authority who do not have the skills to strategically lead. Sometimes we see leaders who are stellar strategists, but who lack the charisma or people management skills to inspire confidence in their vision. Companies lose executive leaders everyday because they are not given opportunities to lead and influence decisions. The story of effective executive leadership is harmonizing context and skills.
Some of the best executive leaders do the following:
They learn how to ask the right questions
They take time to understand and reflect before making a decision
They practice self-awareness and situational awareness
They foster environments that allow people who have skills and insights they lack to participate in and influence decisions
They invest in leadership development for themselves and others
They cultivate opportunities for growth and advancement for staff
So, whether you’re building a business or leading a well-established company, what is your executive leadership story?
Take into consideration recent trends, historical trends, and the changes that lay ahead. Does this story serve your goals? The company’s goals? If you want to tell a different story, what would it be? What needs to happen to turn that story into a reality?
