Only brilliant leadership will be able to create a sustainable business and an outstanding customer and people experience.

Leadership is essential for business excellence execution since leaders are the ones who make the explicit choice on how sustainable growth will happen in the company. Perhaps organic, strategic, internal, and lastly- acquisition, merger, or partnership. What is a fact is that any of these choices include product development, market development, diversification, and market penetration. It does not sound too difficult... right? Nonetheless will occur if your people and customers are engaged and connected with you. Leaders are accountable to fulfill the purpose of the company, withstanding on a unique people experience that will unite the culture to deliver an exceptional customer experience to retain and attract new customers.

A key question any leader should think about is: Do I have the know-how of business leadership?

There’s something seriously wrong with the way we think about business leadership. We spend so much time debating the exact right set of personality traits our leaders should have that we miss the most important thing: The know-how of running a business.

What difference does it make if a leader can rile up the troops if the direction is fundamentally wrong?

Some leaders choose the wrong goals, and the whole organization goes in the wrong direction. Some leaders make great, inspirational speeches, but what happens to people’s energy on Monday morning if marketing still doesn’t talk to the engineering department?

Being a leader is an art and a 24/7/365 job, and you have to earn it at every moment!

Being a business leader is not a matter of having a commanding presence or being able to make great presentations that excite the audience. It is about making good decisions and taking sound actions that get the organization to deliver sustainable results; means in the short term while strengthening the business in the long run.

You still must be able to tell your story convincingly to employees and other interested parties, but as a business leader, your number one job is to ensure that the content of that story has the right substance to it. Then the next question arises: What it the substance of business leadership?

What we really want and need in our leaders is the capability to make the right decisions and take the right actions in key areas of the business. That is what we call know-how, and it isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you cultivate and develop through deliberate practice; just as gifted athletes must practice the fundamentals of their sport to become champions. Know-how is the substance of business leadership. I contend that it’s the missing piece in our understanding of business leadership and that many of our leaders are failing for lack of it.

In the digital economy where we live nowadays, and if you aspire to be a business leader, you should take charge of your own development and focus on building your know-how permanently. Personal traits, whether they’re formed by nature or nurture, are pretty much set by the time you enter the work force. Then the real learning about how to lead a business should begin.

Are you aware of the key know-hows you should know? Becoming a brilliant leader is a journey, accompanied by wins and losses, wells and wrongs, but the most important is to learn from your own mistakes but also from other’s best practices.

Here are some questions for your self-assessment:

• How ready are you as a leader for the digital economy?
• Do you know how good your leadership abilities are?
• Are you an authentic business leader?
• Are you an open-minded leader?
• How are your abilities to provide feedback?
• Are you able to influence others?
• Do you know your leadership style?
• Do you want to strengthen your leadership?
• Do you know how to improve your leadership to strengthen and build a sustainable business?
• Are you heading towards the true north?

Great news if you answered positively to all the questions above. Means you are or you are on the way to become a brilliant leader. Even so, think there is always room to improve and perfect the art!

“Earn your leadership every day.” - Michael Jordan

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