How to Become a Game-Changing Leader

In the face of rapid change and increasing digitalization, many leaders of established, successful companies are finding themselves and their organizations falling suddenly behind — and that is an unaccustomed, uncomfortable feeling. Senior executives need to not only summon the courage and the will to transform their organizations for a new era but also be prepared to embrace a different way of doing business.

To successfully lead major organizational transformations, executives need to align purpose, performance, and principles within their companies. Doing so isn’t easy — and requires mastery of a wide range of leadership skills.

It’s not easy to be the kind of executive who can successfully lead an organization through major changes. Reflect on the 10 questions below to see if you are on your way to becoming that kind of game-changing leader.

1. Have you crafted and articulated your company’s story, emphasizing the importance of it being purpose-driven, performance-focused, and principles-led?

2. Have you engaged your entire organization to the point where there is a powerful sense of mutual accountability and mutual investment?

3. Have you put in place rigorous and disciplined processes to ensure that your organization’s strategic and operational priorities are identified and implemented?

4. Have you put in place metrics, milestones, and rewards that accurately and transparently align with your messaging about the organization’s top priorities?

5. Have you created talent-management processes that ensure that you will have the necessary pipeline of leaders to accomplish your strategy and vision?

6. How well are you balancing the need to express a sense of urgency about driving change with the patience it will take to do things well and right?

7. While you are building a sense of collective leadership accountability, are you also emphasizing the importance of each individual delivering excellence?

8. How well are you balancing your role as a developmental coach for key members of your team with the role you must play as the driver of exceptional performance?

9. How well are you balancing your role as a perpetual student who asks important questions with your role as an important teacher of your company’s purpose, vision, strategy, and values?

10. How well do you balance acting as a humble servant and steward of your organization’s reputation and legacy with being a bold catalyst for change?

To access the detailed MIT Sloan article, click here.