Being a CEO demands so much responsibility. It demands so much understanding. It demands leaders that will understand that their organisations cannot survive outside the environment they are in. It requires leaders who have a total grasp of the realities on ground and how those events will retard or progress their organisations.
For CEOs, the worst delusion they can put up is not to believe or undermine business challenges on ground – and also not being able to with clarity understand how the key drivers for change will affect their organisations. An interesting thing about any given reality is that no matter how we try to ignore it, cover it up, believe it or not, accept it or not, it is still the reality. And based on what is going on in the global business world, the last thing any transformational leader or CEO would do is to live on his or her own world, ignoring the realities visible to other players.
A leader’s primary role is planning and change. Leaders cannot transfer this role to someone else as their real impact is needed more during times of uncertainties and economic turbulence. Leaders and CEOs should as a matter of urgency realise that regardless of how the political or economic realities are, they have a responsibility of creating a future out of any uncertain future.
Now, more than ever leaders and CEOs have no choice than to be adept at leading, managing, and navigating a change in a systemic manner such that any form of reality will not take them off the balance. Most times, it is always tempting for leaders to create quick-fix measures to drive growth and create short term stability. Taking this approach will end up destroying the organisation the more, and taking them far away from the true reality.
With the current economic situation and uncertainties, it is no more enough to create profitability and long-term growth by providing good products or services alone. Leaders and CEOs should put to mind that in this present reality, driving medium to long term growth and sustainability require them and their organisations to be more strategic in all facets of their business operations.
With the events going on globally, no organisation anywhere in the world can boast of “having arrived” or they are too big to fail. Additionally, the current reality does not require organisations developing only operational or tactical skills of their workforce as they may not end up becoming strategic. As a leader or CEO, you will need to be serious in developing the strategic capabilities of your workforce and prepare them to handle the changing world.
As the reality persists, leaders and CEOs must always change their thinking and embrace their new world with new mental models, or get stuck with the old ways and their obsolete thinking. The rules will keep changing and this explains why leaders should not focus on creating stability in their organisations, but rather requires a paradigm shift from creating stability to adapting to changes.
Whenever I take board members on strategic thinking, it usually plays out that CEOs’ strive or focus on creating stability for their organisations especially in unfavourable realities and turbulent times. The danger with this mindset is that as we try to stabilise, we forget the fact that policies, regulations, and worst of all uncertainties will always create a hole in what we have done. The most strategic thing for leaders and their organisations to do is to keep adapting to changes and continuously thinking differently. Adaptation proficiency is also required in these turbulent times.
Like I said earlier, now, more than ever leaders and CEOs have no choice than to be adept at leading, managing, and navigating a change in a systemic manner such that any form of reality will not take them off the balance. The business realities we are currently in not only shows that the world is changing, but also the competition and the customers. The sad news will be that some CEOs, executives and managers have not changed what they do in driving results, and how they do it.
It is not enough for CEOs to anticipate for a better future when their organisations continue to adopt the status quo method of thinking or doing things that got them to where they are today. The reality has come to stay, anyone has the right to ignore the reality, but no one can ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.
Remember, no organisation anywhere in the world can predict the future, but organisations that want to create their future will need to build dynamic capabilities that will help them prepare for the desired future and also thrive in it.
I look forward to receiving your comments or perspectives.
The trusted advisor,
Uju Onwuzulike
