H O W T O B E A N E F F E C T I V E L E A D E R

B Y G E O F F R E Y B Y R U C H

Great leaders have always been and will forever be an integral part of society’s progress.

Our destiny lies in their hands.

However, their formation as strong leaders lies in our hands.

Effective leaders must inspire and create change, but in order to do that they must first be educated on how to achieve such heavy tasks.

According to BCG’s leadership expert Roselinde Torres, today’s institutions and individuals who have the resources to help promote and cultivate great leaders are failing to do so.

During her TED talk, Torres spoke about a study she conducted to measure the effective use of leadership development programs in different companies.

Out of the 4000 companies she surveyed, “58% reported significant talent gaps for critical leadership goals.”

Despite all the training and resources made available to employees, more than half of the companies in the study failed to prepare great leaders.

Torres analyzed her results and concluded that there was an alarming increase in leadership development programs that were in fact failing.

She observed how cultural backdrops, geographical locations, and current events influenced all types of leaders and really shaped the courses of action.

Torres was able to point out three key elements that will undoubtedly shape a better-equipped, stronger, and more capable leader.

1 . M A I N TA I N I N G A D I V E R S E N E T W O R K

G R E AT L E A D E R S A R E N O T B O R N K N O W I N G E V E R Y T H I N G . T H E Y R E C O G N I Z E T H AT D I V E R S I T Y I S A P O W E R F U L T O O L . C O L L A B O R AT I N G W I T H A G R O U P O F P E O P L E W H O C O M E F R O M D I F F E R E N T B A C K G R O U N D S , W H O C A N C O N T R I B U T E S O M E T H I N G D I F F E R E N T F R O M W H AT Y O U A R E A L R E A D Y C O N T R I B U T I N G W I L L I N E V I TA B LY I N C R E A S E E F F E C T I V E N E S S I N P R O B L E M S O LV I N G .

2 . B E R E A D Y F O R C H A N G E

E F F E C T I V E L E A D E R S N E V E R S E T T L E .

T H E Y A C K N O W L E D G E T H E FA C T T H AT T I M E PA S S E S A N D T H I N G S C H A N G E .

A S T R O N G L E A D E R S H O U L D A LWAY S B E O N T H E L O O K O U T F O R A N Y P O T E N T I A L R O A D B U M P S A L O N G T H E WAY.

A N T I C I PAT I N G C H A N G E W I L L L E A D T O B E T T E R S T R AT E G I Z I N G A N D D E C I S I O N - M A K I N G .

3 . L E AV E T H E PA S T I N T H E PA S T

It’s always important to recognize your mistakes and thus, learn from them, but strong leaders know that there is no point in dwelling in the past.

Sticking to old ways of doing business will eventually hinder any growth.

The key is to target old and ineffective methods you may be overusing, strategize how you can improve in those areas, and ultimately move forward and continue to grow.