In today’s business world the importance of strategy formulation and implementation is of critical importance. The need to provide clear strategic leadership is pivotal to the success of an organisation and this is where the significance of Executive Leadership is at its greatest.

1. Wednesday, August 2, 2015
Simba Mavurudza
Leadership and the Role of the Executive Leader in an
Organisation

2. In today’s business world the importance of strategy formulation and
implementation is of critical importance. The need to provide clear strategic leadership is
pivotal to the success of an organisation and this is where the significance of Executive
Leadership is at its greatest. There are numerous definitions of leadership which one can
dwell on but the main focus of this paper is to understand executive leadership and how
executive leaders impact an organization.
The most important aspect to understand from the beginning is that leadership at
the executive level is not industry specific. Regardless of the area the executive leader is
coming from his or her skills must apply to all aspects of the organisation. The focal
point of the executive leader is on the broader picture of the organisation. They are
responsible for implementing a strategy and gauging a certain level of performance that
will hopefully ensure the success of their division or the overall success of the company.
1. Strategy

3. In today’s volatile world and marketplace there is a strong requirement for a
robust process of strategy formulation. An executive leader needs to consider some issues
such as the answers to a few vital and specific questions—not the large amounts of
information that is usually given by consultants. The usefulness of content based
questions should also be seriously considered. Process based questions yield better
strategy than narrow questions that are driven purely by subject matter. When is the right
time to enter a particular market? What criteria should be used for selecting new markets?
(Freedman, Page 4). The use of a rational process must be used to resolve the issue
through a logical chain of gathering, organizing and analyzing information. A time frame
of basic beliefs will help determine how to guide the organization and to strengthen the
competitive advantage that the company has. (Freedman, Page 3). All goals set out by the
leader must have an endpoint to create a sense of urgency for accomplishment.
2. Profile of the ideal executive leader
According to the Harvard Business review online and the Accenture Institute of
Strategic Change, extensive research has been done on the profile of the ideal executive
leader. A group of research participants were asked to rate a set of leadership dimensions
on their importance to successful leadership. The following results are listed below:
 Thinks globally
 Anticipates opportunity
 Creates a shared vision and builds teamwork and partnerships
 Develops and empowers people and appreciates cultural diversity
 Shows technological savvy & embraces change

4.  Ensures customer satisfaction and achieves a competitive advantage
 Demonstrates personal mastery and shares leadership
 Lives the values
I). Thinks Globally
Globalization is affecting the way the business world around us operates on a day
to day basis. The importance of this must be recognized by all executive leaders even in
the insurance industry. There is a strong need to understand the impact of globalization in
both the financial markets and amongst other businesses. One very strong area where an
organization can capitalize on this is through their Business to Business feature that they
offer. The executive leader must use a variety of approaches necessary to succeed in a
global business and these must show an understanding of complexity and identification of
issues typically overlooked by others.
II). Anticipates Opportunity
The role of an executive leader is to also inspire people to focus on capturing
future opportunities. If he or she can build organizational capability and responsiveness,
this can initiate fluid and flexible resourcing options. These options should be based on
an understanding of growing requirements in a constantly changing business environment.
Creates a Shared Vision & Builds Teamwork and Partnerships
By effectively involving people in determining how to achieve a clearly
communicated vision, you inspire them to commit to achieving this goal. One of the best

5. ways to do this is by translating a broad strategy into practical terms for others such as
first line managers who deal more closely with day to day issues. This creates a shared
understanding of what has to be achieved among all levels within the organization.
III). Develops and Empowers People & Appreciates Cultural Diversity
In general, every one in the entire organization should treat each other with
respect and dignity. An appreciation of the value of diversity effectively motivates people
of different cultural backgrounds. As an executive leader it is your role to build
confidence in individuals by setting goals as well as supporting and encouraging them
when assistance is needed to overcome problems. At a lot of organizations it is very
obvious that an effort is indeed made to actively expand one’s knowledge of other
cultures and it should continue.
IV). Shows Technological Savvy & Embraces Change
Tomorrow’s world needs people with the technological knowledge to succeed.
There are many times when sound investments need to be made in new technology. An
executive leader should see change as an opportunity and not a problem. Many
ambiguous situations may arise and this is when he or she needs to be able to demonstrate
flexibility when needed.
V). Ensures Customer satisfaction and Achieves a Competitive Advantage
An executive leader must even solicit input from customers sometimes. By
listening actively and checking with others to ensure that their views have been

6. accurately understood, an executive leader establishes clear measures for customer
satisfaction. By positive communication and a “can-do” sense of urgency toward getting
the job done displays resilience. By maintaining energy and willingly investing in extra
effort when required keeps a positive attitude within the organization.
VI). Demonstrates Personal Mastery and Shares Leadership
One of the most recent terms that is being commonly used to describe a trait in
leadership is called “Emotional Intelligence” According to the Harvard Business Review
article titled, “Primal Leadership” by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie
Mckee; “Emotional intelligence is not just putting on your game face every day. It means
understanding your impact on others-then adjusting your style accordingly”. To me this
means deeply understanding your own strengths and weaknesses and recruiting people
who have strengths you do not possess. Accept constructive feedback in a positive
manner and avoid always being on the defensive.
VII). Live the Values
The final and most important quality is to actually carry out and demonstrate
these attributes. An executive leader must be honest and behave ethically in all
interactions. Self awareness should always be at the forefront of his or her mind. A strong
commitment to learning and responsibility for his or her own personal development is
needed. The executive leader must be a role model for living the organization’s values.
The Development of Potential Leaders

7. In an effort to support employee retention and employee satisfaction the Operations
of an organization must continuously sponsor the development of an early identification
program. The process is designed to align Professional or Technical level employees
have are interested in pursuing leadership opportunities within the organization. One of
the main features of the process is the ability to recognize and develop future leaders
within the first or second year of their career at Sate Farm. The process is designed to
recognize development toward leadership ability within those employees who have the
desire to take on leadership responsibilities. The objectives of the Early Identification
Process are:
 Improve long-term succession planning
 Operate with a successful talent retention strategy
 Convey to future leaders the importance of mobility
The program lasts twelve months and is a learning program for employees who have been
identified by their leadership as possessing leadership potential.
Conclusions
The rapidly changing business environment is starting to show that in the future there will
be fewer single CEOs. The large number and importance of partnerships will guarantee
that leadership will be extensively shared in executive teams since the attributes of the
ideal executive leader I mentioned earlier are unlikely to be possessed by just one person.
Competencies will need to be pooled among a leadership team, and the new ability to
share leadership will be required. New pressure will inevitably emerge and there will be a
call for combined responsibility and accountability for success to be achieved.

8. References:
1. Ryan Meers – Specialist L&D
2. Arthur Parks – Operations Manager
3. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://gpsinformation.us/main/teamwor
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7. Harvard Business Review November to December 1998
8. Harvard Business Review: Primal Leadership – The Hidden Driver of Great
Performance
9. Mike Freedman: The Art and Discipline of Strategic Leadership
10. Jack Uldrich: Leading into the Unknown: How Lewis and Clark Built A Great
Team