Business leaders today face the challenges of accelerated change, disruptive technology and regulatory compliance, regardless of the size of their organisation and their industry. Those who have what it takes to succeed have the flexibility and courage needed to deal with constantly evolving business opportunities and threats, and the judgment and wisdom to make good strategic and financial decisions for their business. This is a powerful combination of skills. They complement each other but are essentially very different. Whilst some may come naturally to a person, it is likely that others will need to be learned on the path to becoming an executive or mastered once they are there. The big opportunity for leadership development professionals is to guide this learning in a way that helps every senior leader balance their ability so they succeed in doing what needs to be done and delivering the right results. As executive coaches, we work with leaders to help them build the capability that will make them truly effective in the context in which they work. We offer these observations on three practices that we know make a significant difference in the way a leader manages him or her self Leveraging the strengths of self and others Effective leaders inevitably dig deep to understand themselves, so they can leverage their strengths and work around the things they are not good at. They don’t avoid personal responsibility to deliver results and if they know they are stretched in any area of performance they actively seek out a coach or mentor or add someone to the team who has strengths in the area that they don’t. Constantly monitoring performance Leaders who are results-oriented are acutely aware of their performance; they constantly monitor their progress against goals and reflect on what went well, what didn’t go well and why. They sharpen their awareness of new and emerging demands by reflecting on how they are going in key areas such as delivering their strategy, structuring their business well and engaging and inspiring their people. Remaining faithful to purpose Successful leaders know they live in a complex world and are single-minded in their purpose. They are discerning in how they manage their time and don’t allow events to be more of a distraction than they need to be. They know when they are in the office their time is not their own and people will move in on their schedule. So, they allocate the time and a specific place to do their planning and thinking. In summary, these practices drive leader effectiveness because they involve high levels of self-awareness and channel attention to personal contribution and the achievement of results.

Building the right leadership capability to drive business performance is a key issue facing organisations today. A changing competitive landscape, rapid advances in technology and an ever-increasing need for innovation all point to a shift in the demands on leaders. Whether there is a need to be strategically agile, more flexible or to foster collaboration, individuals need to know the extent to which they are effective in their roles. A powerful way to ensure people align with organizational leadership needs and realize their full potential is through 360-Degree feedback and coaching. Done well, participants are driven toward self-awareness and self-improvement in line with business goals and personal career aspirations. Best practice 360-Degree feedback is instrumental in developing leadership capability because it: Raises the self-awareness of the participants Stimulates self-improvement for job and career success Provides knowledge about what choices are best suited to individuals’ personal development Creates a climate for honest development conversations Identifies those who are serious and intentional about their development Helps teams learn to work more effectively together Determines common development needs across the team The insight gained from 360-degree feedback must be converted into action to create positive change. Self-monitoring on the leadership development journey is rarely sufficient and coaching can be used to sustain the effort by setting goals, agreeing on milestones, and celebrating achievements.