How Leaders are Made

It seems incredible, but when it comes to business leadership, we don’t consider the most important pieces of it: Does this person have the know-hows to succeed? Is he or she capable of developing them and driven to continue to hone them? The seeds of personality traits might be born, but know-how is learned, developed through practice, and honed through experience. Leaders who are disciplined, determined, consistent, and persistent in developing these kinds of know-how tend to be successful on a sustained basis. In that sense, leaders are made.

-Ram Charan

Building a Team Takes Blood Sweat and Tears

It takes blood, sweat and tears to build a team, but the return on effort is huge. Many leaders think molding a team isn’t worth the effort, but they’re missing a tremendous opportunity to differentiate themselves and build the business. The more people can see the total anatomy of the business, the intersections of its moving parts, and the broader context in which it operates, the better job they do.

-Ram Charan

Establishing a Leadership Standard

The most successful leaders leave a legacy by establishing a pipeline of leaders that is better than what they inherited and, in addition, becomes the standard against which the rest are compared.

-Ram Charan

World-Class Competitors Emerge from Anywhere

World-class competitors can now emerge from anywhere–witness the wave of emerging nation players that have clear advantages in their industries–thanks to the mobility of talent, capital, and knowledge. A Google can come from nowhere and grow into a multibillion-dollar business in a few short years, becoming one of the world’s most highly valued companies. There are not only huge opportunities but also great pitfalls that can swallow up whole companies and industries. Think for a moment about the challenges Google has presented to companies in the advertising, broadcasting, and publishing industries, to name just a few. You will be constantly tested for your know-how to lead your business in the right direction.

-Ram Charan

We Need Leaders Who Know How

Know-how is about what you must both do and be to lead your business in what is shaping up to be the most challenging business environment in decades. We need leaders who know what they are doing. Change is always with us, but its current magnitude, speed, and depth is unlike what most people have experienced in their lifetimes.

-Ram Charan