the current state of successful leadership

I truly believe that we are living in the best of all times on earth ever. Period. I don’t romanticize the historical past into a fairytale-like place. But, I really believe that today’s state of technology, knowledge, and possibility is incredible and that it would be a waste of lifetime not to make use of these opportunities. One should not be paralyzed because of stimulus satiation, fear of terror attacks or lack of prospects and try to make the best of the possibilities that life offers today. Nearly everybody can achieve nearly everything in these times. And part of the recipe of success is speed. 

Till the late 90ties leadership was dominated by strength. The strong people were the leaders. They had nearly exclusive access to resources and information. These were the times when a  career was built step by step, by moving through the system of corporate companies - the classic way. You had to work your way up. If somebody had something to say, they got to get a position where people actually listen, e.g. employees or the organization itself.   

Then the internet arrived. And with it access to knowledge, the public and communities for everybody. In my opinion that was the beginning of the end of the leadership of the strong. The fast people took over and they still dominate. Really successful companies and leaders today are often able to think and move fast, to adapt to new things and surrounding conditions very easily. They also realize when they got to act and they do it fast as well. They don’t pass five levels of hierarchy, they don’t ask steering committees and they don’t follow complicated process plans. They just act. It’s that simple. And because of that, they win.  

Of course that doesn’t mean speed is everything. Acting fast does not replace basic abilities like general expertise or knowing the markets. But speed makes the difference today. And I emphasize “today” because I don’t think that it will always be this way. Evolution will continue and with it the most successful parameters of high-quality leadership as well. In the future, self-awareness and self-consciousness will become more and more important, but until then you’ll have to act at full throttle.

What do you think? Let me know!