Nowadays, it almost seems like everybody’s chasing after the idea of becoming the next big thing, to have the spotlights focused on you, and to embody what it truly means to be a pioneer in their space and an industry leader. As a result, more and more aspiring entrepreneurs consider leadership skills and the ability to influence others as the best leverage to level with household brands and boost the numbers of their business startups.
However, while we have nothing against good leadership and actually support the notion of more people stepping up for more significant responsibilities, we also firmly believe that relying on leadership alone is short-sighted and creates more problems than it solves. And no matter the willingness of an entrepreneur to go above and beyond the call of duty, leadership alone will never be enough to reinforce business resilience and security amid today’s market climate.
#1 Strengthen Core Operations And Processes
Firstly, while good leaders have the capacity to make people move and unlock their full potential, leaders can’t go over every last detail of a business process to ensure better efficiency. And while they can most certainly try and give it a shot, trying to juggle their time in between departments when they have more pressing matters that concern them will make it near impossible to get anything decent done. Therefore, a business must strengthen its core operations and processes as a given, whether onboarding new hires for the sales department or employing a professional process server for their legal team.
#2 Enable Collaboration And Communication Channels
In addition to strengthening the core operations that define a business, a smart leader can’t build, direct, and encourage all employees to utilize communication channels and collaborate by themselves. You see, no matter how charismatic or influential they may be, the voice of one authority figure won’t always win out in a battle of attrition and a bid for change. So, businesses must enable collaboration and communication channels directed at improved work productivity for the sake of resilience as well.
#3 Restructure Your Finances For Long-Term Security
Apart from the interconnectivity that unites a business, even the best leaders don’t know all of the technicalities associated with their company, especially when it concerns a deep dive into finances and cash flows. Of course, there’s no denying that financial reports and interim papers are communicated to them because they have the final say, but they don’t necessarily have the expertise to always know what’s best for sustainability. As a result, it is in a firm’s best interests to restructure their finances for long-term security if they want to remain resilient against the risk of economic turbulence.
#4 Invest In Modern And Competitive Equipment
Last but not least, leadership can’t make up for a difference in technology and equipment, and no matter how hard you push workers to fill in the gap, there’s only so much that crunch and grunt work can achieve. For example, given the rising popularity of the metaverse, it is becoming crystal clear that companies must pivot and prepare their organizations for future integration. And because the metaverse revolves around emerging technology, you will need to invest in modern equipment to penetrate the new market.
However, Strong Leadership Still Offers Various Benefits
But, despite all the shortfalls of focusing on leadership alone, the aspects mentioned above are not meant to discredit the advantages of strong leadership. In fact, an excellent leader can still offer various benefits to an organization and maybe even amplify the effects of other business resiliency measures. So, instead of focusing on either one alone, we suggest that you put them in conjunction and share the advantages of both.
- Employee Engagement During Crises: One of the hallmark features of a capable leader is their ability to navigate through a crisis, and regardless of the causes and magnitude of the problem faced at current, they are able to engage employees and keep things stable. Of course, stress testing and advance planning play important roles, but a leader’s ability to evaluate the situation at a moment’s notice is an invaluable asset.
- Proficient Decision-Making Skills: Besides situational awareness and critical thinking, smart leaders have proficiency in decision-making skills and can tell the difference of when they need to gather more information or the necessity of putting their foot down. These leaders can make sense of the data on the fly, highlight areas of improvement in an instant, and instruct the right people to move.
Divide And Conquer All Your Bases
In conclusion, you shouldn’t hedge all your bets on leadership skills alone because influence and persuasiveness won’t save you from disasters, dire economic straits, or problems beyond normal expectations. At the end of the day, business resilience is about covering all your bases, so you should make an active effort to review and reinforce what’s necessary.
