Back to the Future with Leadership
Posted on August 27, 2025 by Peter Capezio, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.
Often, the skills we developed in the past are superseded by new and improved methods. Those baseline skills are sometimes underutilized.
Back to the Future with Leadership
Look Back, Look Ahead
I conducted a recent internet search on “leadership,” and found that there were over 3 million references on this topic to explore. That shouldn’t surprise anyone since experts have been trying to define it, explain it and give guidance on how to be an effective leader for the past century. I guess that would put me in this category, as I tried to give my view in the 1996 National Seminars Press publication, Taking AIM on Leadership. The model I used was Action is created by Influence and Motivation, and it is the job of the leader to use these techniques to help individuals succeed and achieve both the business goals and their personal goals. That requires the ability to know people, what they value, what is important to them and what are their aspirations. The base definition of leadership also remains consistent. In my way of thinking “Leadership is the ability to create actions through and with others that always achieve and often exceed their established goals and expectations.” Many ask about the relationship of management to leadership. Management is a complement to leadership and together they provide a focus on the business and the people…simply state: lead the people, manage the business.
In reflecting back, I think these techniques are as relevant today as they were positioned several years ago. Many of the concepts that were introduced over the years, looking backwards, seem to be very basic, as compared to the need to create the next generation of thinking. There is real value in bringing the past forward or “back to the future,” especially with leadership.
If we look at the foundation of leadership or leadership principles, they remain constant. The context and application of these principles have changed due to disruptions and paradigm shifts that drive the need for adaptation, learning and innovative solutions. Here is my take on the principles of leadership and enabling competencies.
Principles of Leadership: Building the Foundation
Teamwork is the Centerpiece: Establish a common mission, encourage collaboration, build trust with team members, drive for results.
Masterful Communication Is Vital: Clear messages, timely delivery, use of appropriate channels, always complete the feedback loop.
Professionalism Stands Tall: Place ethical behavior over personal gain, follow through on commitments and promises.
Lead by Example: Define and model the behaviors you expect from others, be present in every situation, build your brand as you want others to see you.
Be an Agent of Change: See change as positive. Develop resilience and adaptability to the inevitable disruptions, harness the ideas of others for the best solutions for a new direction.
Enabling Competencies: Guide to Effectiveness
Business Acumen: Gain a deep understanding the business, beyond your technical/functional area. Learn how the business is measured/metrics, who are the major customers/clients and how your team impacts the bottom line.
Problem Solving and Decision Making: Use a specific methodology to define problems, identify solutions and be decisive in taking action. Use tools like the GE Workout to engage others in the problem solving process.
Management: Focus on all aspects of day-to-day operations: Coordination and execution, talent and financial management.
Engagement: Connect people to the mission, values, work, and community. Create a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion to maximize the talents and ideas available.
Self-awareness: Focus on continuous improvement and desire to keep on learning, Seek feedback on your performance and act on it. Use coaches and mentors to help guide your career decisions and aspirations.
As a leader, it is difficult to be highly effective in all areas. One method of focus is to prioritize what are the most important principles and competencies right now. Then reflect on your strengths and improvement areas – what can you leverage, what can you make an action plan to improve? That will contribute to a continuous learning and improvement mindset.
