{"id":50529,"date":"2020-03-29T21:47:15","date_gmt":"2020-03-30T01:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ccl.org\/?post_type=articles&p=50529"},"modified":"2025-05-08T07:09:26","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T11:09:26","slug":"what-drives-your-leadership-strategy","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/www.ccl.org\/articles\/leading-effectively-articles\/what-drives-your-leadership-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are the Leadership Drivers That Determine Your Strategy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

How you lead is just as important as what you’re doing.<\/p>\n

That underlying belief can make the difference between success and failure in a complex, changing world.<\/p>\n

CEOs who understand the importance of a leadership strategy are explicit about the kind<\/em> of leadership they need in order to achieve their organization’s business strategy. And to set their leadership strategy<\/em>, they first examine the key leadership drivers<\/em> of the business to understand the implications for leadership.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What Are Your Key Leadership Drivers?<\/h2>\n

Key leadership drivers are the things that make your business strategy unique<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

As noted in our white paper<\/a>, key drivers are not in themselves detailed strategies; instead, they\u2019re the key decisions leaders are making about what the organization must do.\u00a0Leadership drivers help you understand what’s absolutely essential for your organization to accomplish.<\/p>\n

What key choices are you making about how to position the organization?<\/em><\/p>\n

For example, in some markets, like the restaurant industry, making certain that customers are satisfied may be chosen as a key driver of success.<\/p>\n

Another example: In some industries, like utilities, a key leadership driver might be finding long-term sources of competitively priced raw materials to turn into electric power. Low-priced raw materials isn’t a complete business strategy. Instead, it drives the formulation of detailed business strategies. The utility company must develop strategies for securing low-cost raw materials.<\/p>\n

How to Determine Your Organization’s Key Leadership Drivers<\/h2>\n

Key leadership drivers can be identified by examining each business strategy or initiative and asking a few fundamental questions, such as:<\/p>\n