Leadership should not be hard.

After two decades in retained and in-house Fortune 500 executive recruiting, my experience inspired me to launch my own firm, The Catalyst Executive, to address what I see as a major gap in organizational management across the greater business landscape: proactive support and development for leadership. Together with my clients, we are catalyzing success, one leader at a time, for a better tomorrow.

Welcome to the Catalyst Executive Newsletter. Thank you for reading.

Culture begins and ends with leadership, and exceptional leadership is a journey.?

One of the biggest obstacles to effective leadership – one that I have seen over and over in my experience identifying and developing executive talent – is the lack of buy-in, the lack of commitment to, and even the complete absence of a grander vision for the organization. Simon Sinek calls it the “Why.” This is the differentiation between WHAT an organization does, HOW an organization does it and WHY the organization does it.?

Just like consumers don’t get passionate or loyal to the WHAT (e.g., they may need the product and buy the product but they aren’t necessarily loyal to the product if another one is cheaper), when deciding where to work, loyalty comes from the WHY - the vision.?

When an organization is clear on its vision, it becomes a place where it is much easier to lead.

When a vision is clearly established and communicated, it is much, much easier to lead. When executive leadership roots all decision-making in a shared vision, leadership is easy. The ease comes first and foremost with the alignment between the leader’s vision for themselves and the organization.?

Many executives have a vision for their own leadership. Their vision may be inspiring, BUT it may be misaligned with the greater organizational vision.?

I have also seen many people take a job primarily for the title, the compensation, or position scope…and I’ve seen the frustration, the failure, and the turnover that occurs within the first 24 months. I like to call it corporate carnage - though one doesn’t have to work for a corporation to experience this.

The organizational vision, if communicated during recruitment and onboarding, can be transformational in decision-making to accept the role and leadership decision-making while in the role.

When there is misalignment, things tend to go sour quickly.

“I made a mistake.” The call came three days after a leader I placed in a role started the job. It was early in my own career as an executive recruiter and a pit immediately formed in my stomach for the person who had resigned from a great job to take a role - thought to be even better - with a new organization. This leader ended up sticking with the company for about six months and returned to her former company.?

Upon reflection and after several conversations with the leader, I realized she had not given the time and attention necessary during the interview process with her would-be boss and leadership team to discern their vision, their values. A necessary gut-check to ensure the opportunity is a great fit for everyone. She was highly motivated for the new title and scope of the role and what it would do for her career.?

While there is nothing wrong with taking a new position for the title or scope, it can make for a miserable existence when there is misalignment. In some cases with those new in leadership positions, one’s own leadership vision has not been clearly established for themselves.??

This is where the opportunity lies.

Getting clear on your own vision for yourself, your career, and getting to the heart of the WHY.

Before you have that clarity for yourself, how will you know when you align with a potential employer, the organization, the products and services it offers, the Board, the leadership team, and the people to whom you report? If you are a leader in an organization - be it a startup or well established - and are not crystal clear on your Why, let’s talk.?

Because…?

When leaders are proactively supported, we build thriving cultures where people aspire to work.

If you own or operate a business that could benefit from proactive leadership development, I invite you to message me directly to schedule a conversation on how I can support you.

Carolyne Savini has accelerated the growth and development of thousands of executives, leaders, and teams — from multi-billion dollar sports and entertainment organizations to Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits and startups. As founder and CEO of The Catalyst Executive, Carolyne has dedicated herself to partnering with organizations that value proactive executive development. As an executive coach, she empowers leaders by supporting them in removing the barriers in the way of their success.

Learn more about The Catalyst Executive.