Why Leadership Readiness Is The New Business Imperative
In boardrooms around the world, conversations about enterprise risk are becoming more urgent and more expansive. These often focus on cybersecurity, geopolitical volatility, talent shortages or shareholder pressure.
But there's one risk that remains vastly underestimated: a leader who walks into the day unprepared.
I've seen this play out across continents, industries and companies. It's the risk of leaders reacting instead of responding. They operate from exhaustion instead of clarity and make decisions without being fully present.
And that's why today's most forward-thinking boards—and the CHROs who guide them—are reframing leadership development as a readiness mandate.
Leadership, Like Sports, Requires A Warm-Up
No world-class athlete begins a match without a warm-up. Yet, in business, we expect leaders to transition seamlessly from their inbox into a high-stakes conversation and perform flawlessly.
But great leaders don't lead cold. They gear up with discipline and routine. Because they understand that leadership is a state of being. And that state requires priming.
What Readiness Looks Like
Over the past three decades, I've worked with and observed exceptional leaders around the world—from CEOs of Fortune 500 companies to heads of social enterprises. And the highest-performing among them all had one thing in common: They didn't wait until the crisis to prepare. They practiced readiness daily.
Here's what that often looks like:
• Grounding In Values: This could be giving yourself a few minutes of quiet reflection or journaling to connect to what truly matters. The most decisive leaders often begin with silent moments.
• Physical Activation: Take a walk around the block or climb a staircase to give yourself a reset. Energy is a requirement for sustained leadership presence.
• Positive Priming: Reflect on a win from yesterday or a team member who made you proud. Take a minute to practice gratitude. This mindset shift unlocks abundance and buffers against reactivity.
• Intellectual Spark: Read a page from a leadership book or listen to a podcast. Learning first thing in the morning primes you to lead from a place of curiosity, not conclusion.
• Conversational Rehearsal: Whether it's a boardroom pitch or a tough 1:1, outlining key ideas beforehand helps you lead with clarity.
• Meeting Intentionality: Before I walk into any strategic discussion, I ask myself: What decision needs to be made? Who needs to be heard? How do I model the tone I want others to follow?
The CHRO's Strategic Role
As both a sitting CHRO and chairman of the board, I carry a deep responsibility for identifying and addressing risk. And increasingly, I see leadership readiness as the invisible edge that separates average performance from transformative impact.
At Greif, we've built leadership warm-ups into our offsite structure. At Balmer Lawrie – Van Leer, we talk about leadership mindset as a factor in governance, not just operations. And in the boardrooms I serve, I make it a point to ask whether our leaders are ready—not just capable—for what's next.
This is where CHROs must lead, not just with succession plans and scorecards, but with intentional leadership rituals that shape culture and build trust.
A Readiness Mindset As A Cultural Advantage
This goes beyond individual performance. When readiness becomes a leadership norm, it transforms the culture. Meetings become more purposeful and feedback more focused. Strategy becomes more executable.
In a world moving faster than ever, we don't need leaders who react faster. We need leaders who pause wiser. And readiness gives them that pause.
The Quiet Practice That Changes Everything
In my experience, the leaders who build trust the fastest and create the most value are the ones who show up ready. Because they've taken five minutes that morning to anchor, to think and to remind themselves of who they are and what they stand for.
Readiness is powerful. And in today's boardrooms, it is essential.
So, my question to every leader reading this is simple: What's your warm-up?
Because not preparing is compounded risk—one that the business and the team will feel.
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