Reflections
Leadership Excellence
| FROM: MAR-APR 2007 ISSUE | |
BY ANTHONY ARIGANELLO, CPA (DELAWARE), FCGA, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CGA-CANADA |
Excellence in leadership never goes out of style. In fact, in today’s business climate sterling leadership qualities have never been more important. Business executives need to be nimble, thoughtful, and adept leaders – comfortable in their own skin and comfortable with a rapidly changing business environment.
Today’s leaders need to be ready for anything. They must have vision. But they must also focus on the micro issues, because as the saying goes, the devil is in the details.
And if that’s not enough to keep leaders awake at night, there are new and mega-changes on the horizon, ready to challenge all leaders in all walks of life. Globalization, climate change, corporate social responsibility, and changing demographics are but a few of the big challenges making their impact felt in the workplace and in society at large.
Take changing demographics for instance. As the baby boomers head into retirement, the search for talent and fresh leadership will become ever more critical to business success. For leaders, that means not only effectively managing human capital but also succession planning and working to ensure organizational stability.
You just have to Google the word “leadership” to see how important current leadership challenges are globally. Not only are we reminded about great leaders of the past, we’re challenged to think about nurturing and encouraging the next generation of leaders. That’s where programs like the Top 40 Under 40 come in.
This program began as an inspired idea and was established some years ago by Doug Caldwell, the founder of Caldwell Partners. CGA-Canada is proud to be a platinum sponsor of the Top 40 Under 40 as we enter our second year of involvement. We’re pleased to be associated with a program that recognizes
the amazing and diverse talents of Canada’s young and emerging leaders. Each year, the Top 40 finalists present an impressive picture. These individuals come from small and large businesses, academia, public service, and not-for-profit organizations.
Over the past year I’ve been able to meet and learn about many of these worthy Top 40 winners. Every single one is truly inspiring. They are energetic, innovative, and talented beyond their years. Above all, what shines through is their optimism about the future. And their desire to make the world a better place – for business and for people.
These days, leadership challenges abound like never before. Yet as the Top 40 program demonstrates so well, with talented energetic young leaders coming up through the ranks, the future is in very good hands.
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