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Fiorina said leadership is a choice, first and foremost. "A choice to dare to do something different... to make a difference. Leaders know that their most important job is to unlock the leadership potential in others.
"Leadership is about changing the order of things. Not all managers are leaders. Management and leadership are not the same thing. Leadership is a choice to make a difference... and leadership is a choice because it takes courage and risk taking," Fiorina emphasised.
To summarise her professional presentation, delivered live and in person from a stage at the event to a few hundred South African business leaders, Fiorina highlighted the following essence of excellent leadership:
Upskilling
"In terms of building capability, the most successful leaders I know, are those that never stop learning. Never stop building their skills. You can learn from everyone. Leaders are always learning and always helping others learn," said Fiorina.
Fundamentally, diversity is a business imperative, she emphasises.
"When I look for an effective leader, I look at who they surround themselves with. If they surround themselves with people like themselves, they can get to an answer pretty quick. When people are all the same, they all think the same. You are missing something important.
"A real leader surrounds themselves with people who are different - they bring a different set of skills to a problem. When you have a diverse team like that, it is sometimes harder to get to the answer, but it takes time to build a common language."
Fiorina advises that if leaders at the top are not willing to take the risk and surround themselves with people who are different from them, most people will go to their comfort zone. "That is the basis of enduring prejudice in an organisation."
In conclusion, she said that leaders need to measure how many women and minorities are also represented in their organization to ensure diversity.