How Do You Select the Right Leader for Success?

Inside this conversation

Tom Verboven is a leadership strategist focused on selecting and developing the right leaders to create value for individuals, organizations, and society. We spoke about what makes a great leader, how leadership selection impacts business success, and the hidden risks of getting it wrong.

Leadership decisions can make or break an organization. As Tom puts it, “If you select the wrong leader, you're in trouble.” Using Boeing as a case study, he explains how one leadership decision led to a cultural shift that cost the company billions. But it’s not just about big corporations—founders and startups face similar challenges when choosing who will take the helm. “Do we have complementary skills in the team? Is everyone aligned and thinking the same way? That common ground is crucial.”

Drawing from his own experience as a semi-professional basketball player, Tom highlights the parallels between sports and business leadership. “We won championships not because we had the strongest individuals, but because we had the strongest team.” A leader’s role is not just about making decisions but about fostering trust, alignment, and a winning spirit.

Tom also reveals why selecting C-suite executives is often treated like a coin flip. “One out of two CEOs leave within 18 months,” he says, emphasizing the lack of structured evaluation at the highest levels. Instead of relying on gut feelings, he advocates for a holistic approach: pre-analysis, strategic profiling, and ongoing development to ensure leaders thrive.

With organizations facing unprecedented uncertainty—from AI disruption to geopolitical crises—Tom sees a shift in leadership priorities. “The behavioral skills are becoming more important. Influence, creativity, energy—things AI cannot replace.” And to navigate the paradoxes of modern leadership, executives must embrace both extremes: “Full-on strategy, full-on execution. Full-on AI, full-on humanity.”

Key Takeaways:

• Leadership selection isn’t luck—it’s a process. A structured approach improves success rates beyond the usual 50/50 gamble.
• Culture matters. A leader must align with the organization's DNA or risk losing trust and credibility.
• Ego clashes can sink startups. Founders must ensure alignment on vision and expectations early on.
• Winning teams over winning individuals. Strong leadership fosters collaboration and healthy competition.
• New leadership demands balancing extremes. Future CEOs must navigate strategy and execution, digital and human, short-term gains and long-term vision.

If you’re a leader—or selecting one—this episode will change how you think about leadership success.

Episode description from the official 21CE podcast feed. This text is the show notes, not a full transcript.