Elea’s Future Fit Leader series part 2: Delivering with impact
The second session in Elea’s Future Fit Leader webinar series took place recently, led by Elea managing director Juliette Fourie. The session, titled Delivering with Impact, explored how effective leadership is ultimately measured not by ideas, but by execution.
Juliette began by reminding participants that… “leaders are remembered not for what they imagined, but for what they delivered.”
Delivery, she explained, is the tangible proof of leadership.
“Vision attracts attention, but delivery earns trust. It’s the bridge between intention and impact.”
The discussion centred on the Delivery domain within Elea’s Leadership Competence Framework – one of three core domains alongside Thought and People.
“To truly prepare leaders for the future, we can’t rely on vague qualities or aspirational traits,” said Juliette. “We need a structured, evidence-based framework.”
This framework defines four key delivery capabilities: making decisions, initiating, operating and executing, and organising and arranging.
“Delivery is not about working harder; it’s about working smarter, faster and more intentionally,” she added. “It’s about translating vision into tangible, time-bound, well-organised action – and doing it consistently.”
Juliette shared real-world examples illustrating both strong and weak delivery.
“When Nokia stalled on key decisions around smartphones, and Kodak delayed digital innovation, their leadership failed – not because of lack of vision, but because of poor delivery,” she said. “On the other hand, Apple’s true genius under Steve Jobs was in execution. They didn’t just imagine a smartphone future – they built it.”
She also referenced more recent cases, such as Adidas’ turnaround under CEO Bjørn Gulden, who “instituted a push for quicker, more independent decision-making among teams” after identifying the company’s growing defensiveness and bureaucracy. The results, Juliette noted, were clear: “By the end of 2023, the transformation was evident – a 12% increase in revenue, a billion-euro profit improvement, and a 48% rise in stock price.”
The session drew a clear link between leadership impact and measurable outcomes.
“Strategy without execution is hallucination,” Juliette said, quoting Thomas Edison. “It’s delivery that closes the gap between promise and performance.”
As in previous sessions, Elea’s AI-powered diagnostic was highlighted as a tool to make this measurable. Through simulated assessments analysed by Eva, Elea’s virtual AI psychologist, leaders receive personalised reports that identify their current performance in areas such as decision-making and operational discipline.
“Do you know your delivery score?” Juliette asked attendees. “Understanding and measuring your delivery impact provides the insight you need to strengthen performance and lead with confidence.”
The Future Fit Leader series continues with Part 3 on 16 October 2025 at 10am CAT (UTC +2), which will focus on problem-solving as a critical capability in high-impact leadership.
For more information or to register, email Juliette at [email protected].