Today, business leadership is a vital component for achieving both success and long-term sustainability. Leaders who can connect results with people, vision with execution, and values with organizational culture make all the difference in an environment that’s increasingly volatile, uncertain, and digital.
To get a clearer picture of what it means to lead organizations in the 21st century, we sat down with José Echeverri—mentor, speaker, author of the book “Imperfect Leadership,” and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at Colombina. Echeverri has more than 20 years of executive HR experience at major multinational companies across Latin America, the United States, and Europe.
In this in-depth and insightful interview, Echeverri shares lessons, stories, and practical advice on how to excel at business leadership, touching on key topics like self-management, talent development, emotional intelligence, and the impact of organizational culture.
This is an essential guide for anyone looking to strengthen their own leadership skills or preparing to take on senior management roles.
How did your journey in business leadership begin?
My journey in business leadership is shaped by far more mistakes and failures than successes. Maybe that’s why, when I speak to colleagues, teams, or audiences, I’m a firm believer that “the perfect leader” doesn’t exist—only leaders in progress.
I started my career in finance and held leadership roles where, although I delivered strong results and was recognized as technical and reliable, I always felt a gap between what the job demanded from me as a person and the actual inspiration I generated within my teams. I was getting results, but I wasn’t truly leading.
I had to make tough decisions. At a turning point, I decided to “stop the clock” and look in the mirror: Was I really leading, or just managing processes? I discovered many areas where I needed to grow: from communicating a vision to being vulnerable, to recognizing other people’s achievements—not just my own.
That phase led me into a deep process of self-discovery. I decided to shift to Human Resources, and that’s where I found my true calling. For more than 20 years, I’ve focused on building and transforming organizations through leadership and talent—first in industrial and consumer companies, then across various industries and cultures in LATAM, EMEA, and the US.
My curiosity and drive to help others led me to write “Imperfect Leadership,” a book where I share cases, experiences, and common leadership mistakes I’ve witnessed (and made myself). My journey hasn’t been linear or polished—it’s the story of someone who learns from setbacks and turns mistakes into opportunities for growth.
Do you see a difference between personal leadership and organizational leadership?
That’s a classic “trick question” in business training—and, in my opinion, one of the most dangerous pitfalls.
For years, I tried to separate both worlds: I thought I could be a certain José Echeverri outside the office and someone completely different at work. But that only led to internal tension and major disconnection, which ended up undermining authenticity, coherence, and ultimately, real results as a leader.
Today, I believe personal leadership is the foundation for all other types of leadership. Before you can influence an organization, you must first influence yourself. Leading your own life, your family, your emotions, and your habits is absolutely essential before leading teams or companies.
Now, I encourage my teams and clients to practice personal leadership first: define your values, practice giving feedback at home, have tough conversations with your spouse or kids, and only then bring those abilities to work. When you let go of the artificial split between “personal me” and “professional me,” you become a more authentic, congruent leader—exactly what modern companies need.
A leader who doesn’t lead themselves will eventually show it—through inconsistent decision-making, a lack of credibility, or failure to connect emotionally with their teams. I believe many of today’s leadership crises—think reputation, culture, or organizational climate—stem from that fictional division between person and professional.
What are the essential skills for business leadership in today’s context?
For me, there are three strategic pillars:
1. Strategic Thinking
The ability to anticipate scenarios, look beyond the day-to-day, plan, and adjust as contexts evolve. This skill shouldn’t be exclusive to CEOs or directors—it must be present at every leadership level. It means analytical capacity, future vision, and constant adaptability to new realities—whether technological, social, or market-driven.
2. Results Orientation
A great strategist who can’t turn strategy into concrete outcomes is left with only good intentions. Business leadership requires a clear focus on objectives, the ability to execute and adapt plans, track performance, make corrections, and always celebrate team accomplishments—not just the leader’s.
3. People Management
Successful organizations today put people at the center. Leaders must take direct responsibility for building high-performing teams, motivating them, and identifying and developing talent. It’s not just HR’s job: attracting, inspiring, and retaining key people depends on every manager and leader.
I’d add one truly cross-cutting skill: emotional intelligence. It’s about being mature enough to know your own emotions, handle them wisely, and understand the emotional reality of your team—especially in uncertain or high-pressure contexts.
What have been your biggest challenges as a business leader?
The biggest challenge—for me and for most leaders I know—is being able to look in the mirror with radical honesty. That means recognizing not just your strengths, but also your weaknesses, blind spots, or gaps.
I’ve personally experienced times when my ego led me astray. After earning recognition or promotions, I sometimes bought into the illusion of being a “finished product”—a complete leader. But business leadership is never finished. It’s a constant journey of transformation. When you think there’s nothing left to improve, you risk stagnation and, often, irrelevance.
Another huge challenge is navigating generational change, hyperconnectivity, and rapid digitalization. Teams today have different expectations—they want purpose, autonomy, balance.
Modern leaders must transition from command-and-control to coaching, mentoring, facilitating, and fostering collaboration. Making that shift from what was traditionally a “boss” to what business leadership now demands has been tough, but extremely rewarding.
Can you share an example where your personal leadership positively impacted a company?
Absolutely—and, in fact, I like to mention it because it was painful but transformative. When I worked in finance at a multinational, I thought professional recognition and business results were enough.
I didn’t pay attention to how my team perceived me, or to whether I was truly inspiring them to go above and beyond.
Eventually, despite my achievements, my career plateaued. I felt stuck, frustrated, maybe even arrogant at times. Candid feedback from colleagues and leaders revealed my leadership style: highly technical, but distant. I wasn’t creating space for others to thrive.
That wake-up call made me realize that what I saw as a “lion’s roar” (to borrow a favorite Hollywood metaphor) barely came across, to others, as a soft meow—nice but far from inspiring. I embarked on purposeful feedback-seeking, asked for help, and began changing how I led.
The outcome was a complete evolution: my teams’ trust grew, new opportunities opened up for me, and—most importantly—I learned that business leadership grows in value when it’s anchored in authenticity and vulnerability.
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How do you balance decisiveness and empathy when making decisions with your team?
Leadership isn’t just about inspiration. It’s about making hard decisions, setting clear rules, and demanding results.
A common pitfall is falling into one extreme: excessive empathy that lacks direction, or unyielding firmness that loses human connection.
For years now, I’ve practiced what I call “strategic empathy”: really understanding each person on the team, identifying where they can shine, and setting clear expectations from the start. When both sides know what’s expected, trust can remain strong even during tense moments.
Managing that “creative tension”—knowing when to push and when to support, when to listen and when to set limits—is what sets successful business leaders apart.
The key is always remembering that behind every employee is a person, and that fear is never a good partner for effective leadership. I build trust, make room for vulnerability, and keep in mind that results still matter and accountability is essential in business.
What’s the role of emotional intelligence in business leadership?
Emotional intelligence sits at the heart of modern business leadership. A leader who cannot manage their own impulses will struggle to inspire or guide others through difficult situations.
It’s not about suppressing emotions, but about identifying and properly managing them. Having tough conversations, giving honest feedback, or managing conflict demands that we understand the impact of our words and actions on others.
Emotional intelligence also enables authenticity, helps us admit mistakes, and, crucially, allows us to truly connect with people.
Organizations today increasingly value emotional maturity. Advancement and promotions often hinge on your ability to handle emotional crises and manage relationships—not just technical achievements.
Great business leaders manage their own emotions, as well as those of their environment, to guide their organizations into the future and through uncertainty.
What separates an exceptional business leader from a merely competent one?
What sets exceptional business leaders apart is that they deliberately make themselves dispensable.
They don’t strive to be irreplaceable; instead, they develop others who can one day take over (and even do it better).
In my experience, memorable leaders leave a legacy: people who grow and advance, strong teams, and a climate of trust and autonomy that endures after their departure. Competent leaders tend to focus on their own achievements and comfort zone, while exceptional leaders take pride in celebrating the growth of others—even above their own.
I always ask: how many people have been promoted or developed due to your support or coaching? If the answer is zero, it’s time to re-examine your purpose as a leader.
How does organizational culture shape leadership style?
Organizational culture is everything. It determines how decisions are made, how mistakes are treated, how diversity is managed, and to what degree leaders can be their authentic selves.
Some cultures treat leadership as strictly formal: only outcomes matter, regardless of how they’re achieved. This may work short-term, but eventually leads to talent loss, eroded trust, and damaged reputation. In other companies, the culture is too conservative or change-averse, which stifles growth.
A leader must first understand the real, on-the-ground culture—which values and rules actually operate?—and then decide whether to help transform it or seek a setting aligned with their own values.
I’ve seen great leaders stifled by toxic cultures, and companies reborn because of leaders who challenge the status quo and cultivate innovation, collaboration, and purpose.
What advice would you offer someone beginning their leadership journey?
Two fundamentals:
First, take charge of your career. Don’t leave your professional future up to bosses, employers, or external factors. Create your own plan, review your goals, seek feedback, and make continuous learning a priority.
Second, master personal leadership before trying to lead teams or entire areas.
The strongest business leaders are self-leaders—they manage their habits, their inner dialogue, their emotions, and their learning capacity. Practice listening, empathy, feedback, and decision-making in your personal life first.
And above all, embrace imperfection. There’s no perfect leader: what matters is your ability to reflect, reinvent, and have the humility to ask for help when you don’t know something.
How do you maintain your own growth as a business leader?
The key is to always have a “lifelong learner” mindset. Business leaders today must be willing to unlearn and reinvent themselves every few years. What worked yesterday can quickly become obsolete. I read constantly, attend conferences, seek mentors, and, most importantly, learn from younger colleagues.
I also practice frequent self-assessment: asking for feedback, running self-evaluations, exploring new management and leadership methodologies. I see technology as an ally: in my view, business leadership will only become more hybrid, digital, and collaborative. Only those who keep learning can lead companies that never stop evolving.
How can business leadership support the adoption of technologies like remote proctoring and reduce resistance to change?
Digitalization and remote proctoring are clear examples of how work and education paradigms have shifted. I haven’t led proctoring projects personally, but I have managed digital transformation and change initiatives related to productivity, training, and remote culture.
The key lever is still trust. If organizations are obsessed with control, any new technology will be seen as a threat, and resistance will follow. On the other hand, in cultures focused on results and trust, digital tools are seen as allies, not as instruments of surveillance.
Business leaders must anticipate ethical concerns, provide a clear purpose for new technologies (beyond mere supervision), communicate openly about the benefits, and focus on learning and professional growth. It’s also important to recognize that we all live with technology and privacy issues far before the pandemic.
So I always recommend leading with empathy, understanding the real reasons behind resistance, supporting change with training and open dialogue, and never losing sight of the ultimate purpose: building organizations that are more adaptive and ready to thrive in the digital age.
Conclusion: Business Leadership for a Sustainable Future
José Echeverri’s career and insights show that business leadership isn’t just a role or a checklist of skills. It’s a blend of self-leadership, team-building, emotional management, and personal values—along with the ability to adapt to complex organizational cultures.
In an increasingly dynamic and challenging environment, those who stand out are the leaders willing to build themselves up, challenge the status quo, invest in people, and learn from their own mistakes.
Business leadership, as Echeverri reminds us, is inherently imperfect—which is exactly what makes it human and effective.
About José Echeverri:
Mentor, speaker, and CHRO at Colombina. He has led HR and transformation areas at major multinational companies and is the author of “Imperfect Leadership.” Echeverri develops business leaders in Latin America, the US, EMEA, and other global markets.
