Leading Together in 2024

We embark on this new year with an acute awareness of how the world has become more complicated, challenging, and confusing. By now, every one of you will be familiar with the unprecedented risks—old and new—in the global operating environment and how they will affect your organization. What is less known is how to navigate through them and emerge not only unscathed, but stronger.

From our vantage point as leadership advisors to organizations the world over, we know that the answer is, time and again, great leadership.

History continues to prove that it is possible to win in difficult market conditions. But doing so requires leaders who are agile and resilient. Leaders who inspire and unite their teams. Leaders who confront challenges head-on. Leaders who never forget why they are here.

It is easy in turbulent times to retreat into the comfort of the familiar. Yet true leaders remember in moments like these that they are here to lead their organizations forward. So, while they fight the fires around them, they also rekindle the sense of purpose that drove them to the top in the first place, always keeping an eye on the future and seizing opportunities to transform and adapt.

Three key issues that will continue to stand out in 2024 are sustainability, Gen-AI, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). While these issues take on a different emphasis depending on which continent you are on, the fundamental point remains: during times of disruption, transformation isn’t a choice, it’s a necessity.

With this in mind, one of the most important questions you can ask in 2024 is: Are our leaders ready to face the challenges of not only the year ahead but also the decade ahead?

At Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA), our purpose is to Improve the Way the World Is Led. There are two ways to do that. First, by joining the 4 billion people who will vote across 76 countries for their new political leaders in 2024. Second, by developing and optimizing leadership at the top of organizations globally.

I am incredibly proud of the work our people do every day to deliver on this goal. Leading with passion, integrity, and a commitment to excellence, each one of us is redefining what it takes to lead in a fast-moving world, helping to identify and develop leaders who protect their organizations, inspire their people, and contribute to the greater good.

Increasingly, the way we deliver our best to clients is changing as our own industry evolves. From adopting AI tools to gaining approval from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for our short-term and long-term sustainability goals, our people continue to nurture a growth mindset, adopting the same vision that they instill in our clients’ businesses worldwide.

Of course, none of this would be possible without our valued clients, who continue to put their trust in us to identify, assess, and develop future-ready leaders and build transformative leadership teams. It is through this work that we drive meaningful impact and help build a better, more resilient world. I express heartfelt gratitude for your partnership.

By working together in 2024, we can transform our world. So, let us make this year a testament to the true power of great leadership.

With gratitude,

Constantine Alexandrakis.