In a business landscape defined by constant disruption, the demand for truly strategic leaders has never been more acute. Yet, as companies grapple with a widening skills gap, many find that the very visionaries they need are in short supply. To navigate this challenge, we sat down with Sofia Khaira, a leading expert in diversity, equity, and inclusion who specializes in transforming talent management. With her deep understanding of what makes a leader effective, Sofia helps organizations not only find but also cultivate the forward-thinking talent necessary to thrive.
Today’s conversation will explore the critical disconnect between the leaders companies want and the ones they have. We will delve into how leaders can rise above the daily grind to embrace long-term strategic planning, the essential role of curiosity in risk management, and the power of staying connected to front-line realities. Sofia will also share her proven methods for vetting candidates beyond the resume and offer actionable advice on developing the leadership potential that already exists within an organization.
Leaders often get bogged down in daily tasks, leaving little time for strategic planning. Describe how you balance urgent, tactical demands with the need to develop long-term plans. Please provide a specific example, including the outcome of your approach.
That’s a constant tension, and it’s one of the primary reasons we see this skills gap widening. Many leaders are so buried in the tactical, the urgent fires of the day, that they feel they have no oxygen left for long-term vision. The key is to intentionally carve out that strategic space. For example, I worked with a director who was brilliant but was constantly being pulled into operational meetings. We implemented a system of “strategic blocking” on her calendar—non-negotiable time twice a week dedicated solely to future-focused work. During one of these sessions, she identified a looming supply chain vulnerability that everyone else had missed. By addressing it proactively over six months, she saved the company from a major disruption that hit competitors hard, turning a potential crisis into a significant competitive advantage.
With analytical thinking being a top-rated core skill, leaders must navigate unprecedented change. How have you guided a team through a significant organizational shift? Describe the steps you took to bring your workforce along and ensure the company successfully adapted.
Guiding a team through change is less about giving orders and more about building a bridge to the future. As The World Economic Forum highlighted, analytical thinking is now the most sought-after core skill, and that’s because leaders must be able to chart a course through ambiguity. I recall a company undergoing a massive digital transformation driven by AI. The fear and resistance were palpable. My first step was transparent communication—explaining not just what we were doing, but why it was critical for our survival and their growth. We then established cross-functional “navigator” teams, empowering employees to be part of the solution rather than victims of the change. This created ownership and helped us identify practical challenges early on. By bringing the workforce along on the journey, we didn’t just implement new technology; we fundamentally shifted the company culture toward one of agility and continuous learning.
Instead of simply approving ideas, strong leaders ask “what if” to identify risks. Recount a time you questioned an untested proposal. What critical questions did you ask, what potential risks did you identify, and how did your curiosity change the final outcome?
This is a point I feel very strongly about. I often see individuals in leadership roles who lack genuine curiosity; they’re quick to rubber-stamp ideas without stress-testing them. I was once in a meeting where a team proposed a rapid, aggressive market entry into a new territory. The energy was high, but it felt rushed. I took a step back and started asking the “what if” questions: “What if our primary competitor responds with a price war? What if regulatory hurdles are twice as complex as we predict? What if our initial customer adoption is only half of our forecast?” These questions weren’t meant to kill the idea but to fortify it. The team realized they hadn’t adequately planned for these contingencies. As a result, we delayed the launch by one quarter to build a more resilient strategy, which ultimately prevented a costly and public failure when a competitor did, in fact, react aggressively. That pause, driven by curiosity, made all the difference.
Some leaders can become disconnected from front-line realities, missing key opportunities. How do you ensure you remain embedded in the day-to-day business? Share an example of a mistake or opportunity you identified in real time because of this connection and explain what you learned.
A leader who isn’t connected to the front lines is leading from a place of theory, not reality. It’s incredibly dangerous. To avoid this, I practice what I call “purposeful immersion.” This means regularly spending time on the production floor, listening in on customer service calls, or working a shift alongside a junior team member. In one instance, while sitting with the sales support team, I overheard them repeatedly describe a cumbersome, multi-step process for generating quotes that was a constant source of client frustration. It was a small, operational detail that would never have appeared on a high-level report. By seeing it firsthand, I realized we were losing potential deals due to sheer inefficiency. We fast-tracked a simple software fix that automated the process, which cut the quoting time by 70% and directly boosted sales. It taught me that the most impactful insights often come from the people closest to the work.
When facing pressure to fill a critical role quickly, how do you advocate for a patient, quality-focused hiring process? Describe your vetting strategy for finding a candidate with true depth, explaining how you assess skills that don’t appear on a resume.
The pressure to hire quickly is immense, and it often leads to compromises that hurt the organization in the long run. I advocate for patience by framing it as risk mitigation. A bad hire can cause low productivity, team burnout, and ineffective decisions, costing far more than a few extra weeks of vacancy. My vetting strategy focuses on moving beyond the resume to uncover how a person thinks. I don’t just ask what they did; I probe for the “how” and the “why.” For instance, instead of asking about their accomplishments, I’ll present a hypothetical but complex business challenge and ask them to walk me through their problem-solving process. I want to see how they apply strategic thinking, weigh consequences, and navigate ambiguity. This method allows you to assess critical thinking and interpersonal skills in real time, revealing a candidate’s true depth far more effectively than any resume can.
Leadership development is a continuous process. Describe a specific program or coaching method you have used to cultivate skills like communication or conflict management in an emerging leader. Please detail the approach you took and the measurable results you observed.
Hiring is just the first step; investing in existing talent is where true organizational strength is built. I worked with a high-potential manager who was technically brilliant but struggled with team motivation and conflict resolution. We started with a tool, The Predictive Index, to give him a clear, objective understanding of his own working style and how it was perceived by others. This self-awareness was the foundation. Then, we enlisted a professional coach who worked with him through scenario-based training, focusing on active listening and constructive feedback techniques. Instead of just talking about theory, he practiced handling difficult conversations in a safe environment. Within six months, his team’s engagement scores increased by 15%, and voluntary turnover in his department dropped to nearly zero. It’s a powerful reminder that skills like communication are not just inherent; they can be taught, and the return on that investment is enormous.
What is your forecast for strategic leadership?
My forecast is that the distinction between “leader” and “strategic leader” will cease to exist. In the future, strategic thinking won’t be a bonus; it will be the absolute price of entry for any leadership role. Companies will no longer be able to afford managers who are only good at maintaining the status quo. The most successful organizations will be those that adopt a dual approach: they will be relentless in their external search for curious, forward-thinking talent while simultaneously committing deeply to the continuous growth of their internal leaders. Leadership will be treated as the most valuable currency a company holds, and nurturing it will be seen as the most critical driver of long-term success and resilience in an increasingly unpredictable world.
