Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the concept of smart leadership and outline how to excel as a leader. Design/methodology/approach The paper highlights some of the challenges encountered by global leaders, to enable others to profit from their experience. Findings Emphasizes the importance of articulating one's vision, managing uncertainty, staying calm in a crisis, taking feedback, using time effectively and developing successors, among other things. Practical implications Stresses the importance of learning continuously and of blending soft and hard skills, to achieve leadership excellence. Social implications Provides examples of a wide range of successful leaders, carrying out functions ranging from war leadership to nursing. Originality/value The paper describes how to become an effective leader and outlines some of the pitfalls and blind‐alleys in the quest for success.
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M.S. Rao (2013) studied this question.