Abstract—A study on corporate leadership failure in America has shown that the failure rate of business leadership in meeting profitability targets is as high as 60%. Most organizations fail to attain profitability targets due to limited experience and exposure to strategic leadership. This single case study design aimed to explore the role of strategic leadership in banking profitability. Twelve purposively selected senior bankers and members of the board of directors with over 10 years of experience in banking and profitability and 3 years in the top management team participated in the study in western Tanzania. The resource-based view framed the discussion regarding strategic leadership skills needed to enhance banking profitability. Data were collected through semistructured interviews using open-ended questions to elicit in-depth responses from the participants. Other data sources included social media, company websites, and annual reports. The modified van Kaam approach was used in the data analysis. Meaningful statements were grouped into larger units to form themes. Findings confirmed that strategic leadership skills development had an important influence on banking profitability. Five themes emerged from the study results including strategic leadership and organization performance, planning, risk management, training and skills development, and the unique resources. Findings may also help to improve banking profitability, create employment, and contribute to social change in the poor and unbanked communities in Tanzania.

Keywords—strategic leadership, organization performance, RBV conceptual framework and porter’s competitive strategy