Our Leader Programs Focus On The Five Traits CEOs Want Most In Their Leaders
Increasingly, leadership has become a major driver of, and is considered critical to, an organisation’s performance and success
(Dongen 2014; Gaddis & Foster 2015; Goldberg 2017; Hughes, Ginnett & Curphy 2015; Roberts 2015; Seidle, Fernandez & Perry 2016)
In a survey conducted by the Corporate Executive Board (CEB), only 13% of senior executives indicated that they had confidence in their up-and-coming leaders
(CEB n.d., cited in Fernandez-Araoz, Roscoe & Aramaki 2017)
What’s worse is that between 33% and 61% of leaders are considered as acting in a manner that is described as ‘destructive’
(Aasland, Skogstad, Notelaers, Nielsen, & Einarsen, 2010, cited in Gaddis & Foster 2015)
Which is why CEOs and other C-Suite executives are looking for that breed of leader who is capable of acting differently, who can think differently, who can lead differently… and who can make their organisation more profitable, more relevant, more dynamic, and more responsive than ever.
So, What Are The Five Traits CEOs Are Looking For In Their Leaders?
A world-wide survey of 11,000 C-Suite executives in 2018 identified the five most desired traits CEOs wanted in their leaders… traits they are looking for but are finding hard to match. Which means their are opportunities for those outstanding leaders who can meet their needs.
As to the qualities most needed in their leaders, CEOs rated their top five required leader traits as:
- strategic thinkers;
- highly adaptable;
- entrepreneurial;
- inspiring and engaging; and
- emotionally intelligent.
Four years ago, we recognised the emergence of this need to develop strategically thinking, highly adaptable, entrepreneurial and inspiring leaders who rate high in emotional intelligence, which is exactly why we developed, and are continuing to develop, the suite of strategically focused leader and leadership programs that they now offer to you and other leaders in Australia, New Zealand and USA.
We Focus On Developing Leaders Who Create Results
The Strategic-Thinking Leader
Great Leaders think differently. They look beyond the here-and-now to the there-and-how. They provide a picture of the future that guides their teams to a greater purpose and defined future outcomes that are tied to the every-day deliverables. They give life to a vision, returns on investments and motivation for growth. They understand the importance of targets and of bringing everyone on a journey to success. The Strategic Thinking Leader:
- Understands the importance and value of an aligned strategic approach to future operations;
- Understands the process of identifying and maximising long-term stakeholder value;
- Takes a strategic approach to everything they and their teams do in order to achieve a competitive advantage;
- Implements a strategic value creation mindset across all team and stakeholder operations;
- Understands the role of the Leader as a key influencer of change and strategic value creation; and
- Aligns the operational outcomes of their division with the strategic purpose of the organisation.
The Highly Adaptable Leader
Adaptable Leaders act differently.They are adaptable to change and capable of steering change and responding to change. As a leader, you are given the responsibility of maximising the success of your organisation in a rapidly changing future. An adaptable leader is required to have a vision and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and to execute with confidence. The remain calm when those around them are flustered. The display strength in overcoming. The Highly Adaptable Leader:
- Is calm under duress, being the rock that others look up to;
- Is open minded and positive about initiatives;
- Understands the value their vision has in guiding others in achieving success even in fast changing situations;
- Is an early adopter;
- Adapts to changing situations
- Is willing to get out of their own comfort zone;
- Avoid over-reliance on assumptions and act on sound facts, not beliefs;
- Understands the importance of being decisive, of being self-aware; and
- Thinks outside the square and prepares for events unforeseen.
The Entrepreneurial Leader
An Entrepreneurial Leader thinks differently to other leaders. They act differently. They are entrepreneurial in what they do and how they do it. That is what makes them so wanted by CEOs. The fact is, it can be done. The fact is, it’s not easy. The fact is, it will take an extraordinary level of idea creation way beyond what most people are willing to do. But that’s what makes an Entrepreneurial Leader so extra-ordinary! The Entrepreneurial Leader:
- Invests their time and effort in taking ideas and concepts to the market that create or enhance the brand and reputation and increases the profits and return to the shareholders of the organisation they work for;
- Has a strong committment to innovation;
- Is competitive and driven by results and rewards;
- Has an appetite for well thought out and researched risk;
- Is adaptable and ready to change course when faced with sudden change within their organisation or marketplace;
- Is resilient and tenacious;
- Is an influencer and communicates the vision of possibility;
- Challenges the status quo in preparing for the future; and
- Is world-aware, visionary, flexible and adaptable.
The Inspirational Leader
Inspirational Leaders are different. They inspire people to achieve even greater levels of the team performance that leads to success. They take people on a journey to be something greater than themselves. They bring together diverse groups of individuals and get them to set aside their differences and unite them in pursuit of a common goal. They deliver their message in a clear, precise and powerful manner that influences others to believe that the impossible is, in fact, possible. The Inspirational Leader:
- Is passionate about their team and their achievements;
- Promotes their team’s success and shows gratitude towards their team;
- Takes a visionary view towards their strategic goals as they lead their team to achieve a competitive advantage;
- Has the ability to lead others by motivating them to strive for the exceptional rather than simply acting on orders delivered from on-high;
- Is persistent, trustworthy, honourable, compassionate and self-aware;
- Is values driven, authentic, acts with integrity and takes responsibility for their own actions and those of their team;
- Is optimistic, unselfish, assertive, passionate, purposeful, persuasive and self-actualised;
- Is future looking and committed to success with a hunger to achieve;
- Has the ability to lead people in tough times as well as the easier-to-manage good times;
- Empowers others to achieve the strategic outcomes of the organisation.
- Gives voice to a vision of what can be and understand the personal power that comes from delivering a clear, directed and strategically focused message; and
- Brings people together in a common purpose that is greater than themselves.
The Emotional-Intelligent Leader
Emotionally Intelligent Leaders stand out as great leaders. Emotionally Intelligent leaders recognise the importance of understanding their own ability to lead others; they are reflective and in-touch with their own ability to work well with others, to manage stress and to make the best decisions in even the most difficult of situations. They recognise and understand their own emotions and those of others, while being able to distinguish between emotional information and fact in order to give the right guidance to their thinking. The Emotional Intelligent Leader:
- Understands the importance of having a high degree of self- awareness;
- Displays a high degree of adaptability and self-regulation;
- Leads with integrity, optimism, empathy, curiosity and passion;
- Acts in a way that does not compromise their values;
- Has a strong desire to help others succeed as well as to walk a path of continuous self-improvement;
- Anticipates how people could react to situations and prepares for those reactions;
- Stays in control of their actions, reactions and emotions and avoids making rushed or highly emotional decisions; and
- Has a keen awareness of the emotions that drive people’s behaviour and the impact those emotions – good or not so good – have on people, especially when under pressure to deliver results.
