Let’s face it, when most people think of a CEO what comes to mind typically looks the same for everyone. A charismatic, six foot tall, man in his mid fifties peering down on a large city from his corner office suite, right? It’s what we see in the media, it’s what has been “known” so to speak since as long as we can remember when it comes to business. There is an energy to a position like CEO that many think makes an individual “powerful”.

But is that caricature of a successful and confident man really the person best suited to lead corporations?

A study done by Harvard Business Review revealed there to be a “pervasive dissonance between who boards think will make a great CEO and who actually will do well in the test of time.” The qualities that make someone a high performing CEO are not always the ones that can be registered with a handshake.

For example, when a candidate is highly confident they are often times more than twice as likely to be hired for the position yet this high level of confidence rarely correlates with an effective CEO. 

Let’s focus a little less on the qualities that make someone a good candidate for CEO and instead look at the attributes that will lend themselves to excelling in their performance. Maybe you’re a CEO today, maybe you’ve set your sights on the position in your long term goals, or maybe you want to step up your leadership wherever you stand.

Regardless of your perspective, here are 3 qualities that make a highly effective CEO:

1. Deciding with Speed and Conviction

The CEO is the person every head will turn towards when a choice needs to be made. An effective CEO has to be comfortable with the pressure and capable of swiftly making a decision to keep things running. They don’t just make the choice, they lead the charge in the direction of their decision. They lead their teams through the uncertainty with a sense of conviction and purpose. It isn’t about always making the “right” decision, it’s about the ability your team has to rely on you in the midst of uncertainty.

2. Adapting Proactively

The word “adapt” means to “become adjusted to new conditions” a CEO needs to be a proactive adapter so that they can work with the flow of change rather than drown in it. CEO’s need to be fluid enough to shift their paths but resolute enough to still forge ahead towards their destination or goal. Being good at adapting during crazy times is an invaluable asset as a leader. The highly successful CEO knows that even if they make a wrong move and a setback occurs, those setbacks are not failures but rather opportunities to grow. 

3. Consistent Reliability

In the high risk world of being a CEO reliability is priceless in the eyes of a board. While random spurts of success and records may seem enticing to a board-often times that very same quality lends itself to instability. Steady growth is far more valuable than unpredictable spikes.

The interesting thing about these three qualities that have been proven to make a CEO highly effective is that all of these are attributes that can be learned and improved upon. These are not naturally born abilities that some have and some don’t, these are attainable for any leader at any level.

Do you see any of these qualities in your leadership style?

Now is always a great time to start improving. 

Lead Well,