Taking on the responsibility of leading a company of any size undoubtedly requires unique skills, experience and the ability to craft and execute a viable strategy for company growth. As someone who engages with CEOs on a regular basis, I know firsthand just how extraordinary an individual needs to be to be up to the task of achieving this.
If you google what skills make a great CEO, you’ll get around 10 pages of articles, packed full of advice about how to hone your leadership skills. The traits listed include the importance of being innovative, strategic, ethical and visionary among other adjectives.
However, unless it’s about CEO’s extreme sleep schedules or bizarre eating habits, it’s harder to find articles that talk about the more unusual traits that gifted CEOs share. To even out the balance, let’s look at the less talked about skills that are invaluable to being a successful CEO.
Sense of humour
The role of a CEO is undoubtedly extremely serious and poorly judged jokes in the workplace can sometimes do more harm than good.
However, a study by Harvard Business Review found that leaders with a well-developed sense of humour are 27% more admired and credible than the average and their teams are 15% more committed.
In an article on this exact topic, HR Business Partner David Reyero states ‘My experience of working with senior CEOs is that those who manage with a touch of humour do, in fact, have far greater impact, approachability and influence than those who are more serious and distant’.
Renowned ‘CEO whisperer’ Plácido Fajardo, draws a similar conclusion, saying ‘humour helps us to relativise the seriousness of things, to take life in a better way, with a more relaxed perspective, starting by laughing at ourselves from time to time. Humour is associated with joy and is a good lever for generating self-motivation, as well as for transmitting positive emotions in such a delicate environment as the workplace, which is often subject to a strong emotional charge.
Humility
Interestingly the quiet art of being gracious is cited as one of the most valuable traits a CEO can have. However, it’s not just about being modest, being able to recognise when you’ve made a mistake is a crucial part of this.
Tim Ryan, senior partner at PwC US says “Without a doubt, the No. 1 quality or characteristic that CEOs need to have has to be humility. If you have a bold agenda, by definition you’re willing to make mistakes, and that’s where the humility comes in—to make sure you recognize those mistakes quickly and fix them right away.”
Netflix’s former CEO and now chairman Reed Hastings writes in his box No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention “humility is important in a leader and role model. When you succeed, speak about it softly, or let others mention it for you. But when you make a mistake, say it clearly and loudly, so that everyone can learn and profit from your errors.”
Humanity
This is one trait that’s easy to think is intrinsic, that you already naturally display by cultivating a business where staff can carve out their careers and enjoy steady employment. However, in busy, high-stress working environments doesn’t always facilitate the time required to show genuine interest in the people around you.
Plácido Fajardo makes the point that ‘the leader who demonstrates humanity attracts and generates more commitment from those around them and achieves more from those who collaborate with them. Let us not forget that ‘management’ is not only directed at inert objects but, above all, at effective collaboration between human beings guided by their will, with a need for affiliation and affection.’ Thus cementing the value of recognising and valuing the human qualities in ourselves and those around us to help create a positive bond with others in the workplace.
Listening skills
Again, a skill that immediately sounds simple, but goes beyond just paying attention to what people are saying. Being a good listener also relies on remaining curious too.
In a piece by Raconteur dedicated to the importance of listening skills for CEOs., Randall Peterson, professor of organisational behaviour and academic director of the Leadership Institute at London Business School reports that one of the best indicators of success for CEOs is whether their colleagues consider them good listeners and that listening skills are key to resolving disputes in organisations. “How a CEO manages conflict is critical to their long-term success.”
In this extremely comprehensive article about how CEOs can improve their active listening skills, it concludes that ‘active listening is a critical skill for any CEO. By understanding its importance, assessing your current skills, and practising techniques and strategies for effective listening, you can become a more successful and effective leader. Incorporate active listening into your daily routines, and you’ll see lasting benefits for both yourself and your organisation’.
Being able to display emotion
Before delving into this topic, it’s important to address the elephant in the room. Showing emotion continues to shoulder an unfair and outdated negative stereotype, that it shows weakness or hysteria, among other falsehoods.
So reading Doug Sundheim’s punchy piece on this topic is a welcome antidote to this notion. In his article simply titled ‘Good Leaders Get Emotional’ for Harvard Business Review he states that ‘We hide emotions in an attempt to stay in control, look strong, and keep things at arm’s length. But in reality, doing so diminishes our control and weakens our capacity to lead — because it hamstrings us. We end up not saying what we mean or meaning what we say. We beat around the bush. And that never connects, compels, or communicates powerfully’.
This also neatly segues into the topic of emotional intelligence, a term popularised by Daniel Goleman in his number one bestseller, ‘Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ’. In this book he unpacks the notion that EQ is much more important than IQ when harnessing productivity.
In Gary Cooper’s article, that explores the role of emotion in leadership he states that ‘showing emotion is an essential trait of a genuine leader. Yet, there are also times when emotional restraint is not only needed, but essential. This doesn’t mean you are not being “authentic” as a leader, but rather that you are steering the focus of problem-solving constructively. This is where EQ comes into play’.
In conclusion
While communication, empathy and interpersonal skills are difficult to measure, the role they play in ensuring that business functions effectively is vital. While your hard skills will help you secure the role of CEO, it’s the soft skills that will help you succeed and achieve your full potential as a leader.
