Dream of Becoming a CEO? Cultivate These 7 Qualities

March 12th, 2019

By Katelyn Elrod

Many dream of the glamorous office and admiration that sometimes come with the title of chief executive officer, but they often overlook the sweat and personal development it takes to get there. It is easy to forget that CEOs don’t magically arrive at the top and remain there. Obtaining the position of CEO and holding onto it requires leadership qualities that distinguish one from the rest of the pack, and some of them may surprise you. Here are seven qualities that help CEOs climb to the top and stay there:

Decisiveness

Have you ever flipped through movies on Netflix for an entire hour before deciding you’re too tired to watch anything now and should just go to sleep? Or, have you ever spent more time choosing a restaurant than actually eating? Indecisiveness isn’t detrimental when it concerns choosing a movie or a restaurant, but it can keep you from climbing the ladder of success.

One of the most distinct characteristics of a successful CEO is decisiveness. Effective CEOs assess situations and collect input from those around them, then they make decisions. Just like that. Quick, informed decision-making maintains the momentum of a company and keeps employees confident in their leader. If a CEO makes a habit of delaying decision-making or backtracking on his or her choices, employees can become misguided and lose faith.

Most decisions can be undone, but taking too long to make an important decision cannot be reversed. Effective CEOs understand that any decision is better than no decision. They gather data, listen to trusted opinions, and decide.

Emotional Intelligence

A grand IQ may help a CEO understand logical aspects of a company, but it does not guarantee healthy relationships with workers, which is essential for a company to run successfully. That’s where emotional intelligence comes in.

According to Psychology Today, “Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others.” Especially for a CEO, self-awareness is a critical component of emotional intelligence. Employees pay particular attention to the expressions, body language, and actions of their leader. Successful CEOs must pay mind to how they present themselves and how they are viewed by others if they want to effectively communicate with others.

Successful CEOs not only recognize and maintain control of their own emotions, but they also make it a priority to recognize and interpret the emotions and motivations of those they work with. Understanding and valuing the emotions of others helps one form more meaningful connections, and meaningful connections create a company that functions on respect and teamwork.

Reliability

Big promise-makers can be exciting to follow, but they always lead to disappointment. Just look at any political campaign. Even when someone is able to all but perform a miracle in a company, it doesn’t mean they can do it again. A leader who can make innovative, necessary changes is good, but a leader who can make big changes and consistently produce positive daily results is better.

An effective CEO is reliable because he or she sets realistic expectations and commits to goals. Instead of constructing magnificent plans that are impossible to achieve, successful CEOs work to know their company inside and out and then set attainable goals based on their knowledge. Prioritizing planning and creating systems keep a company consistent, so a leader should be a good organizer.

Shiny, impressive promises and plans are fun admire, but consistent effort and reliability produce results and keep a steady momentum in a business. Oftentimes, faithfulness in the small, tedious matters of business determine the success of a leader.

Boldness

The position of chief executive officer is anything but passive. A CEO doesn’t become CEO by reclining in an office chair and agreeing with everyone.

Though CEOs should value maintaining healthy relationships with others in the company, they must not avoid conflict and unpopular decisions in order to keep everyone happy. A true leader says what needs to be said, even if it’s not something everyone wants to hear. If a CEO has created a culture of respect and honest communication, conflict in a company will not tear it apart but will build it up. The CEO of a company should be the first to engage conflict with a balance of kindness, openness, integrity, and determination.

Along with boldness in conflict, productive business leaders express boldness in innovation. An effective CEO respects a company’s history and methods of business, but he or she is also responsible for finding better ways to do things when necessary. Good leaders ask why things are done the way they are done and decide if another way would be better. Making changes can be daring and unpopular, but it is even more risky for a CEO to rest in the comfort of how things have always been done.

Adaptability

A workplace is not always a controlled, consistent environment. In fact, most aspects of life cannot be defined as controlled and consistent. Even if events go as planned for a while, you can usually expect a curveball sometime soon. CEOs should be ready for curveballs with open eyes and broken-in baseball mitts.

Change and unexpected events can cause anxiety, but an effective CEO sees them coming and embraces them as a means of growing. If employees notice their leader being shaken by surprises, they will likely mirror this attitude and create an environment of agitation. A successful CEO cultivates a culture in which obstacles are not viewed negatively but as opportunities to flex problem-solving skills and grow as a team.

Anticipating change when possible is a main ingredient for being calm in the face of change. Competent CEOs constantly gather information and notice patterns inside and outside their companies so that they may be able to predict change and address it when it comes. Awareness in times of calm and seasons of storm is key in adaptability.

Vision

If an employee spends forty hours per week doing something, they probably want to know why they do what they do. In general, humans crave finding purpose in their daily lives, so it is natural that people want to find meaning in their work. CEOs can help employees discover meaning through casting a vision.

A successful CEO guides a company by casting an easily recognizable and understandable vision that influences the entire business. In essence, a vision is a long-term goal that articulates the meaning and purpose of the company. A study conducted by Forbes revealed that employees who considered their company’s vision meaningful had engagement levels 18 percentile points above average. Employees with purpose care about their work, so they are more productive.

To develop or build upon the vision of a company, effective CEOs can tap into the roots of the company, identify how they want their company to impact people, and learn from other leaders who have mastered the craft of casting a vision. When a vision is established, a CEO does not harbor it but communicates it to employees through language and action, making it a natural thread running throughout the business.

Grit

Some who possesses great ideas but lacks tenacity is just someone with great ideas – and that doesn’t help anyone. Innovative ideas mean nothing unless they are accompanied by application, persistence, and heart. These three qualities can be encompassed by a term currently popular in the worlds of psychology and leadership: grit.

Author and researcher Angela Duckworth describes grit as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.” In a world of instant gratification and constant distraction, perseverance and passion set apart individuals who are CEO material from those not up to the challenge. Effective CEOs are laser-focused on their goals and are relentless in seeing them through despite obstacles and changes of plan. They make daring choices but are faithful in taking every small step necessary in achieving their goals.

To maintain grit, a leader can establish the details of a long-term plan and have others keep them accountable in ensuring each task is completed. In addition, a leader must never forget to infuse every action with heart. Passion can make or break a project.

To learn more about grit and the research behind it, watch Duckworth’s TED Talk.