Best and Worst Personality Traits of a Modern-Day CEO
As a CEO you can undoubtedly benefit from boasting certain personality traits. Even if you don’t possess these skills naturally you can make the effort to develop the skills and traits needed to make you a respected and successful leader.
John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the USA was once quoted saying: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” Ever wondered what some of the top-rated CEOs in the world, such as Satya Nadella, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos, have in common? If you answered that they are all at the helm of immensely successful business enterprises, you would not be wrong. Apart from the professional successes they have in common, they also share a set of very distinctive personality traits that has undoubtedly played a huge role in their achievements. If you want to follow in the very fruitful footsteps of these and other CEO greats, there are a number of modern personality traits you should aim to develop while suppressing others at all costs.
Be curious and responsible
There are a number of outstanding personality traits that many of the world’s best CEOs have in common. One of these traits is curiosity, which will enable CEOs to ask pertinent questions that will help them to effectually analyze both micro and macro situations. Successful CEOs understand that curious questioning is crucial to success which is why they encourage it among their employees while also allowing themselves to be constantly curious. Being the CEO of an organization is a mammoth responsibility. While some people will inherently shy away from such obligation, an upstanding leader will instead accept all burdens and obstacles and let his sense of responsibility lead him to greatness.
Few things trump passion
Another thing many superb CEOs have in common is their passion for what they do. Passion is often the biggest driving force behind enormous success. Without passion you will not be able to perform to the best of your ability nor will you be able to lead your team effectively. It is natural to feel your passion waning from time to time but it is pivotal to not allow yourself to become indifferent towards your job. If you feel that your passion is in dwindling, take some to yourself to reconnect with your vision and hopefully reignite your fiery passion you once had for your job.
Some personality traits are better suppressed
One of the most damaging personality traits a CEO can have is inconsistency. When you are at the helm of an organization you need to be as consistent as possible, both in your attitude and in your decision making processes. Inconsistency breeds scepticism which is the last thing you want if you are trying to win the trust of your employees. At first glance, it may seem like a good attribute to be cautious, but it rarely is when you are a CEO. Too often a resourceful and knowledgeable CEO allows the fear of failure to cloud his judgment when it comes to embracing appropriate risks. While it is important to trust your instinct, it is of equal importance to not overthink everything as you may miss out on valuable opportunities.
Put your pride aside
Achieving any goal, especially one to become CEO, is without a doubt something to be proud of. It is, however, not healthy to develop a hugely inflated ego because of your achievements. If you let your own accomplishments go to your head, you may soon find yourself unfairly dismissing everyone who challenges you. If you are fortunate enough to be the CEO, you need to remain humble instead of assuming that you are always right. By putting your pride aside and opening yourself to the input and feedback of others, you will not only receive potentially brilliant ideas, but also display to your employees that you value them.
If you think you have all the necessary qualities to be a top CEO, why not take our quiz?
