The behaviors that lead to high performance in the CEO role are decisiveness, adaptability, and delivering reliable results.
Successful CEOs prioritize speed over the quality of decision-making and excel at engaging stakeholders for achieving stakeholder alignment.
Deep dives
The Disconnect Between Stereotypes and Successful CEOs
The popular stereotype of a successful CEO as a charismatic, strategic visionary with a top university degree is not supported by research conducted by Elena Botello. According to her findings, the behaviors that lead to high performance in the CEO role are decisiveness, adaptability, and delivering reliable results.
Introverts and Ivy League Education
Contrary to common assumptions, the research revealed that introverted CEOs and those who did not attend college or didn't graduate from an Ivy League institution are just as likely to be effective CEOs as their extroverted and Ivy League-educated counterparts.
The Importance of Speedy Decision-Making
The study found that successful CEOs prioritize speed over the quality of decision-making. Being decisive and making fast decisions was crucial. This behavior is aligned with Jeff Bezos' perspective on decision-making, where he encourages making decisions quickly with about 70% of the desired information.
Balancing Stakeholder Engagement
Successful CEOs excel at engaging stakeholders and finding a balance between satisfying different groups, such as employees, customers, and shareholders. They focus on aligning the organization and creating constructive dissatisfaction, rather than trying to please everyone. Emotional self-management and the ability to let go are essential skills for achieving stakeholder alignment.
Popular stereotypes of successful CEOs as charismatic white men with Ivy League degrees who never falter under pressure are often misleading.
“[T]he CEOs I get to know up close and personal really look nothing like this image of perfection. And so we decided to dig into this with the data,” says Elena Botelho, who co-leads the CEO Genome Project and advises top leaders.
Botelho tells IdeaCast host Sarah Green Carmichael that actual success in the C-suite has more to do with being decisive, staying adaptable, and delivering reliable results.
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