As a child Winston Churchill had a strong sense that one day he would lead his country through a time of great danger. He was a man with a strong sense of destiny, in addition to a unique combination of capabilities, traits and motivations that distinguished him from his peers. It is interesting to contemplate the extent to which the leaders of today had a similar sense of their future well before it unfolded, and to wonder what are the special ‘ingredients’ that enabled them to reach the top. Indeed, many of our clients are seeking to find out how to spot their future CEOs and management team members five, ten, twenty or more years out. It begs the question – what are the identifiers of CEO potential?
Identifiers of CEO Potential
We believe there are 4 elements that help us identify CEO potential. These are distinct from the experiences and competencies, skills and knowledge, which are required to enable an executive to reach the most senior levels. Rather, CEO potential depends upon traits and motivations that are difficult to develop or change – they tend to be intrinsic. So here’s what you should be looking for:
CEO Identity – seeing themselves as the leader and accepting the costs of the position
Relatively early in their careers executives with the potential to get to the most senior levels understand and accept the sacrifices they will need to make to advance their careers. Rather than feeling major conflict about the trade-offs they must make, they combine rigorous realism with determined optimism, that is, they know what it will take and they are up for it.
Intellect – they can discern through complexity and flex between the high-level and the detail
Individuals with CEO potential can make sense of great complexity, drawing out the critical information and forming insights. They can ‘helicopter’ effortlessly, thinking conceptually and then selectively diving into the detail to resolve issues – and to check whether those around them really have a grasp of the situation. They avoid the obvious risks associated with leaders who can’t delegate or who overly do so; or those who have a distain or fear of getting into the detail; or alternatively those who can’t distill, prioritize or conceptualize and who get lost in the chaos.
Personal qualities – openness to ideas and people, self-awareness and resolve
Undoubtedly in your careers you will have come across individuals who have a curiosity that drives them to seek new experiences, knowledge, ideas and people. At the same time, having had exposure to wide-ranging information, executives with CEO potential commit to a decided path until it is concluded. They have unusual resolve. In addition, those with the greatest potential tend to have the self-awareness to understand their strengths and weaknesses and their impact on others.
Motivation – personal satisfaction comes through influencing or having an impact on others
While there are some very senior executives who will drive things through an organisation through sheer force of will and the strength of their personalities, those who possess the potential for the C-suite are energized and motivated to do things through others. Rather than wishing that the stakeholder bit would get sorted out so they can get onto their real job, they realize that influencing and empowering others is the job¸ and they enjoy doing it.
These things can be difficult to spot, but much harder, if not impossible, to develop where they are lacking. As a result, it is important to know it when you see it, and to do everything you can to hang onto the individuals demonstrating these traits.
