CEOs of top companies know what they are looking for in top talents. While many possess good communication skills, inherently smart, carry a positive attitude and hardworking, that extra 1% is what they are on the lookout for. CEO research has also shown that these corner office best practices will make or break you as top talent working in the best industries across the globe.
Have a zeal for curiosity
Generally, chief executives are passionate individuals. But this is not apparent when they’re in investor meetings and media coverage. CEO’s needed to project authority and confidence to their audience as they showcase the company’s steady growth. Let’s just say it’s their ‘game face’.
But once the curtains are closed and the meetings have ended, top executives show a different side to their persona. They ask big-picture questions, wonder if there’s a better way to improve and are curious as to what people do and why they do it. For Alan R. Mulally, (Chief executive, Ford Motors) this corner office best practice works by asking a myriad of questions leading them to spot opportunities and in the process help the managers know the kind of people that work under them.
Tough on adversity
While zeal for curiosity is easy to spot on, there are some qualities that are not usually seen by the naked eye. And this is especially true for adversity.
A CEO research interview with Nancy Mckinstry (chief executive, Wolters Kluwer) explained that people had faced various adversities (and those that relish such) are more likely to have an advantage over the next person who just wants to ‘keep up with the flow’. To measure the adversity quotient, they ask the individual how they responded to past failures. This is the best way they can test the person how they responded to past challenges and how they were able to overcome it. The people with this kind of ‘can do’ attitude are more able to recuperate from challenges and deliver results whatever it takes.
Ability to work in a team
Working IN a team is not the same as working WITH a team. Though autonomy is a great factor in finding potential talents, having the team smarts is an essential corner office practice that CEOs also look for in a hire. They have an eye for the bigger picture and are more capable of working on the strength of every individual on the team to reach a common goal.
Keeping it simple
In a world full of complexity, keeping things simple may sound foreign for most. Should an employee present slides to the boss, the lengthy Powerpoint Presentation, for the most part, doesn’t bother them. It’s just the lack of focus that poses the big problem.
For Dany Levy (DailyCandy.com, Founder), finding the core of the business plan makes it easier for people to work on with faster turnaround.
Courageousness
Discomfort is a state of mind. Fearlessness is a quality that CEOs are looking for in potential candidates. And it’s not just being courageous to take on projects blindingly. It’s informed and calculated risk-taking measures.
Ursula Burns, the Xerox CEO, finds risk-taking as someone who sees the opportunity even if everything is running smoothly. It’s finding better ways to do things because, with stiff competition everywhere, it is going to be the problem if the company is complacent about how they work. After all, victory belongs to the brave.
This list of CEO research interviews are the key roles they want their potential hires to act upon. CEOs are not only the face of the company; they also act as mentors to building employees to become the best version of themselves.
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