I’ve seen a lot of changes over the course of my career. When I started as a consultant and speaker, we used three-ring binders and paper worksheets; now, Stewart Leadership offers cutting-edge AI coaching with online journals and plans. In the past, I could only speak to audiences in person; now, we can conduct online webinars and training sessions with leaders from multiple locations at once.
Throughout my career, I’ve met and studied thousands of senior executives as they’ve weathered economic uncertainty, global crises, and rapid technological changes. Time and time again, I’ve seen that the most successful leaders have several skills in common.
To move into senior leadership, cultivate these ten critical and essential skills.
1. Demonstrate integrity and ethics
Far and away, the most important qualities for any leader are an impeccable sense of integrity and strong ethical conduct. Leaders without these two qualities may succeed for a while, but they will inevitably run into legal, ethical, or accountability issues that will derail their careers. Remember, if a shortcut seems too good to be true, it probably is!
2. Stay laser-focused on results
Anyone who wants to move into a senior executive position needs to demonstrate an intense focus on producing results for the organization. These kinds of leaders can analyze and define issues and recommend and execute solutions with minimal oversight. Most importantly, they understand that business results can’t come at the expense of people results, and they endeavor to win the hearts and minds of their team even as they improve the bottom line.
3. Cultivate customer savvy
No organization can survive without customers, and leaders who don’t focus on the customer won’t last long at the top. Staying radically customer-focused is central to delivering results; in fact, BCG found that companies with the best customer satisfaction scores deliver higher shareholder value. Successful senior executives will put the customer at the center of their decision-making.
4. Promote a culture of accountability
Many leaders think they have to hold others accountable, but as we point out in a recent episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast, holding others accountable is something that can lead to micromanaging, conflict, and a “parent-child” approach to leadership. A better approach is to encourage self-accountability from the top down—a culture where individuals hold themselves accountable and teams work together to deliver results.
5. Polish emotional intelligence
Popularized by Daniel Goleman, the concept of emotional intelligence has become more and more important for leaders in the modern workplace, especially as younger generations reject older management styles and look for a more collaborative approach to work. But developing emotional intelligence doesn’t mean becoming a “pushover” in the workplace; rather, it means learning how to apply the right leadership style to the right situation. Ultimately, leaders with high emotional intelligence are servant leaders who empower the people around them to drive results in a collaborative way.
6. Be decisive
One skill that can make or break an executive’s career is effective decision-making. Markets don’t stop or slow down just because leaders are struggling to make decisions. Leaders who want to grow into executive positions should practice decision-making skills such as the “cheetah pause” and future thinking to improve this important aspect of executive presence.
7. Develop financial acumen
Many leaders are promoted into their first leadership positions because they are good individual contributors. However, individual contributors often don’t need the same skills that managers and leaders need—including financial management skills. Finance can seem intimidating to those who didn’t major in accounting in college, but most people can develop the basic financial skills to manage teams and eventually grow into senior leadership positions.
8. Recognize and develop talent
Leaders who rise to senior positions aren’t just talented in their own right—they’re also good at recognizing and developing the talent around them. They can see talented individual contributors or less-experienced leaders around their organizations, and they help those people develop and grow in their own careers.
9. Communicate and listen effectively
Many leaders can rise to very high positions with poor communication skills, but they likely can’t stay in those positions for long unless something changes. Learning good presentation skills, developing active listening skills, and even encouraging work-appropriate compliments in the organization are all ways to develop good communication skills. Leaders would do well to remember that the biggest hurdle to effective communication is the assumption that it has occurred.
10. Build and lead strong teams
There are many smaller skills that go into building and leading strong teams—creating purpose, coaching, collaborating, and developing others, for example. When leaders can demonstrate the skills that build and lead high-performing teams at a lower level of the organization, they will establish themselves as people who can lead at higher levels.
Leaders who have these skills in abundance are attractive and sought after as senior executives. In fact, these skills can make or break a senior leader, and those who don’t have them will eventually be let go. Leaders at all levels can use this list of skills to retain their current positions and prepare for greater responsibilities. Whatever a leader’s current position, these are the skills that deliver business results and people results.
Self-check:
1. What is one “soft skill” that I can actively develop to help me grow my career?
2. What is one “hard skill” that I can actively develop to help me grow my career?
3. What is one thing I will do today to start developing those skills?
