What Are The
CEOs Of Tomorrow Doing Right Now? By CHESTER ELTON
S
OME EXECUTIVE COACHES WORK WITH C-LEVEL LEADERS. OTHERS HAVE BUILT PRACTICES ADVISING BOSSES WHO MIGHT STRUGGLE WITH COLLABORATION OR COMMUNICATION. MY WORK HAS MOSTLY BEEN WITH HIGH-POTENTIAL LEADERS, ALSO CALLED HIPOS, WHO WISH TO DEVELOP THEIR EXECUTIVE CREDIBILITY AND HIGH-LEVEL LEADERSHIP SKILLS. After twenty years of advising these potential CEOs, I’d like to pass along a few things I believe separate those who go on to get the big jobs from the rest of the pack. As a background, HiPos typically have been consistent, outstanding individual contributors—all while acting with high integrity. They were then asked to lead a team and again delivered strong results, this time as a manager. But now, they must make the leap to become leaders of leaders—and that’s a whole new skill set. At this level, they must cultivate an ability to multiply the energies of diverse teams toward new and uncharted opportunities. Since HiPos now have a larger group to manage, they have to transition to teaching skills to their direct reports, who then cascade these ideas down to their team members. A study led by Professor Douglas Ready of MIT’s Sloan School of Management shows 98 percent of large companies “purposefully identify high potentials. Especially when resources are constrained, companies do place disproportionate attention on developing the people they think will lead their organizations into the future,” Ready said.
So what talents set apart the most elite of these elite HiPos? As to those I’ve worked with, each has been well-organized and diligent, has solid problem-solving abilities, and a good dose of common sense. As a rule, they are fairly courageous and treat others with respect. Those characteristics seem to be the tickets into this club. But the best of them do a few unique things that enable them to take on more significant leadership roles in the near future.
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