The key qualifications for a CEO

January 11, 2015

I have written before about The Experience Fallacy; i.e., making “industry experience” a must-have requirement for a CEO.

What should be the must-have requirements?  The following, copied from a position description posted on the web, captures perfectly the truly critical attributes:

  • Inspiring and Courageous Leadership: Ability to inspire, persuade, engage, speak straight-forwardly about complex issues, make tough decisions and take difficult actions. Display balanced thinking that combines analysis, wisdom, experience and perspective. Produce data-driven decisions that withstand the “test of time.”
  • Creativity and Innovation: Ability to generate new, innovative and visionary approaches to issues, approaches that are effective and responsive. Bring insightful perspectives on emerging and leading trends and best practices.
  • Build a Talented, Effective Staff Team: Hire, mentor, develop, retain, and manage a diverse staff. Assemble and reinforce a cohesive, dedicated, highly effective inter-disciplinary team. Ability to lead team through change processes.
  • Business and Management Acumen: Ability to manage human, financial and information resources strategically. Bring innovative approaches and solutions to challenges. Streamline and remove processes that do not bring value. Measure success based on results. Set high standards of performance, using accountability measures and benchmarks to track progress.