What Qualities Define a Successful Leader?
- 1 of
-
What Qualities Define a Successful Leader?
Dennis McCafferty -
Top Drivers of Success, Part 1
34% of the senior executives surveyed said mindset/attitude is the top driver of success for business leadership, while 31% cite people skills and team building. -
Top Drivers of Success, Part II
15% said industry experience is the top driver of success for leaders, and 13% believe technical skills/expertise is. -
Major Inhibitors
68% of respondents said shortcomings in workers' attitudes will keep them from advancing within the company, while just 32% said a lack of tech skills will slow down advancement. -
Change Drivers
85% of senior execs said it's easy to change employees' technical skill sets, but only 54% think it's easy to change their leadership skills, and 46% said it's easy to change their mindset/attitude. -
How to Convey a Great Attitude: Expand Your Horizons
Volunteer for assignments outside your core duties, and never turn down a request help by saying, "That's not my job!" -
How to Convey a Great Attitude: Show Appreciation
Thank every co-worker and supervisor when they've helped you with a work assignment. -
How to Convey a Great Attitude: Be Professional
Never let a crisis rattle you. Instead, embrace it as a chance to prove both your skills and your professionalism. -
How to Convey a Great Attitude: Take Responsibility
Everybody botches an assignment at some point, but it's important to accept responsibility and use the mistake as an opportunity to learn. -
How to Convey a Great Attitude: Pitch In
Never consider any task beneath you—not even refilling the office coffee pot or emptying out the dishwasher.
Having a good work attitude is considered the top attribute of organizational leaders, according to a recent survey from the Leveraging Genius Institute of Gap International. So, while you should certainly take pride in your technology knowledge, senior executives say that the presence of tech skills doesn't make as great an impact as having the right attitude and mindset. The findings primarily focus on a select group of qualities that make a successful leader: attitude and mindset, people skills and team building, industry experience, and tech skills and expertise. Among the reasons why skills aren't considered as critical: Executives consider it much easier to improve an employee's tech skills than to change a bad attitude. "Employers recognize the difficulties faced in developing their people to perform consistently at a high level," says Eric Jackson, vice president at Gap International. "The findings are quite telling: Technical skills and expertise, traditionally given the most attention, may not be as critical as focusing on mindset and attitude when long-term success is in mind." As an added bonus, we're including some best practices on conveying a positive workplace attitude. They were compiled from a number of online resources, including those posted by workplace911. More than 300 senior executives took part in the Leveraging Genius Institute's research, which was conducted by Harris Poll.