Straight Talk — CEO success

The question of what it takes to be a successful CEO, which we consider in our feature beginning on page 8, is one that long has fascinated me. I have been collecting success stories (and failure stories) in the back of my mind for more than 20 years. As I mull those over, at least four character traits continually surface as I think about what a CEO needs to be successful..First, a CEO needs a sense of mission. There are many competent people in the business world, but they don't stand out unless they are driven by a desire to accomplish something other than what everyone else is striving for. A sense of mission comes from being able to see the big picture clearly, and from being able to bring together assets and opportunities in a way that no one else is..Second, a CEO needs a thick skin. In order to run an organization, you have to be able to make decisions in a timely fashion. Over the years, I have seen that many excellent people in the workforce really cannot make meaningful decisions; they wait for others to tell them what to do. A CEO can't wait for others to decide. You can't settle for the default path established by regulators, attorneys, convention and legacy. Building on that sense of mission, you have to be willing to make the decisions that turn mission into reality, even when others tell you that you are on the wrong path..Third, a CEO needs a desire to communicate. No CEO can do it alone. He or she needs colleagues and associates to make things happen. People need to hear from their leader motivating ideas that excite them to action. A CEO should welcome the opportunity to tell the company's story. He or she should create opportunities to share a vision. And it's best if these messages come through personal contact. If that's not practical in large organizations, then use technology, which allows you to communicate through images as well as audio..And fourth, a CEO needs a sense of humility. This is something I picked up out of Jim Collins' book, "Good to Great." He interviewed CEOs at hundreds of companies and found that the very best possessed a unique humility. At first I was surprised to read this, but as I thought about it, I could see where it made sense. Being humble means you acknowledge to yourself that you don't know everything already. This opens you up to learning and really listening to others. This kind of information-gathering and relationship-building are natural components of leadership.