The state of flux we are experiencing, is bringing about a shift in the top key qualities required to be an effective business executive and leader.
It’s not necessarily a completely different set of qualities, but a change in their order of relevance for navigating a changing, ‘fluxy’ kind of world.
So, what are the essential characteristics and qualities of effective business and sales leaders and what business executives can do to deal with these paradoxes and be ready for the challenges ahead?
The first characteristic is quite obvious, but still important to mention: being prepared.
In times of uncertainty and flux, people more than ever need to be led by someone who is prepared for the role. Someone who they perceive as having the knowledge, ability, skills and mindset to give them clarity and purpose, something meaningful to follow.
Secondly, Curiosity. This personal attribute has an increased importance during these times of flux.
The state of flux brings more complexity to an already overloaded world and there are those who are better at managing complexity than others. In an article for Harvard Business Review titled “Curiosity is as important as intelligence”, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic explains that there are 3 qualities that improve a person’s ability to manage complexity: IQ, intellectual quotient – the higher the IQ the greater the brain-power to handle the cognitive load and deal with complex problems; EQ, the ability to perceive, control and express emotions – the higher the EQ the better a person can manage stress and anxiety (which are high at times of flux). But the one they found most interesting and revealing is the third one: CQ, curiosity quotient. People with higher CQ are more tolerant to ambiguity, and are more inquisitive and open to new experiences. All these qualities transform complex situations into more familiar ones, hence making CQ a powerful tool in finding solutions to complex problems.
And lastly, the third key quality that business and sales leaders need in times of flux is courage.
They need the courage to be present and remain true to themselves. They need the courage to make decisions regardless of the unknown conditions, the uncertainties and the risk. Leaders need courage to build or adjust strategies even when everyone else thinks it’s impossible to have one. Robert Biswas-Diener describes courage as a quotient dependent on two factors, fear and willingness to act.
In which, Courage = Willingness to act divided by Fear.[1]
Business leaders have, as a group, an advantageous starting point: a study has shown that business leaders ‘have less fear and more willingness to act’ than other groups in the study, including police officers, fire personnel and military officers in training.[2]
So, what are we to do with this information?
Well, if you are about to recruit a new business executive or sales leader, you know what to look for. Some of the qualities and attributes mentioned can be psychometrically assessed as well, so you can gain a clearer picture of the candidate.
If you already have a team on-board, and think that they need to be better prepared for the challenges that lay ahead, then start with ‘being prepared’ and put in place an effective business and sales strategy underpinned by a robust and sound operational framework. Although experiences cannot be transferred from person to person, the insights of experience can be shared. Businesses can also bring in new talent with the knowledge, skills and capabilities missing in their current team.
The second one is CQ, the Curiosity Quotient. Following on from the HBR article mentioned previously, EQ and CQ can be developed, so if you think these attributes are lacking in your business and sales leadership teams, a development process can help build these qualities in your people.
And what about courage? Courage can be built as well. Courage is a muscle, the more you use it, the more courageous you become.[3]
This sales trend will see businesses and sales operations led by well-prepared, curious and courageous people raising the standards and sailing through the times ahead.
[1] http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/07/can-you-learn-to-be-courageous/
[2] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470917423/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=spacforrent-20&ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0470917423&linkCode=as2
[3] http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/07/can-you-learn-to-be-courageous/
https://hbr.org/2016/01/4-things-successful-change-leaders-do-well