No. 1 trait for CEOs: humility, authenticity, or empathy?

Hi there and welcome to Fashionable CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content material officer of Mansueto Ventures. Every week this article explores inclusive approaches to management drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Quick Firm. When you obtained this article from a buddy, you possibly can sign up to get it yourself each Monday morning.

A couple of weeks in the past, I wrote a piece suggesting that the No. 1 trait CEOs want proper now’s humility. Tim Ryan, senior accomplice at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) U.S., argued that at this time’s leaders must be daring, sometimes fail, and have the humility to acknowledge and repair errors.

A couple of readers have been fast to disagree. Marketing consultant Brian Faulkner says empathy tops his listing of CEO traits, noting that humility is extra deferential, whereas empathy is a strategic ability that “requires a broad understanding of the huge palette of points and alternatives dealing with a frontrunner always.” David Meadvin, founding father of CEO and communications advisory agency One Technique Group, contends that authenticity trumps humility, particularly amongst youthful chief executives. “It’s essential be comfy in your personal pores and skin; that you must be self-aware sufficient to know what you don’t know and the place you wrestle,” he says. “You’ll be able to work to get higher at these issues, however typically it makes extra sense to fill the gaps by discovering individuals who can do them higher than you possibly can.”

Good issues are available threes

To me, empathy, authenticity, and humility are complementary. These are traits that was once derided as “delicate expertise,” however at the moment are considered as essential parts of recent management.

They’re additionally intertwined. Once I requested Mark Smucker, president and CEO of The J.M. Smucker Firm, what authenticity means to him, his reply additionally demonstrated empathy for his workers and humility in acknowledging that he doesn’t have all of the solutions.

“For me being genuine is about honesty and transparency,” he says. “I need workers to not simply know what we’re doing but additionally why we’re doing it. It’s taking the time to acknowledge the realities of life whereas understanding our workforce is comprised of greater than workers—they’re moms and dads, little children, mates and companions, and a lot extra. It’s essential for me to articulate this and my appreciation that these roles have obligations as nicely. And it’s being keen to acknowledge challenges in order that we are able to work collectively to make the most effective selections.” 

What trait issues most to you?

Is the No. 1 trait for CEOs empathy, authenticity, or humility? Maybe the reply must be: “the entire above.”

Let’s proceed the talk over the No. 1 trait for CEOs. What tops your listing of de rigueur management qualities for a contemporary chief? Ship your feedback to  stephaniemehta@mansueto.com. I’ll publish the freshest insights in a future publication.

Learn extra: key management traits

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