David Cummings on Startups

Attributes of a Successful CEO

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David Cummings

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Harvard Business Review has an excellent article titled What Sets Successful CEOs Apart. The authors talk about a variety of research where they distill down the four attributes that set successful CEOs apart from other CEOs. From the article, here are the attributes:

  • Deciding with speed and conviction.
  • Engaging for impact.
  • Adapting proactively.
  • Delivering reliably.

It sounds pretty simple but it’s incredible hard for a CEO to consistently do all four. Want to learn more? Head over and read What Sets Successful CEOs Apart.

What else? Have you worked for/with CEOs that had those attributes?

Comments

2 responses to “Attributes of a Successful CEO”

  1. Andrew Avatar
    Andrew

    Yes – though the company was well beyond being considered a startup when I joined. Jeff Weiner is the best CEO I have ever worked for. Operated with a high degree of conviction on the trajectory of the business, casually and effortlessly motivated employees across all company orgs, and in general, acted as an approachable person who appeared to live his life, both personally and professionally, with integrity. Perhaps came across as conceited at times, but he guided an idea into a $28B behemoth, and his employees STILL don’t want to leave, so I can overlook this. Especially in comparison to other abominable examples of self-promoting/obsessed tech CEO’s who make daily headlines. If he has the desire to continue on as a leader, he will be named CEO of another huge tech company within five years. Otherwise, he will become a great venture investor and philanthropist/advocate, and perhaps just wait for the next early opportunity to jump in as CEO and create the next LinkedIn-type story in tech history. I’m feel fortunate to have worked for him, in particular, and I learned a lot from his management style over time.

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  2. Nathan Smith Avatar
    Nathan Smith

    I think keenness and potential to apply the lessons grasped from past experience to up to the minute and first time instances and dares is a key feature of a victorious CEO. In addition to that, a CEO should have to possess the above characteristics in order to flourish at his profession. In fact, he should think about organizational growth, rather than self-growth and he must be willing to become a ‘host’, instead of a ‘hero’. Well, the contribution of a CEO is priceless in the survival of any business in the long run and if he is successful, that means he can make the company profitable. So, one should have to possess the above listed qualities by which he can not only become affluent, but also show the existence of his company in a challenging manner in the corporate world.

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