As this magazine celebrates the achievements of outstanding C-suite performance at its awards this month, many CEOs who not standing on the medal podium might be asking themselves what it takes to be a winner. When the basic building blocks of vision, strategy, enough cash, a decent team and sound operational model are in place – and assuming that irritating world out there behaves itself to some extent – what are the leadership behaviours that separate the best from the rest?
Working closely as an executive coach of leaders throughout the region, I have seen that the most successful CEOs demonstrate consistency and balance in 5 key areas. As the model of a proven, consistent winner, let’s look at Sir Alex Ferguson, former manager of Manchester United with a track-record of over two decades of winning 49 trophies and now sought-after business leadership guru.
Deep desire
Sir Alex was determined to help make his club (not just the team) the best in the world, season after season and his players noted that his ambition to win more never diminished over a 27 year tenure.
“I’ve never played for a draw in my life”, he said. This passion to win is underpinned by a rock-solid sense of purpose to achieve a lasting legacy. Top leaders have an obsession with results that satisfy shareholders and in nurturing their people to sustain success.
Courageous action
Clear, centred decision-making under pressure is a hallmark of outstanding performers. The top ten pro tennis players outperform their peers in the top 100 in 2 vital areas; choice of shot under pressure and emotional recovery time between shots. Sir Alex embodied these traits, notably firing Roy Keane, captain of the team at the height of his powers with no long-term impact: The team won three successive Premiership titles after his departure.
Chief disrupter
“Above all, I’m trying to convey comfort and safety for my team members”, said the government department CEO. This is when alarm bells start ringing. On an aircraft, ‘the pressure in the cabin is carefully controlled for your comfort’. Successful leaders have a strong sense of their organisational ‘cabin environment’ and ‘controlled and comfortable’ is not the goal. Being appropriately disruptive encourages creative behaviour and guards against complacency. HH Sheikh Mohamed created similar impact recently with his surprise visit to Dubai Municipality.
Huddle up
A CEO client of mine begins his weekly meetings by asking “what’s going on below the waterline that we need to pay attention to?” By engaging his top team and encouraging ‘positive gossip’, he is showing an understanding of its importance in organisational climate and a willingness to listen to what’s really going on beyond the usual business indicators. Sir Alex tapped into a Manchester-wide network that observed a group of very rich young footballers, their assets and how they were behaving around town. Leaders need intelligence gathering to gauge mood, trends and be able to shape them accordingly in service of the organisation.
Edge conversations
Winning leaders use a ‘one size fits one’ approach that invites people to their ‘edge’ – the point at which change in thinking and/or behaviour occurs. Despite a reputation for fiery reactions to poor performance, Ferguson’s handling of the brilliant but unpredictable Eric Cantona was “softer than usual” as he understood confrontation would be counterproductive. A CEO I coach has an eccentric HSE Director who requires ‘high-maintenance’ but has a 100 percent no accidents record in a dangerous industry. So he stays. For now.
Winning CEOs are able to combine fierce drive with an adaptive style to leverage their people’s talent. Sir Alex Ferguson would likely agree that though the CEO picks up the prize, the organisation is the real winner.
Tom Young is the first executive and leadership coach in the UAE to attain the Master Certified Coach accreditation from the International Coaching Federation. For more information: http://springcoaching.biz