Leadership Information

Author: Anna Stevens

We live in the era of change. According to July's issue of Success Magazine, technology is experiencing 20,000 years of progress in the 21st century calculated at today's rate. By the 1900s, it would take 150 years to double all human knowledge. Today, it only takes 1-2 years. BY 2020, ALL THE KNOWLEDGE IN THE UNIVERSE IS EXPECTED TO DOUBLE EVERY 72 DAYS!

A CEO today is called to "do more with less", create collaborative teams and continually work on his or her own development. How can a CEO of tomorrow ensure the future and success of his or her company?

I believe that BQ, EQ, and Resilience are the three most important qualities of a successful CEO of tomorrow.

Networking. Connecting. Branding.

Rosabeth Kanter - Professor at Harvard Business School says:
The CEO of tomorrow will be much more informal and accessible. They will answer their own email and do their own blog.

Regardless of a background, tomorrow's CEO will be more accessible – and not just to shareholders, but to employees, customers, and general public – and more CONNECTED.

While preparing this article, I came across a Harvard Business study "How CEOs Engage in Social Media".

In the survey they asked questions like:

• Is social media typically regarded as a trustworthy source of information for professionals?
• Will social media change the business and practice of enterprise-level operations?

The survey was administered online to 356 participants.

Results indicate that:

• The Big Three Social Networks Have Emerged as Professional Networks and decision-supporting tools
• More than 9 out of 10 respondents indicated that they use LinkedIn (91%)
• Half reported using Facebook (51%)
• Twitter followed closely (41%)

Social media helps CEOs build better relationships with prospects and customers and differentiate the company, as well as generate revenues and create a competitive advantage. It also allows to reach the target audiences faster, cheaper and deeper than ever before.

You may argue "Social media requires a great deal of time. CEOs do not have it". However, it is worth the investment as having a strong resourceful network expands and enhances a CEO's capabilities because when done well, social media facilitates constant learning and sharing which is the most exciting and rewarding part of being "connected."

A CEO of tomorrow will have at least a public LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is the world's largest network for career-minded professionals. 120 million members in more than 200 countries. 2 new members join LinkedIn every SECOND!

LinkedIn can help a CEO:

• Connect the team
• Hire smarter
• Check references with one click
• Find and reach experts faster
• Gather competitive intelligence
• Gain insight

In today's digital age, while in-person networking will always be important, many first impressions begin with an online search, making it even more essential for a CEO to be present, searchable and branded.

Emotionally Intelligent Leadership.

Due to globalization, leadership competencies required for global management today include Emotional Intelligence as a necessity.

Randy McDonald, Senior VP, Human Resources, IBM:

"Power will no longer be the characteristic that a lot of leaders want to have. They want to convert that power into influence".

Betsy Atkins, CEO, Clear Standards:

"... you cannot be an effective CEO if you are not a deep listener who can absorb what is said and more importantly, what is not said. "

Keeping people motivated and committed in an era of unrelenting and accelerating change is tough. To meet the challenge, it is essential for a CEO of tomorrow to be able to:

• Accept differences in people
• Respect values of others
• Overcome frustration and increase optimism
• Be transparent and trustworthy
• Identify and resolve conflicts between individuals, teams, and departments
• Create novel solutions for problems and mentor others in this area
• Seek new opportunities and ideas to expand horizons

This type of a leader is proficient at building and managing relationships, as well as establishing common ground. Such CEO is able to influence others, lead through change, and build strong teams.

Resilience and Stress Tolerance .

Because stress is an unavoidable part of a CEO's life, resilience is an essential skill a CEO of tomorrow must posses.

Resilience is a capacity to mobilize personal resources to tolerate and overcome adverse events without experiencing stress, and to grow and develop as a consequence of such events.

A CEO demonstrates resilience and stress tolerance by continuing to perform effectively when faced with time pressures, adversity, disappointment, or opposition. CEOs who are considered "resilient" tend to be very flexible, adaptable, and optimistic.

A CEO builds and enhances personal resilience by doing the following:

CHANGING FAULTY THINKING HABITS

We are constantly engaging in a self-talk which tells us and others a lot about how we perceive the world. Those who have a positive and realistic self-talk function in much more healthy ways than those whose self-talk is negative. Changing just the way a CEO talks to him or herself is a giant step in the direction to preventative care for being overwhelmed with stress.

A CEO also builds resilience by eating HEALTHY AND EXERCISING

Exercise is critical for reducing the daily stress of a CEO's life. By taking care of the body through eating right and exercising, a tomorrow's CEO is actively working to strengthen him of herself physically, emotionally and spiritually.

And the third way to build resilience is by practicing RELAXATION TECHNIQUES

The ability to fully relax and calm the mind and body is CRUCIAL for a CEO of tomorrow. Relaxation is more than just sitting in front of a TV. To overcome daily anxiety and fear, a CEO must practice deep muscle relaxation and deep abdominal breathing on a regular basis.

You may argue "CEOs are busy and don't have time to exercise and practice relaxation techniques". Well, your car won't drive without fuel and regular oil and other fluids being changed. Similarly, a CEO of tomorrow won't be able to stay optimistic, highly motivated and productive without daily exercise and relaxation discipline.

So, in order to perform at his or her best, effectively deal with non-stop change of the modern workplace and attract the top talents to his or her company, a CEO of tomorrow must be:

• Branded and connected
• Emotionally Intelligent
• Resilient

Many of us want to become a CEO one day. Start preparing yourself for this role TODAY!

• Create a personal brand and a public profile on LinkedIn - make yourself searchable, accessible, and stay connected to expand your opportunities.
• Learn how to differentiate and manage your emotions and those of others to improve your ability to build meaningful, mutually-satisfying relationships.
• Take good care of your body and mind: eat healthy, exercise and practice abdominal breathing. Make sure your self-talk remains positive and realistic.

And remember: Successful people Do the work that unsuccessful people Don't.

Anna Stevens, JD, BBA is a part of the network "Experts in Emotional Intelligence". She is the owner of "EQ for Success" - an Atlanta-based company that provides training and coaching in Emotional Intelligence (www.eqforsuccess.com). Anna is a current MBA candidate at GA State University and a community leader/volunteer at Woman's Resource Center to End Domestic Violence. In addition, she is a happy woman and a mommy.

Anna speaks and writes on many topics related to effective leadership, SMART goal-setting and achieving, motivation, productivity, customer service, buttom line, and SUCCESS. Her burning desire is to help as many people as possible to uncover their true potential and achieve their goals through Emotional Intelligence.