Top Executive Management Skills Needed to Succeed in the C-Suite

The requirements and advantages of the company’s elite players 

 

Team At The Top 

Business is as good as its people. That’s a fact. In any company, both local and international, the quality of its performance depends heavily on the attitude, expertise, and cooperation of its workers. And in any high-performing group, it is a leader who creates the group’s culture with success. 

 

To find the ‘right person for the job’ we often advertise the position online, reach out to our network, or develop internal procedures to ‘pull’ an employee ‘up the ladder’. It might work with the entry and associate level jobs, but when it comes to executives, the challenge becomes a bigger one. The team at the top composed of senior executives will likely dictate the direction of the company, therefore it is crucial to make that team the best of the best – an elite squad. 

 

C-Suite Positions 

Before we discuss the qualities and skills necessary for successful performance within the executive team, we need to understand the roles, as well as the mysterious name of the group. 

 

A C-Suite, or C-level, is a widely used term, which describes the cluster of the company’s most important senior executives. The ‘C’ in the name is derived from the titles of top executives, which tend to start with the letter C for ‘chief’. Among the roles, which are most often used in the corporate board, we should mention CEO (chief executive officer), CFO (chief financial officer), CMO (chief marketing officer), COO (chief operating officer), and CTO (chief technology officer). Each of the above specialises in a particular aspect of the company’s existence. With a strong team of directors settled into their positions, the business is likely to deliver reliable and consistent results, as well as promote a culture of teamwork and progress. It is not, however, a recipe in itself… 

 

The Importance Of Skills

Since the beginnings of our civilisation leadership has laid at the core of any successful endeavour. Whether on their own or in groups, people were able to achieve great feats by applying the skills they’ve developed and mastered. It comes, thus, without a surprise, that organisational culture and leadership roles in the modern communities are still one of the most (if not the most) important factors in performance and progression. 

 

From the entry-level workers to senior executives, mastery of soft, as well as hard skills is one of the best ways of determining the success of the individual. In a world run by people, shared with people, and made for the people, interacting with others might as well be described as essential for achieving goals of any kind. Within the professional setting, in a structure deployed to promote efficiency, progress, and achievement, an array of skills can be used to enhance the team and individual prospects. Below, you will find a list of six abilities any senior leader should master.

 

#1 – Communication & Presentation Skills

Knowing how to articulate the thoughts, inspire the team, and convince the clients are the most important skills one can ever include in their ‘toolkit’. C- Suite Communication and presentation skills are especially useful for delivering impressive and informative showcases of the work already done, or that is still in progress. Great leaders are often great communicators.

 

#2 – Change Management

Senior leadership usually incorporates managing the changes that constantly flow throughout the branches, as well as the core of the company. As the world changes, the business has to actively adapt and change to fit into the ever-shaping market. This is the challenge, which the top executives have to face. Understanding the costs and implications of the implementation and reorganising the strategies to goal achievement is essential to success in any entrepreneurial venture.

 

#3 – Subject Matter Expertise

Whatever your company and niche might be, your senior executives should be experienced and knowledgeable about its unique attributes. To make an informed decision, one has to be informed well. That’s where the subject matter expertise plays a crucial role. Your board must understand the market and the business’s prospects well and must act based on that knowledge.

 

#4 – Strategic Thinking & Foresight

‘The best way to predict your future is to create it’, claimed Abraham Lincoln. Seeing into the future and applying strategies to mitigate potential setbacks is an important ability that the senior leadership should strive to master. The likelihood of difficulty or a sudden shift on the market is almost certain. The world changes, and it changes quickly. With the use of strategic thinking and foresight based on research, your company will be ready to face the challenges, when or even before they arise.

 

#5 – Emotional Intelligence

Although we’ve decided to put this skill at the bottom of the list, it might just be the most important and all-encompassing of them all. It does, in fact, affect any of the other skills already mentioned. Emotional intelligence lies at the core of human interactions, communication, and group achievement. Understanding others, being able to navigate theirs and our own emotions, and consistently sharing with them the enthusiasm all of us need is what this skill is all about.

 

Becoming The Leader

Any thriving business needs skilled and high-performing individuals to drive its mission forward. Upon emulating some of the skills above, mastering their use, and recognising their importance within your company’s structure, you will be well on your way to decisively improving the quality of your business’s service.

 

There are many ways to achieve this kind of leadership quality. You can recruit professionals with extensive experience behind them, develop yourself to meet the needs, or dedicate some of your company’s resources to employee development programs. You might already have ‘the right people’ for the job. Maybe all they need is a little encouragement and a space to thrive.