by D.A. Benton describes the 22 vital traits to be the person at the top: - Secure in self
- In control of attitude
- Tenacious
- Continuously Improving
- Honest and Ethical
- Thinking before talking
- Original
- Publicly modest
- Aware of style
- Gutsy / A little wild
- Humorous
- A tad theatrical
- Detail oriented
- Good at their job and willing to lead
- Fighters for their people
- Willing to admit mistakes, yet unapologetic
- Straightforward
- Nice
- Inquisitive
- Competitive
- Flexible
- Good Storytellers
Notice that the first item on the list is secure in self. Being confident is extremely important in anything that we do in life. One common characteristic of chiefs is that they have more self-confidence than most other people. So how do you build enough self-confidence to reach the top job? Through small victories.
Most chiefs have had many successes in previous positions of lesser responsibility. This does not mean that they never failed. Much to the contrary, they learned from their mistakes and carried those lessons with them so that that they wouldn't make the same mistake again. If you are going to make a mistake, it is better to make it early when the consequences of your mistakes do not have as large an impact as when you are the CEO. Jack Welch, the famous ex-CEO at General Electric was very aware of the importance of building self-confidence is his subordinates. He has written and lectured about giving high potential employees an opportunity to get additional responsibility and build enough confidence to take on the next job in the corporate hierarchy. Many of the CEOs of the largest companies in America came from GE, where they had a chance to hone their skills and build their self-confidence.
