What do today’s top performing leaders do especially well? Let me share with you what I’ve observed in my CEO advisory work with global executives across a spectrum of industries. Those who consistently succeed are:

1. Flexible: Confidently navigate a rapidly changing landscape. These leaders constantly create new opportunities, quickly bounce back from failures, and boldly steer their organizations into the future.

2. Open to New Ideas: Solicit, consider, and implement new approaches based on meaningful input from others—employees, customers, business partners, and trusted advisors. Eager to discover innovative ways to transform the customer experience, improve operational excellence, rapidly grow the business, and lead the way.

3. Inspirational: Adept at motivating, engaging, and inspiring their workforce, customers, and industry peers.

4. Authentic: Consistently true to their unique leadership style and strengths, appropriately transparent, honest and genuine.

5. Thoughtful: Take the time to be considerate, strategic, and deliberate in decisions, words and actions.

6. Communicative and Clear: Share timely and relevant information, set expectations, convey the vision, and engage employees and customers in robust and open dialogue.

7. Talent-Focused: Attend to current talent needs (engaging and retaining today’s smart, engaged employees) while keeping an eye to the future (what will the company need in the next 3-5 years, and beyond? Do we have the right talent pipeline? Are we optimizing the potential in our organization today, and do we have a clear path of succession?).

There’s no getting around it. Today’s CEOs operate under intense scrutiny. When their companies act with integrity, serve the community, and provide strong returns, life is good. When profits flounder or the company struggles with corporate repute, it’s a quite a different (and often rather public), story.

Do you and your leaders exhibit the Seven Traits for Success? If not… what’s stopping you from getting there (and fast)?

To learn how I help clients and their executive teams slow down to make exceptional decisions, strategize to thrive in a changing landscape, and align their organizations for rapid growth, get in touch.

Slow Down to Speed Up^®: Lead, Succeed, and Thrive in a 24/7 World is a powerful new resource for leaders from the C-Suite to the front line. Filled with innovative new approaches, pragmatic tools, and real-life success stories, this book tackles the universal challenge of achieving better, faster, more sustainable results in a world of non-stop demands and constant connectivity. Get your copy today.