“Long ago, I realized that success leaves clues, and that people who produce outstanding results do specific things to create those results.” – Tony Robbins

What are the vitally important skills mastered by the most successful people holding the highest executive positions in companies around the world? A Google search produced some 62,100,000 results in 0.61 seconds!

This article will explore the habits, qualities and characteristics of top CEOs that you need to become the CEO of your small business. These are the executive skills required within a post-pandemic, diverse, and data-driven world to make the leap from solopreneur to true leader of your company.

Vision is Vital

The ability to inspire those in your company with a clear, emotionally-stirring, and fundamental vision of achievable outcomes worth working for is crucial. 

This is the skill that elevates effective leaders and keeps team members committed and loyal. Reminding your team where you are going and why it is important is essential. Steve Jobs explained, “The vision needs to be reiterated. I do that a lot.” 

Conviction is Compulsory

Certainty is knowing your vision of the future outcome will actualize. Successful CEOs have no doubt in their minds that their desired outcome will manifest. This skill is about more than having confidence; it’s about having an absolute belief that your project will succeed. True leaders eat, sleep and verbalize their vision with unwavering conviction. 

“Doubts in your mind are a much greater roadblock to success than obstacles on the journey.” – Orrin Woodward

Infinite Drive

Whatever it takes to be triumphant — grit, determination, resourcefulness, the tenacity to overcome obstacles and find solutions to big questions — can be summed up in one word: drive.

The CEO that achieves big, bodacious outcomes is skilled at energizing every member of the team to be aligned with their mission. He or she is masterful at ensuring that there is follow-through on any given project by sensing when to make a shift in their approach, when to maintain momentum, and when to take things up a notch to lead the team across the finish line.

Investing in Your Health

The most successful leaders prioritize their health and well-being. Some common health practices of top CEOs include: going to sleep at the same time each night and waking early, exercising daily, making time to meditate and read, staying hydrated with plenty of water, and networking with like-minded others. When you optimize your health and wellness, you keep your focus, thereby accomplishing what most will not. 

Your extra dedication to your health and well-being will give you the mental, physical, and emotional stamina to handle your personal and professional life with more ease and grace.

Willingness to Pivot

How flexible are you in your approach? When a situation changes (and it will), are you nimble enough to adapt?

When a team member has an idea for a new and better method, are you going to stick to your old familiar ways?

When the critical component is not delivered on schedule, can you find an alternative quickly to save the day?

Master the skill of pivoting naturally, easily, and with humility. Gusts of the unexpected will blow you off course. Keep looking ahead for signs and adjust to keep progressing towards your target.

Diamonds Are Your Best Friend

Diamonds are not only beautiful, they are the hardest natural minerals on the planet. To be a peak performer and leader, you must equip yourself with the diamond defense. This means you know when to be flexible and when to be hard. As someone who is in charge of not just yourself but of others, you must be prepared to receive criticism which requires a level of hardness that provides you with protection. Criticism can come from peers, customers, and employees, and in today’s world, it also comes from strangers on the internet – particularly social media.

In an online world where “cancel culture” can tarnish your reputation with the click of a tweet, your diamond defense will be needed more than ever. There will be decisions that you’ll have to make that more than likely will receive some pushback. Top CEOs aren’t interested in doing things that appease everyone. As the CEO of your business, you must rely on your core values and intuition to guide your next step. Core values like integrity, accountability, fairness, and transparency, are just a few.

Future CEO Skill Sets

The future is the “connection economy” within our highly digital world and will require more synthesizing of information. Leaders who are primed for success in the months ahead will need to prioritize being:

  • Technologically savvy
  • Eager to embrace and encourage more diversity and inclusion within their teams and amongst their vendors
  • Open to adapting to the requirements of staff working remotely and in different time zones
  • A trailblazer in welcoming collaborative team leadership 
  • Willing to develop their own personal hard and soft skills and acquiring new knowledge

These are the habits, qualities and characteristics of top CEOs. Are you up to the challenge of becoming the CEO of your own business? If you’re connected to the Hera Hub community, then you’re already on your way!  Hera Hub is a female-focused (and gender-inclusive) coworking space, community, and business accelerator that continues to stand out as a leader in innovation. With virtual memberships now available for $89/mo, there’s no excuse not to take advantage and take your company to the next level. If you have any questions about Hera Hub’s many membership options, contact our Director Tamina Madsen at tamina@herahub.com.