It’s indisputable that this in an exciting time to work in executive search and talent management. The evolution of people and culture has taken predominance and is shaping how business is done and will be done in the future. Human capital is more valuable than ever and it’s only going to increase.
The social narrative around executive leadership has also evolved. It’s become more mindful in recent years, with an infinite amount of news and information being published on topics ranging from present-moment engagementto the attention economy.
Business journalists are covering how employee satisfaction is directly linked to psychological factors and personal relationships at work, and also how technological advancements in AIare becoming emotional for the benefit of better commerce.
With thirty years of hands-on experience in C-Suite appointments and talent management, we at Bedford Consulting Group are delighted with the news and continue to be deeply invested in human capital, culture and how to optimize the performance of people.
We also know from experience how CEOs feel about taking executive leadership in the early days at a new organization.
What CEOs feel is responsibility to onboard everything with gusto. They must get to know their team, delegate the right tasks to the right people, do something to earn respect quickly, and effectively buy enough time to think disruptively.
They feel eager to please but also the drive to “hurry up” and make decisions. Even with our most recent encounters with CEOs, their vital priorities are pragmatic in the earliest days of leadership at an organization.
On a conscious level, new CEOs do have societal awareness about the role they play as leaders and are generally inspired by advancements in people and culture, but what they want is streamlined direction on how to strike a balance with pragmatism and mindfulness in tandem.
Here is how we think it can be done:
Get to know your team:
As a CEO, you have to be able to communicate a very clear and compelling vision to inspire your organization and regularly follow-up on it. Leverage a social platform like Twitter to optimize how you communicate your clear and compelling vision with social media broadcasted to your new team.
Action Item:: Enroll your communications team on a plan to share interesting anecdotes and updates on progress with a weekly social media editorial calendar, it will help to keep your team engaged and inspired.
Read: The Social CEO: Executives Are Using Social Media To Transform Firms
Delegate the right tasks to the right people
The CEO who is burdened by too many tasks knows they need to delegate to more people. Establish an early level of trust with the CHRO by communicating your weaknesses with self-awareness and asking for their assistance in identifying the people on your team who are strong where you are not.
Action Item:: Show a willingness to inspire all cohorts by asking for reinforcement from innovative thinkers across departments and levels of seniority. This is an opportunity to spark good relationships with the Millennials and even Post-Millennials on your team.
Download: The Deloitte Millennial Survey 2018
Do something to earn respect quickly
A CEO who is capable of exemplifying empathy for diversity and human relationships in the context of enterprise will earn respect quickly.
You can begin to facilitate diversity by leveraging your new peer network to help you address the most immediate inclusion needs. Fostering an inclusive culture from day one will facilitate all of your team members sense of belonging, connection to the work environment and to you.
Action Item:: Host a day-long CEO summit with your new leadership team to dig into the issues, share best-possible practices, past failures, and settle on a series of solutions to implement straight away.
Read: What CEOs are doing to increase gender diversity in leadership
Respond quickly to curiosity, the linchpin of constructive disruption.
The next wave of future CEOs have been naturally exposed to more change, more often, and so they’re predisposed to acting fast on curiosities. The key to constructive disruption is to deploy curiosity and translate learnings into workable insights, and to act fast.
Action Item:: It’s never too late to learn how to leverage curiosity. Read books and magazines outside your industry focus, spend time with future leaders within your organization, and ask them plenty of questions. Be relentless in your embrace of humility.
Read: MasterClass CEO David Rogier On The Extreme Power Of Curiosity.
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Thank you for reading this story by Bedford Consulting Group Inc, written with insights from our partner group: Frank Galati, Howard Pezim, Steven Pezim, Darren Raycroft. We are proud to be publishing original stories about our experiences in executive search, talent management, leadership, people and culture, human resources and more. Follow our channel to receive regular updates and business news from Bedford.