The more senior you become, the more exposure you get to CEOs. And the more CEOs you meet, the more you start wondering whether they are, by definition, a specific breed of humans. Why? Because these people have reached the very top of their organisation, an ambition that could have taken decades to realise, and often at some personal cost. It takes commitment, resilience and determination to get there but is this where the similarities start or where they end?
As a leading talent specialist, we have partnered with a recognised psychometric expert to create Conker Inside, a tool that unpicks preferences in leadership styles, which aims to understand what commonalities or variations exist across job functions and businesses. We now have thousands of datapoints to draw upon and our sample of nearly 100 CEOs means that we can generate extraordinary insights.
The tool is a self-completion questionnaire which can determine whether you are structured and practical or bold and visionary. If you are sociable and extrovert or more considered and introverted? Whether you are more directive and commanding in your interactions or trusting and empowering. And lastly if you are a harmoniser who brings people together or an agitator who thrives on change. The answers you provide places you into one of sixteen profile types – if you haven’t done it already, try it for free https://conkerwithus.com/conker-inside.
The results for our CEO contingent are fascinating.
Firstly, there is no such thing as a ‘typical CEO’. Out of the 16 available leadership types, our CEO database features in 12 of them, which makes sense because these individuals have been chosen to lead in a way that reflects what that specific business needs at that specific time. Some businesses need the warmth and trust of a leader to bring disparate teams together, whereas others might need to disrupt an environment that’s become too cosy and complacent.
Secondly, whilst there isn’t a typical profile, there is one particular trait that is very dominant in CEOs, which is a strong leaning towards extroversion (88% of the sample). As a former CEO and introvert, I saw the importance of extrovert qualities, such as quick decision making, over communicating and unwavering belief and confidence.
And lastly, an insight that data becomes more interesting the deeper you dive into it. On face value, CEOs are just as likely to be practical as they are visionary, but that hides the fact that female CEOs are 54% more likely to be visionary than their male counterparts. And even more pronounced is that over half of female CEOs are harmonisers, whereas this figure drops to a quarter for men, who are much more likely to be agitators.
Like any tool, Conker Inside isn’t a precise science but its insights are hugely powerful if used in the right way and it’s reassuring to see that CEOs are just like the rest of us – different, talented and slightly flawed.
