Innovative and disruptive: These are the qualities successful leaders have in common
Do the world’s strongest business leaders have anything in common?
Yes, according to a new study which claims they share a number of personality traits that set them apart from us mere mortals.
In the study, recruiter Russell Reynolds identified 28 of the world’s most successful tech leaders and performed a psychometric assessment of their personalities, which helped them identify five key qualities that most clearly set these leaders apart from nearly 5,000 other executives worldwide:
- Innovative
- Disruptive
- Bold
- Socially adept
- Determined
The bosses surveyed scored 34 per cent higher for innovative personality types, and 32 per cent higher for being disruptive.
Leaders that embody all these qualities have been given the catchy title “productive disruptor” by Russell Reynolds. Tuck Rickards, co-leader of the study, describes these people as “agile, unafraid and extremely skilled at overcoming organisational inertia”:
They can evaluate the threats and opportunities posed by digital advances and translate that into firm results.
These transformational leaders are thoughtful, engaging people on the front line of digital change across industries as diverse as agriculture, technology, media, and retail.