4 Skills You Need To Thrive In The C-Suite

The C-suite is the ideal career destination for anyone wanting to climb up the corporate ladder. It sure takes a lot of hard work, commitment, and dedication. However surprising as it may sound, did you know that 50% to 70% of executives fail within the first 18 months of taking on a role, regardless of whether they were promoted from within or hired outside?

Some common reasons for this include,

- Lack of proper training
- Inability to think on a large scale
- Unpreparedness
- Resistance to change
- Difficult adjusting to politics and pressures
- Failure to listen, learn, unlearn, and relearn
- Lack of awareness of other cultures
- Ineffective communication skills
- Poor rapport with peers, colleagues, and team members

Gathering insights from a certified executive coach in Dubai, this article will list the essential skills needed to thrive in the C-suite.

Inspire & Motivate

The ability to influence, inspire, and motivate the mindset of your subordinates and team members is an essential skill that cultivates effective leadership. C-suite members should be able to communicate a vision, inspire, motivate, and lead others to contribute to the organisation's success.

Great leaders are always looked upon, admired, and respected by their people. They are followed by subordinates because they want to, not because they have to be because of a hierarchical position in the organisation.

Communicate Powerfully

One thing that allows all employees to stay on the same page regarding the organisational goals, objectives, and targets is comprehensive and open communication. The communication done with your team should always be accurate and relevant. This goes a long way in bringing clarity, efficiency, less errors and promotes overall productivity.

Engaging with employees through transparent communication helps them to feel they are part of the organisation or team. It creates a sense of belonging, opening ways to clear their doubts, questions, or anything they have unanswered at the back of their mind.

If you want to inspire trust and resilience amongst your workforce, knowing how to communicate with your teams is just as crucial as knowing what to communicate.

Deploy Emotional Intelligence And Empathy

A good leader is someone who can be sensitive and understanding towards the anxiety, stress, and confusion the employees are feeling in an organisation - and the reasons behind it. This comes with emotional intelligence, which is the capacity to manage the emotions of both ourselves and those around us.

Social awareness, relationship management, and empathy are key features of emotional intelligence. To develop this skill, a leader will have to be open to criticism and be self-aware.

Career & executive coaching professionals believe that gone are the days when leaders could just sit back and delegate responsibilities without being questioned. Modern leadership is proven effective only when there is a 360 understanding of multiple points of view and experiences while having what it takes to influence stakeholders from diverse backgrounds.

Be Adaptable And Resilient

Change is in the blink of an eye in the corporate world. This calls for C-suite members to have high adaptability and resilience to lead the company through uncharted waters. Resilience is the ability of leaders to maintain focus, stay calm and react quickly under pressure to sustain their companies' goals through turbulent times.

In fact, a report shows that companies that are positioned to sense change and adapt quickly, or even proactively, are most likely to not only survive but also thrive in the face of disruption.

The best way to develop the right skills and personality in general as an executive or member of the C-suite is to get professional help from a certified executive or career coach. They will be able to understand you through one-on-one sessions on your strengths and weaknesses - and then develop a program that can help you fill the skill gap necessary to become an effective leader who can create an impact.