Essential Qualities of a Growth-Oriented Executive Team
On one hand, your executive team possesses a perspective on talent, intelligence, creativity and character. Each quality is static, immovable, innate, unchangeable, forever times infinity. And the sense is that you either have them or you don’t.
On the other hand, a group of leaders feels those same traits are teachable and learnable. Anyone and their talents can grow, change and evolve through experience, practice and effort. There really is no ceiling for how far one can go. The sky truly is the limit.
Both examples are classic cases of a fixed mindset vs. growth mindset. The former sees an executive team with a closed, rigid mindset, keeping their company stuck in place with outdated, pessimistic ideas of how businesses should be run. The latter? An open-minded attitude embracing the acquisition of new skills, new ideas, and new ways of improving and doing things to succeed.
It’s easy to see how the growth-oriented executive team is a critical component of any successful business. These teams are responsible for driving the strategic direction of the company and ensuring it’s able to meet its growth goals.
But to be effective, a growth-oriented executive team must possess several key qualities:
A Clear Vision for a Company’s Future
The first integral quality executive leaders can cultivate to foster growth is having a clear vision for their company’s future — that includes the short and long-term together. This clarity should be fleshed out and well-articulated to all members of the team, as well as to the wider organization. Likewise, this vision should also be aligned with the company’s overall mission and values.
A Strong Sense of Collaboration and Teamwork
Executive teams with a growth mindset also inhabit collaborative efforts and a team-focused environment as part of their thought process. The team members should be able to work well together; rely on one another to achieve common goals; and also communicate effectively and be able to make decisions together.
A Solid Work Ethic
Possessing a solid belief in the value of hard work is another key component of a growth-oriented executive team. From the CEO to the CFO, COO to CIO, each team member should be highly motivated and willing to put in the hard work required to achieve the company’s growth goals. They should also be able to stay focused and maintain their energy levels, even in the daunting face of challenges and setbacks.
A Deep Understanding of the Market
Another key quality of a growth-oriented executive team is a deep appreciation for the industry in which their company operates. This knowledge can be used to identify new growth opportunities and develop strategies to capitalize on them. This C-Suite team should also be able to stay up to date with the latest trends and developments in the market to continue staying ahead of trends and competition.
An Ability to Adapt to Changes
Agility in quickly adapting to (and adopting) changes in a shifting market environment is another important facet of teams favoring a growth-oriented outlook. They should be able to think on their feet and make decisions quickly, even in uncertain or rapidly changing situations. This allows the team to take advantage of new opportunities as they arise and to respond to emerging threats, which are key advantages to ensuring a business’ survival.
A Capacity to Execute Plans and Strategies
Lastly, the capability to turn strategies into actionable plans — and following through on them — is another important trait of executive leadership that inhabits and expresses a desire to grow versus staying fixed in place as a business. This requires strong project management skills as well as the ability to monitor progress and make adjustments as needed. The team members should also be able to work with other parts of the organization to ensure the company’s growth goals are met.
Embracing a Growth-Oriented Mindset
Combined, these corporate characteristics can manifest in a team of diverse leaders with different experiences, skills, perspectives and backgrounds that can bring fresh ideas and new ways of thinking. A growth-oriented executive team can help drive the strategic direction of the company and identify new growth opportunities, ensuring a company can meet its growth goals.
Pinnacle helps organizations reach their peak with the right mix of senior-level team members embodying a growth-oriented mindset in every aspect of their leadership style. If your company is looking to populate or diversify its executive team in a progressive, forward-thinking direction, we can get you started to succeed.
Just contact us today.