Today s workforce requires a different kind of leader than 10 years ago, leaders who can inspire people and lead teams are essential. Because of these requirements, the bar has been raised in terms of what we expect. General Electric, an acknowledged pacesetter in succession planning, has defined the characteristics it is seeking in leaders for the 21st century. N.Y. These individuals, in addition to possessing the obvious non-optional qualifications of absolute integrity, high intelligence, global and diverse business experience and the like, will have what we call the three E s high energy, the ability to energize others and something called edge the courage to remove from the organization those who can t or won t buy in. Peter Neary, director of executive programs at the Center for Creative Leadership in Colorado Springs, Colo., helps managers acquire the skills that GE and other organizations prize.
Attention has to be balanced when developing executives.
You have to push technical competence, but not at the expense of wisdom and sensitivity. There is an inverse ratio between their technical competence and their civility, he goes on. The more technically competent they are, the more they need to learn about basic human relations. Recently, I was observing a program where instruc tors would throw out a case study. It was like throwing raw meat to the sharks.