8 Attitudes Every CEO Should Possess – Ken Gosnell AfC

Every CEO is different.  They come to the top leadership position with a variety of backgrounds and experiences.  They have different personalities and different outlooks on life.  Some are bold and others more timid.  Some have a humble spirit whereas others have a take no prisoners approach.  Even though CEOs differ in many aspects of their leadership, I have found that there are 8 common attitudes that every successful CEO must possess.  

1.  Great CEOs have an attitude of A Teachable Spirit.  Successful CEOs place a high premium on personal development and growth.   They have a thirst for knowledge and look at each opportunity to grow as a way to grow their business.  They find learning environments to be a part of to enhance their leadership and develop themselves personally.
2.  Great CEOs have an attitude of Organization Optimism.These CEOs believe in a brighter future for themselves and their companies.  They see the potential and not all of the reasons that something can’t be done.  In one word, these executives have “hope.”  That hope in the organization and the future spills over to every employee which generates higher productivity and effectiveness.
3.  Great CEOs have an attitude of Acute Self Awareness.  Many leaders don’t know what they don’t know.  Many have blind spots that become their achilles heal that sabotages their leadership and the productivity of the company.  Successful leaders have a acute awareness of their weaknesses and a desire to improve in those areas.  This self awareness keeps these leaders humble and open to improvement.
4.  Great CEOs have an attitude of A Servants Heart.A great wisdom from the past states, “To become the first, you must first be the last.”  These leaders understand that principle.  They are willing to serve their people and the organization.  They embody servant leadership and willingness to help others at no benefit to themselves.
5.  Great CEOs have an attitude ofA Hard Hat Mentality.  Although these leaders have now reached the highest level in their company they still maintain a hard hat mentality.  They go work everyday and work hard every minute of that day.  These leaders are the hardest working people in the organization. Work does not scare them, but rather it energizes them.  They set the work tone of the organization because they always show up and and are ready to do the difficult tasks that need to be done.
6.   Great CEOs have an attitude of An Application Agility.  Great leaders apply what they learn and read.  They can’t apply every principle, but they pick the principles that are beneficial to them and their organization and they figure out how to apply them to make their organization better.  I have found that many leaders are good at learning, but they don’t know how to make application to what they have learned.  Learning without application is study without improvement.  Great leaders make applications quickly.
7.  Great CEOs have an attitude of An Encouraging Spirit.  Encouragement is the inspiration of the soul.  Great leaders have an attitude that the encouragement that they give is just as important as decisions that they make.  These leaders go out of their way to find moments of daily encouragement.  They become the Chief Encouragement Officers of their companies.
8.  Great CEOs have an attitude of Personal Accountability.  These leaders understand that they need accountability in their life in order for them to achieve their peak performance.  They find groups and individuals to be accountable to and not afraid to share their fears, worries, and mistakes.  They understand that it is this accountability that will help them to gain focus and experience breakthroughs in their personal leadership.

I have had the fortune of working with many great CEOs who are building great businesses.  They have taught me these lessons first hand and I have seem with my own eyes the benefits that fall on an organization when the leader has the right attitude.

What attitude has been the most important to you in your leadership and why?

This was shared with me  by my mentor Kwasi Twum

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