Chief Executive Officers

Experience in lower level management positions of increasing responsibility (such as department manager, controller, chief information officer, chief operating officer, vice president, etc.) is required to become a financial officer.

Each year, Chief Executive surveys business leaders at top companies to determine the top skills for effective leadership. In a recent survey, 60 percent of respondents cited “adaptability to change” as the key skill of effective leaders. Other important skills include strategic thinking (cited by 55 percent of respondents), integrity (48 percent), very good communicator (40 percent), being trustworthy and open (38 percent), vision (35 percent), the ability to develop and foster diverse teams (33 percent), good delegator (28 percent), a positive mind-set (26 percent), and high self-awareness (26 percent). Other important traits for CEOs include organizational ability, a detail-oriented personality, an understanding of technology and how to leverage it to improve the company’s bottom line, decisiveness, leadership ability, creativity, honesty, loyalty, a sense of responsibility, and planning abilities.