Assess Yourself: the CEO Essential Behaviors

There are 4 essential behaviors that are associated with becoming a high performing CEO. Take this short self-assessment to find your strengths. We also suggest that you ask a colleague to rate you against these questions and compare how your answers stack up against theirs.

The 4 essential behaviors are described in Elena and Kim’s Harvard Business Review Article, What Sets Successful CEOs Apart.

If I am being honest with myself, when considering any potentially contentious decision or action, my first thought is how it will impact:

My relationships Business outcomes

My team would say that under pressure I tend to be:

Deliberate and thoughtful in how I engage others Someone who can react instinctively and with genuine emotion

When thinking about my near and long-term goals, I would describe these as:

Clearly defined, on paper, and known by my team I have a clear picture in my mind of what we set out to accomplish and I update my view as circumstances change

I am most productive when:

I have regular, repeatable rhythms in my life I can be creative and adjust my approach as I go

I prefer to spend time:

Thinking about future opportunities Dealing with near-term priorities

Over the last 5 years:

I/my organization has predictably hit our targets I have been surprised at times by the results

I believe that to be seen as “collaborative,” it is more important to:

Engage in constructive debate to get to the best outcome Ensure team dynamics remain smooth and positive to ensure long-term success

If I am faced with a decision and feel uncertain, I tend to:

Get more data to make sure I am making the right decision Jump to action despite ambiguity

When faced with a decision, I tend to:

Figure out the approach as I work through it Consciously apply a decision-making approach that has proven effective in the past

When I communicate with my organization, I believe it is more important to:

Be authentically in the moment when communicating Spend a lot of time strategizing upfront on what and how to communicate

When an unexpected issue crops up, my first instinct is to:

Address the issue immediately (I’ll figure out the root causes later) Pause to first identify the root causes underlying the issue

I am more focused on:

Excelling in my current role Becoming the best leader I can be

When faced with a set of decisions, my instinct is to:

Dig in and work through each decision in the order it came in Triage which decisions to focus on first and how long to spend on each

When I think about the people I spend my time with and my reading list, the topics I am most drawn to discussing and reading are:

A mix of topics with some related to my job and others that are not at all related Mostly directly related to my industry and my job

When faced with a decision, my biggest concern is about the consequences of:

Getting the decision wrong Not moving quickly enough on the decision

If I am being honest with myself, I tend to see setbacks as:

A sign that I am learning Something to be avoided

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