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.

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

I am more focused on:

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

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 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

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 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

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

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

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

Business outcomes My relationships

When faced with a decision, I tend to:

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

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:

Something to be avoided A sign that I am learning

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

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

I prefer to spend time:

Dealing with near-term priorities Thinking about future opportunities

I am most productive when:

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

Over the last 5 years:

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

Enter your email to get your results delivered via email and receive occasional email updates.

First Name

Communication Preferences

If you would like to receive updates and insights about the leading thinking on CEOs, leadership, the real habits of top leaders and fresh insights into the CEO mindset, please check this box.

You’re in charge! You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at ceogenome@ghsmart.com. We will treat your information with respect and never share it with a third party. For more information about our privacy practices, please click here.