You needn’t look far for examples of successful leaders, celebrated as much for the larger-than-life personality they bring to their role, as for their professional track record. This type of leader is typically considered to be extroverted – a trait frequently linked to leadership effectiveness, in the popular imagination.
However, while some leaders have big personalities, most of the skills and attributes required to lead effectively can be developed, irrespective of how outgoing the individual is. This raises questions around whether you really need a big personality to lead, and the impact it has on your leadership effectiveness.
Here Kester Guy-Briscoe, Associate Partner for Gerard Daniels, considers whether skills and experience or personality have greater impact on leadership effectiveness, and how these factors shape the appointment of senior leaders.
Does personality alone determine leadership effectiveness?
Leading effectively means getting the best out of teams in ways that contribute to the goals and strategic aims of the organisation. “Quiet achievers are just as capable of having impact,” says Kester. “Because in my experience it doesn’t take a big personality to make good decisions; to communicate well; to have confidence; or develop self-awareness and EQ – all skills and attributes linked to leadership effectiveness.”
Are effective leadership skills learned or inherent?
Most individuals are capable of developing the skills and attributes they need to lead effectively, regardless of their personality. Barry Bloch, Global Partner for Board and Executive Leadership, describes the ability to lead as being shaped by intentionally and consistently developing the right skills, experience and mindset. “For the vast majority of people, leadership is learned,” he says. “If you look to some of the most well-known leaders through history, while they may have shown leadership potential from an early age, their leadership effectiveness was largely learned.”
What skills and attributes does it take to lead effectively?
Leading loudly vs. quietly influencing
One of the most impactful leadership skills is the ability to influence, which is less about being seen and heard, or compelling others on the basis of seniority, and more about helping people to understand a particular point of view.
“Big personalities often appear to be more authoritative, but quietly influencing is far more effective,” says Kester. “When you dictate what people should think or feel their defenses can go up, negatively impacting how messages are received. As the expression goes: You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”
Communication
Communication is an important and multifaceted leadership skill, which different personalities bring differing strengths and attributes to. “People with large personalities are often perceived as comfortable communicators, but quiet achievers are just as capable of communicating effectively and developing the skills that they need,” says Kester.
Whether leaders are connecting with internal or external stakeholders, to really engage they must be able to communicate effectively. “This is as much about receiving messages, as it is about delivering them – though of course message delivery is a key part of leaders’ responsibility as brand ambassadors for their organisations,” says Kester.
“Effective communication helps to build relationships and hold the attention of stakeholders, engendering confidence in the organisation and the direction provided by leadership,” says Kester. “This skillset is critical for leaders, because how they communicate both good and bad news can in of itself, have a pronounced impact on share price or M&A valuation, two barometers for leadership success.”
Decision making
Decision making is another critical component of effective leadership. “To inform good decision making, leaders must develop an understanding that can only really be achieved through effective listening,” says Kester. “Effective listening is easier for those who listen more than they speak, which makes quiet achievers equally if not more effective in their capacity as leaders.”
Confidence
Kester cautions hiring organisations not to mistake quiet achievers as lacking confidence; and not to confuse confidence with competence. “It’s a misconception that understated leaders lack assertiveness or the ability to perform, as it can require more confidence to be the quietest person in the room, than to be the loudest,” he says.
Do personality, skills and attributes shape Executive Search?
Understanding the impact of understated leaders
In a society that values heroes (whose successes are obvious to all), it’s also important to recognise the value and achievements of more understated leaders.
“Individuals that can lead lead or quietly galvanise a team, a function, a business unit, have far more potential to be effective, because their impact is effectively a multiplier of the talent and effort of the group,” says Kester. “Even more valuable is a candidate’s ability to articulate this impact in a relatively objective way.”
“A key pitfall to avoid when interviewing candidates is not to be distracted by the presentation or delivery of a message; but to instead focus on the individuals that can effectively articulate the ‘how’ of what they achieved in a systematic way on the basis of point, evidence and explanation,” Kester continues. “Acknowledging missteps and lessons learned is also a powerful way for candidates to establish transparency.”
Looking beyond personality to avoid bias
In the recruitment process, there is a danger of gravitating towards more charismatic individuals, at the expense of thoroughly assessing and understanding the merits of quiet achievers. But as personality is subjective, initial biases should not be allowed to shape talent assessments. Instead, recruiters must be prepared to spend time with candidates, asking the kind of questions that allow individuals and all types of leaders to demonstrate their skills, ability and suitability.
“In screening candidates, don’t be distracted by how persuasively a candidate presents themselves, or write someone off prematurely if the way they communicate isn’t as polished, or the clarity of their message isn’t as well developed as other candidates. In doing so you risk missing out on talent because you fail to properly understand their fit for the role,” says Kester. “Instead, look past personality to interrogate the selection criteria and rigorously assess individual’s skills, experience and ability within the context of the role. Ultimately, substance will beat style every time.”
Working with an Executive Search consultant brings independent perspective to recruitment of senior leaders. For help finding and developing the right talent to grow your organisation, connect with Kester or reach out to your local Gerard Daniels team.
