What are the most In-Demand Skills and Traits that a CEO should have?

Recently I have been doing a great deal of research for a Zoom Class that I am doing relative to the CEO role. Having reviewed literally hundreds of articles, I came up with the following list of Skills and Attributes that all CEO's should theoretically have. This list came from me and the authors of the various articles I have read. The compiled list of 23 traits or skills, in no particular order, are:

1) Active Listening

2) Empathy

3) The ability to share messages and make complex ideas understandable to everyone (storytelling).

4) Strategic Thinking Skills

5) Creativity

6) The ability to inspire and convince others.

7) Flexibility

8) The ability to turn information into action.

9) Project planning

10) System development

11) The ability to assess an employee's strengths and weaknesses.

12) Time Management

13) The ability to build and inspire trust.

14) Strong communications skills

15) Positivity

16) Reliability

17) Management skills (Finance, HR knowledge, Strategy, Technology).

18) The ability to align employees with the company's values and goals.

19) A strong leadership vision

20) Recruiting Skills

21) Persuasion Skills

22) The ability to help employees find meaning in work

23) Strong charisma

Now I am certain that some of you will disagree with 1 or more of the 23 listed. That is exactly the point. I would appreciate constructive feedback on this list and your reasons for adding or deleting items from this list. I recognize that this is a generalized list. This same type of list for a specific company or organization may be different based on the size of the company, its market approach and directions from the Board of Directors.

Your thoughts and input will be greatly appreciated.

Bob Jacobson

10/14/2022

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