HBR points to nine attributes to boost CEO potential
A recent Harvard Business Review (HBR) article highlighted nine attributes to boost CEO potential for project managers. Five of these attributes can be fostered by developing the skill of imagination and each is helpful to progress any type of career.
The attributes to boost CEO potential, according to HBR, are:
* forward thinking
* optimism
* being constructively tough minded
* an efficient reader of people and
* pragmatic inclusiveness
FORWARD THINKING: To plan for the future, we need to discover how to more easily access our imaginations to source ideas and to show us the many possibilities to create a future for ourselves and our businesses. Also, to rehearse possible actions before implementing them in order to identify any obstacles and challenges that might emerge and to develop strategies to address them. Fed by curiosity, imagination leads us to seek out the latest trends and technologies that might impact our businesses, all essential to shaping a company’s future direction.
OPTIMISM: Imagination helps us to focus on opportunities rather than obstacles and to develop the confidence to overcome challenges as they emerge. Leaders skilled in imagination, with its inherent link to optimism and hope, are often gifted at building a more positive business environment open to listening to others, sharing ideas and seeking out innovative solutions.
CONSTRUCTIVELY TOUGH-MINDED: An imagination mindset accepts that we don’t know everything and can learn from each other. It fosters a willingness to listen to a multiplicity of views even if they are significantly different from our own. A leader skilled in imagination has higher order critical thinking skills and is more resilient when setbacks occur and more willing to accept, and learn from, constructive feedback.
EFFICIENT READER OF PEOPLE: Empathetic imagination refers to our ability to step in another’s shoes, to view the world through diverse perspectives, an important attribute to ensure the smooth and productive operation of teams and also, to achieve customer satisfaction.
PRAGMATIC INCLUSIVENESS: Everything about imagination fosters the building of an inclusive society and workplace; a willingness to listen, to step in another’s shoes, to better understand their point of view, to feed our curiosity by getting to know each other better. And as we break down any barriers to inclusion, to discover how much we benefit when we include everyone by broadening our vision of our world and its community.
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Dawn is an imagination coach and can help your leaders and team members develop the skill of imagination. She offers experiential workshops, through Imagination Session®, as well as imagination coaching. For more details, DM or email dawn@imaginationsession.com
