Leadership in the Balance

Results of the CCL Poll: C-Level View

In our August 2007 Leading Effectively e-newsletter, readers were asked several questions about their own experiences compared to those of CEOs. A total of 128 readers responded to the poll. CCL expert Corey Criswell summarizes the results.

Corey Criswell is a research associate at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®) and an author of CCL's Ten Trends report. Her research focuses specifically on the challenges faced by senior level executives; she is currently leading a project studying the organizational, contextual and individual factors that impact CEO tenure. She also manages the Public Image for Leadership module in the Leadership at the Peak program, which provides coaching on executive image for 300 senior level executives each year.

Today's leaders face increasingly complex challenges that involve meeting customer expectations, driving down costs, handling internal structural changes and coping with talent shortages. One popular response to increasing complexity is to lean on innovation. Our poll respondents believe that aiming for innovation by studying external best practices and focusing on talent development is paramount to creating a culture that is agile enough to address complex challenges.

As globalization increases, organizations are continually asked to bridge cultural, geographical and functional boundaries effectively and efficiently. So it comes as no surprise that 79% of those who responded believe that virtual leadership is a critical skill for senior leaders. There is also a strong consensus that virtual leadership requires skills that are different from face-to-face leadership skills. What can be done to train leaders for a virtual world, and what skills will they need to be effective in the future? Our results indicate that honing communication skills may be the answer. Leaders who provide clear, well written and frequent communication have mastered important skills needed for effective virtual leadership.

Our sample predicts that future success will depend on the ability to collaborate and focus on the team rather than the individual leader. But only a third of the respondents surveyed believe leaders in their organization are highly skilled in collaboration. Do senior leaders agree with this pessimistic view of collaboration in the corner office? Yes, according to our Ten Trends research, although their view is not quite as dire. Nearly half of them believe senior leaders in their organizations are highly skilled in collaboration. In either case, a huge gap exists that must be closed to prepare leaders for the future.

Collaboration and interruption often go hand in hand. Over half of those surveyed report being interrupted at least every 30 minutes, and most agreed that interruptions are a problem, at least sometimes. But as one astute poll respondent pointed out, "I would never call it interruption." A good point considering that the collective productivity of a team, division or company is often much more important than a leader's individual productivity.

Respondents were asked to reflect on the following statements:

Are the challenges your organization faces today . . .



Which of the following factors contribute most to your business challenges?



My organization is "top in class" in innovation.

Almost half of respondents (43%) "strongly agreed" or "agreed" with this statement, while 31% "neither agreed or disagreed."

Which of the following strategies does your organization use to promote innovation?



"Virtual leadership" (leading a geographically dispersed team; communicating via e-mail, teleconference, etc.) is a necessary skill for senior leaders in my organization.

The majority of respondents (79%) "agreed" or "strongly agreed" with this statement, while only 10% "strongly disagreed" or "disagreed."

"Virtual leadership" requires a different skill set than face-to-face leadership.

More respondents (86%) "strongly agreed" or "agreed" with this statement than those who "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" (6%).

Which of the following skills and approaches are important for effective virtual leadership?

Idem as Innovation approach above

In my organization, leaders must collaborate to succeed.

A small minority of respondents (5%) "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" with this statement, while the majority (90%) "strongly agreed" or "agreed."

In my organization, leaders are highly skilled in collaboration.

Responses were evenly distributed among those who "strongly agreed" or "agreed" with this statement (35%) and those who "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" (34%).

How often are you interrupted at work?

More than half of respondents (52%) are interrupted "every 10 to 30 minutes," followed by those who are interrupted "every 31 to 60 minutes" (35%).

When is interruption a problem for you at work?

The largest group of respondents (65%) state that work interruptions are "sometimes" a problem, followed by those (20%) who state that work interruptions are "often" a problem.

What is your management level in your organization?

Executive management (27%) make up the largest block of respondents, followed by upper-middle management (25%) and top management (21%).

In what sector do you work?

The largest portion of respondents (36%) work in national or multi-national corporations, followed by mid-size or large businesses (20%) and small businesses (13%).

What is your area of expertise/job function?

The largest group of respondents (18%) work in the human resources field, followed by those who work in top management (14%) and administration (9%).