 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Four traits that drive success.
There is no simple recipe for success.
At SKR Partners, the single most common mandate we're asked to undertake is to find individuals who consistently deliver extraordinary results across business platforms and in varying circumstances. The goal of the "Common DNAnominator" program is to objectively diagnose and establish the formula for what characteristics make a truly great leader.
Our "Common DNAnominator" research and experience shows there are four, largely innate attributes that consistently drive leadership success. These four qualities form the foundation of the SKR Partners Assessment SKoRe Card:
1. Critical thinking/problem solving
Critical thinking is the root element of the best leaders.
Critical thinking is more than being intelligent or knowledgeable. It is how we use our intelligence and knowledge to reach objective and rational viewpoints. Critical thinkers gather information from numerous and broad sources. Critical thinking goes beyond subject-matter divisions and include areas like: clarity, credibility, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, logic, significance, and fairness.
Generally, a well cultivated critical thinker:
› raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely;
› gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively comes to
well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards;
› thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as need be,
their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences; and
› communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.
Opinions and beliefs based on critical thinking stand on firmer ground than those formulated through less rational processes. Critical thinkers come well equipped to make decisions and solve problems
2. Ability to leverage others
This attribute is all about getting the most from those around you by maximizing alignment and overall efficiency from others. Whether in a position of authority, working across business lines, or partnering with outside parties, leveraging from others means understanding those around you and making the sum greater than the individual parts.
Being able to effectively leverage people applies expertise at:
› recognizing hidden agendas
› identifying problems individuals are reluctant to share with others
› knowing which combinations of people on a team will yield the best-possible synergies
› keeping projects on track through skillful intervention
3. A strong sense of introspection and humility
Research shows that critical self-evaluation is one of the greatest drivers of excellence. Self-evaluation is a sense of introspection that inherently provides acceptance and ownership of a problem, which motivates change. As circumstances change, ongoing self-appraisals provide insight that furthers excellence.
The general perception is that great leaders have charismatic personalities combined with a strong sense of confidence and vision. These are the Jack Welchs and Steve Jobs of the world. That said, many great historical leaders, like Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman, lacked the stereotypical charismatic, visionary make-up but still accompolished incredible things. Contrary to popular belief, the success of many great leaders is driven as much by their ability to learn from constant self-appraisal as it is by professional will. Great leaders continue to refine their formulas for success by using experience as a springboard to advance their goals.
4. Persistence/Grit/Tenaciousness
We believe that grit is a core attribute of success. Rather than assuming people are tenacious, we look at their career arc and assess if they have set clear and challenging goals, and steadfastly pursued these objectives.
Persistence, grit or simply, "stick-to-it-ness" has been shown by psychologists as a critical marker of success. Malcolm Gladwell put forth a similar hypothesis in his book The Outliers. Gladwell hypothesized that it takes 10,000 hours to develop mastery-level skills. There are a lot of things organizations assess for (and drill down deep for), but persistence is too often assumed. That is a dangerous assumption (and one that SKR Partners' Assessment SKoRe Card doesn't make). Scientists have compiled a substantive amount of data to show that most of the variation in individual achievement — what makes one person successful, while another might struggle — has nothing to do with being smart. Instead, it largely depends on personality traits such as grit and conscientiousness.
Grit is an essential (and often overlooked) component of success. SKR Partners assesses the ability to consistently — through the course of a career — set specific long-term goals and then steadfastly apply tenacity to do everything possible until the goal has been reached.
SKR Partners: Making the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
SKR Partners ensures your organization hires individuals who not only bring their own unique characteristics and perspective, but also offer many of the character traits of your Tremendous 10 using our proprietary leadership assessment methodology.