Motivation Is Key To A Leader’s Effectiveness

July 14, 2014 – Effective leaders possess a blend of characteristics, however the number one trait that makes them successful is their ability to motivate and lead others.

A survey of 1,270 business leaders from around the world found that by a margin of 3:1, 68 percent of the survey participants said they preferred a senior executive who could motivate and inspire others more than they desired an executive who consistently performed well, which was mentioned by only 26 percent of respondents. This came as no surprise to our staff at Signature Source, since we recruit top talent for more than 42 leading global-mobility organizations and seek out candidates with great motivation skills.

In addition the survey, conducted by IIC Partners, discovered that the price of entry to a corner office remains competency. But once they settle in, a leader’s success is more about how they inspire and motivate others to perform at their peak rather than what he or she does individually.

Those all-important qualities

“The emerging snapshot of today’s most valued senior executive is not just that of a talented practitioner,” said Paul Dinte, chairman of IIC Partners. “Rather, this sought-after executive is very ‘other-directed’ and excels at harnessing the power of others through leadership and inspiration.”

The other must-haves in a senior executive include:

51 percent: a strong ability to manage;
46 percent: the ability to identify and develop talent;
30 percent: innovative thinking;
26 percent: consistent high performance.

Respondents were a varied group of senior level executives, important since the survey also delved into business practices within individual companies.

62 percent of respondents were at the C-suite or Managing Director level.

520 were from the Americas, 383 were from Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and 347 were from Asia-Pacific.
Respondents came from 18 different industries.
38 percent were from publicly held organizations, 43 percent were from privately-held firms, 8 percent were family-owned, 5 percent were not-for-profit, and 3 percent were from other types of firms.

Today’s trends

The survey also uncovered that organizations are increasingly seeking to build senior executive teams that include external candidates rather than only internally groomed talent. The average senior executive team is made up of 45 percent internal candidates, 38 percent external candidates and 17 percent from another division within the same parent company

Our experience at Signature Source shows that the trend of hiring from the outside has been going on for years. However talent mobility – now practiced globally – is directing many corporations to invest on internally grooming leaders. In addition, many companies are doing a better job of onboarding external executives.

Additional survey findings:

Companies with fewer than 500 employees, energy and utility companies, and financial service firms were more likely to hire internal talent.
Globally, the average length a senior executive will remain with a firm is seven years. In the Americas, the average was 7.9 years while in Asia-Pacific it is 5.9 years.
Professional services tend to retain senior executives for 8.1 years, consumer products 6.1 years, and the pharmaceutical industry 5.7 years. Of course once the millennials reach the C-level, those lengths of service could start decreasing since this group tends to change jobs more frequently than their elders.
Gender composition of their senior executive team was “important” or “very important” to 57 percent of respondents. In the EMEA, gender composition is more important to 62 percent of respondents, while in Asia-Pacific it ranked 48 percent.

As for succession plans, these C-level respondents admitted it would take time to find their replacement when they leave. Only 1 in 5 said their organization could replace them immediately if they left now.