Think you know what bosses are looking for? Think again.
Getting hired and promoted used to hinge on traditional leadership traits like executive presence and vision. But in today’s world, those aren’t enough. As a CEO, board member and MBA professor, my research shows that a sharper, more relevant set of criteria is rising to the top. And it’s long overdue.
At NYU’s Stern School of Business, I teach a popular class called “Becoming You.” Students start by identifying their values using a tool called The Values Bridge, then explore careers that match their aptitudes and emotional, intellectual and economic needs. Finally, and critically, they assess their leadership capacity.
I used to rely on old-school aptitude tests for that last part (think: the kind your college counselor used). But over time, I saw that those tools were built for a world that no longer exists. Today’s professionals face nonstop change, geopolitical chaos and ambiguity about, well, everything.
So I set out to identify the traits that actually matter now — and tested them through consulting projects with a dozen companies across industries. Focus groups and manager surveys refined the list. And now, I use these four traits in every hiring decision I make.
