To accomplish this, C-level executives and board directors must be willing to learn and grow in ways that align with company goals.

 Highly effective leaders find ways to incorporate learning into the flow of their work in an effort to improve leadership skills throughout the organization and bolster the longer-term success of the company. 

The face of leadership is changing. The demographics entering the C-suite are more diverse than ever, and leaders are facing enormous changes in the wake of the pandemic and record levels of turnover amid the Great Resignation. Learning more about professional development at leadership levels and considering what changes need to be made can help you be a conductor of growth and success within your company.

Professional Development at the C-Suite Level

While education, experience, and critical business skills all play a part in building great leadership qualities, certain soft skills can transform your leadership experience and the way employees relate to you. Good leaders inspire others to greatness. Focusing on these skills can help you achieve personal growth in your leadership role and inspire those who work for you.

Self Awareness

Understanding your behavior and how others perceive your actions is essential to forming good relationships as a leader. This can begin with an investigation of your strengths and weaknesses as well as blind spots and triggers. By gathering feedback from others, you can continue to hone your level of self-awareness and improve your communication skills.

Personal Leadership Philosophy

A leadership philosophy is “a set of beliefs, values, and principles that strongly influence how we interpret reality and guide our understanding of influencing humans.” You likely already have an idea of what you think constitutes as exceptional leadership. To better develop your personal leadership philosophy, you can consider your role models, life events that impacted your leadership style, and your success in the past. Also, consider your weaknesses and what is impeding your leadership development, so you can set goals for the future.

Another important exercise is defining your why. Athena member Meg Crofton, former president of Walt Disney World Resort, shares her guiding principles as an aspiring board director. 

‘My reasons for board service were initially twofold: to be in a learning environment where I could stay current with the issues leaders are dealing with, and to stay relevant and credible to do my heart work—mentoring. Later, having served on boards, I added a third reason: I have met amazing people who I have learned so much from and some, I hope, will be lifelong friends.”

Self Regulation

Leaders can’t afford to act impulsively. Firm leadership requires you to act on logic, knowledge, and experience. Self-regulation is the act of controlling impulses and learning how to analyze situations before taking action. With an objective focus on what will make the company and your employees thrive, you can make rational decisions to boost growth. Self-regulation creates a safe workplace environment and helps others maintain control in unexpected situations.

Interpersonal Skills

Closely related to communication skills, interpersonal skills are revealed in the way you relate to others. Interpersonal skills include verbal and non-verbal communication. They also dictate the way you handle conflict, show empathy, and influence others. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to be approachable to both employees and colleagues. You can achieve this through showing respect, learning to actively listen, and practicing collaboration in the workplace and boardroom.

Learning from Others

High-performing leaders are always learning, and there are many different ways to advance your executive education. This can range from rolling up your sleeves to work alongside your employees to joining Athena’s digital community for top women executives. By periodically reviewing your skills and staying up to date on relevant technology, you can remain on the cutting edge of your industry. Learning from a variety of sources can help make you more rounded as a leader and individual. 

Athena Founder and CEO Coco Brown, in her recent article The Next Trend in Executive Development: Communal Learning, writes that she has found herself “leaning more on other executives and less on textbooks,” and concludes that “communal-style learning offers the opportunity to connect the dots in a way that textbooks cannot deliver, and that humans are not likely to achieve on their own, at a speed that is required in today’s fast-changing world.”

Personal Leadership Development Plan

Putting your ideas into action requires a plan – which we typically refer to as your personal “Go-to-Market” strategy. To develop a personal leadership development plan that outlines your goals to grow as a leader, begin with a self-assessment to recognize skills you’d like to improve and master. Another part of planning your Go-to-Market strategy is to take stock of your passions and unique experience, so that you can narrow down industries and companies that will be the best fit for you. 

Nancy Sheppard, an Athena coach and founder of Women2Boards, uses a written “board-journey planning questionnaire” to assist candidates with this step in this process. She says: “Focusing on your passions, combined with how your experiences can add value in this space, is a good step as you narrow down building allies for your board search.” 

Set attainable goals and methods you intend to use to reach these goals. If you hope to land a seat in the boardroom, you’ll need to consider how a board interview differs from a typical job interview and the skills and tools you’ll need to prepare for the board interview.

Leadership Strategies for C-Suite Executives

Businesses in every industry are experiencing rapid change. From workforce changes to new technology and an increase in women in leadership roles, leadership roles are dramatically different than they were a decade ago. When companies weather major changes, it’s crucial to develop strategies that help your company thrive.  

• Take an outsider’s approach. As part of an organization, it can be difficult to see the big picture. This is why the impartial insights of an outsider can often lead to innovation and progress. By stepping back from familiar patterns and ways of thinking to look at decisions objectively, you can gain new insights and adopt bold tactics.
• Build calculated momentum. Strategic momentum builds over time to reach a long-term goal. Business plans include specific actions to work toward financial, production, and quality goals. Use new information to make small adjustments and keep your goals on track.
• Conduct strategic reviews. Feedback is essential to understanding your position as a leader. By analyzing and evaluating your current performance, the best plan for moving ahead will become clear. 
• Share your vision. Less than half of employees know what their organization stands for and what makes it different. By sharing your vision with the people you lead, you can create attainable goals to inspire others to work together to achieve your vision. 

Assessing Women’s Share of Emerging Roles

Emerging executive roles are unencumbered by the obstacles that have historically impeded women’s journey to leadership. Women have long had more presence in roles like marketing and HR, leading to those leadership roles having the highest proportion of women.

Women hold 55% of the Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) positions across all industries. While retail has the highest percentage of female CEOs (at 12%), it’s the only industry that doesn’t have at least have half of its CHRO positions held by women. Advances for women in Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) positions are notable as well, with 36% of women filling these roles. The financial industry has the highest percentage of female CMOs at 53%.

What Changes Need to Be Taken?

While women are advancing in leadership roles, change is slow. While women represent 47% of the workforce in the US and 40% are the primary breadwinner in families, women hold only 21% of senior leadership positions. Changes need to be taken to improve the advancement of women leaders.

• Changes must start at the top, with a commitment from CEOs to diversify senior teams.
• Targeted diversity goals for recruitment, promotions, and advances must be presented across industries.
• Organizations must ensure targeted high-potential pools are gender diverse.
• Organizations must embrace an inclusive and diverse culture holistically across the company. 
• Cross-functional experiences for women in finance, operation, and sales must be provided.
• Organizations should make hiring and promoting decisions based on data and metrics to increase objectivity and reduce unconscious bias.

Women leaders have many of the skills organizations seek in today’s C-suite positions. However, addressing the gender gap is an ongoing challenge. Whether you currently hold a leadership position or have one in your sights for the future, continuing your staying up-to-date on the best practices leaders are adopting is critical. Learn how Athena provides the learning, coaching, networking, and access to career opportunities women leaders need as they rise to the top.

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The Athena Alliance is a community that propels leaders to build impact—in the C-suite, in the boardroom, as an investor, as an entrepreneur, as a thought leader and beyond.