If you meet and get to know successful executives, you’ll start to notice certain patterns and similarities in the way they are. Compare any set of good executives that you know and you’ll find common personality traits that they share. There is obviously some variation, but by and large you’ll find at least a portion of these traits in any great executive.

1. Willingness to Learn

When leading VPs and other executives attend professional executive coaching services in Melbourne, for example, you might wonder why they bother. What could they have to learn? They’re already so successful! A good executive never gets tired of the learning process.

Good leaders set an example for their subordinates to follow. If you saw your own managers or division VP attending training sessions and seminars designed to better their professional performance, wouldn’t you be inspired by that to do the same for yourself?

2. Confidence

A good executive will be a confident person who presents themself well, is turned out well day to day, and who communicates with that same confidence and clarity of purpose that inspires others to follow. A poor executive who stands timidly before a crowd struggling to explain something like a policy change in the company will only force other employees to think to themselves: “how did this person ever become an executive?”

Confidence brings clarity, and clarity inspires others to be confident and reassured. That’s critical when it comes to an executive communicating information to staff. It’s doubly important when that information might be unwelcome information.

3. Listen x 2 : Speak x 1

Armed with 2 ears and 1 mouth, a good executive knows to listen at least twice as much as he/she barks orders at people. Workers of all kinds are feeling more undervalued and underappreciated than ever. There are different reasons for that, but a big part of it is that they feel that they are not heard when they speak out to members of their company or department leadership.

When an executive follows the idea of listening twice as much as they speak, then it becomes much easier to accommodate the voices of employees and other subordinates. A good executive remembers that some of the very best ideas come from the “lower ranks.” In fact, it may well have been such good ideas that helped that particular individual to become an executive in the first place.

4. Decisiveness

Good executives are decisive, they know and understand when hard choices have to be made and they make them. Some people misinterpret executive decisions as harsh and even inhuman; made without a shred of thought of conscience. There is some truth to that, and it’s a good thing, too.

A good executive is someone who sees a bigger picture than the individual employee. That big picture informs on what decisions are best for the company or organisation. Strong leaders make the right decisions, not necessarily the most popular ones. That’s the right way to be decisive.

5. Responsibility

Another common trait shared by executives is their sense of responsibility. When things go wrong, good executives know their role in that error. They understand that things have gone wrong on their watch and that ultimately they are responsible for it. An executive who merely points fingers at others is no leader.

6. They’re Competitive

Finally, strong executives share a strong competitive nature. One could argue that it is this competitive nature that helped get them into the position they are in today. Some resent how competitive they can be, but that spirit of competition and striving to outdo others is extremely useful and profitable to a company!