Leadership

Study: Execs Deserve a D Grade

By Jessica Stillman

Updated on: February 20, 2009 / 10:20 AM EST / MoneyWatch

The Find: After running leadership simulations with thousands of executives worldwide, one consultancy described them as change resistant, emotionally unpredictable and failing at operational control.
The Source: A study entitled "Leaders Without Sea Legs: Threats to Staying Afloat During Tough Times" by consultancy DDI

The Takeaway: These are extraordinary times in the business world and they call for extraordinary leadership. Unfortunately, that's something which is sorely lacking if DDI's study is to be believed. The consultancy tested 3,623 executives from 49 countries (two-thirds were American) at their assessment centers around the world, watching how they performed during realistic simulations that revealed their ability to make decisions, communicate in a crisis and develop strategy. What grade did the executives receive? A big, fat D, or to put that in more professional terms, "threats of dysfunctional leadership ran from moderate to very high on six key leadership challenges posed by a crisis." DDI found four main failings:

Almost half of leaders won't take operational control. 29 percent of executives were deficient in their ability to drive execution and another 20 percent were strong or moderately strong candidates for derailing due to a lack of discipline.
Executives threaten innovation. Three in ten executives were weak in change leadership, while 41 percent were at high or moderately high risk of resisting change under stress.
Leaders as loose cannons. Nearly 20 percent of executives were at a high or moderately high risk for being emotionally unpredictable under pressure.
Downbeat executives don't inspire hope. One quarter of executives lacked the temperament to communicate in a way that builds trust, or were so emotionally detached that they have trouble relating to others.

For those interested in the complete analysis, it is available here.

The Question: Go ahead, what grade would you give the c-suite at your company?

(Image of fail road sign by fireflythegreat, CC 2.0)