34 Characteristics of Effective CEOs

This collection of speeches focuses on the characteristics of effective CEOs in various industries. Different executives from different sectors offer varying definitions of "leadership" or what it means exactly to be the boss of a company or organization.

Many of the speakers featured here, such as Lewis Mackenzie, Simon Sinek and Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, believe that a strong leader or CEO will be capable of uniting his or her team and inspiring action within the organization.

George Colony from Forrester Research argues that today's top executive must be extremely comfortable and competent when it comes to technology. Almost all industries are going digital and without a strong, confident leader who can lead a team through these changing times, a brand will fail.

Leading in an affirmative and ruthless way is considered one of the more important characteristics of effective CEOs according to Don Macdonald and Dan Lyons. Macdonald considers a leader who mimics the behavior of Machiavelli to be a good leader.