Abstract
PurposeThis exploratory study investigated the characteristics that chief executive officers (CEOs) associated with their success.Design/methodology/approachTwenty CEOs were interviewed and asked to identify characteristics they possessed, and that they felt were related to their success.FindingsThe two dominant characteristics identified were achievement orientation and humanistic approach, followed by positivism. Very little or no emphasis was placed on being inclusive, having integrity, having a balanced approach, learning and self‐awareness or having an external focus.Research limitations/implicationsIn order to further our understanding of effective leadership in organisations, future research needs to build on these findings by asking individuals who directly report to CEOs to comment on the characteristics they believe their CEOs possesses.Practical implicationsThere are important implications from these results for the selection and development of CEOs.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few to comprehensively investigate CEOs' characteristics. Most of the earlier work was either theoretical or narrowly focused.
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