Leaders should be adept at strategic thinking and developing the lawyers who report to them

A survey in 2006 by the Institute of Executive Development and RHR International www.execsight.com asked respondents to choose which characteristics are most important for future leaders to possess. Eight abilities were available to choose from, but two dominated those actually chosen: “strategic thinking” and “ability to develop others.” Where respondents could choose multiple characteristics, those two both garnered 50 percent of the choices.

As this was reported in Talent Management Mag., Vol. 3, March 2007 at 42, the remaining choices and their percentages were “business acumen/business-specific knowledge (38%), “ability to motivate and inspire” (33%), “ability to manage significant organizational change” (29%), “relationship building/networking” (29%), “cross-national/cross-cultural understanding” (18%), and “ability to manage the performance of others” (17%). Each of these capabilities has importance to high-potential lawyers in companies (See my posts of May 14, 2005 on executive courses for high-potential lawyers; Nov. 25, 2006 for the efforts of InBev; and May 7, 2006 for GE’s efforts on behalf of high-potential lawyers.).