Key Takeaways

• Over the past twenty years, the roles of C-suite executives have been significantly redefined. While traditional capabilities such as the management of operational and financial resources are still important, priority is given to strong social skills.
• Well-being has recently become a top priority for everyone, but work is still a major obstacle. However, in order to retain both employees and executives, companies need to have a strong focus on well-being.

• In order to cultivate healthy disagreements, companies need to focus on giving leaders and employees the skillset for good debates by socializing them to communicate in a particular way. In addition, leaders and managers can integrate aspects of debate into the ideas that are usually discussed in the company.

Introduction

The C-Suite Skills That Matter Most

• Article published by Harvard Business Review on June 13, 2022.
• Currently, becoming a CEO is not only about financial savvy and industry expertise. Leaders also need to have strong social skills. This is because the diversity of the workforce is growing, firms are being subjected to more public scrutiny, and business operations have become more complex and tech-centered. Leaders, therefore, need to be relationship builders, people-centered problem solvers, and good communicators.
• Over the past twenty years, the roles of C-suite executives have been significantly redefined. While traditional capabilities such as the management of operational and financial resources are still important, priority is given to strong social skills. This includes "a high level of self-awareness, the ability to listen and communicate well, a facility for working with different types of people and groups, and what psychologists call 'theory of mind' —the capacity to infer how others are thinking and feeling."

 

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• As a result, companies should have a systematic approach to building and evaluating social skills; find innovative ways to assess candidates' social skills, emphasize the development of social skills for employees at all levels; and evaluate the entire C-suite's social skills, rather than just on an individual basis.

The C-suite's role in well-being

• Article published by Deloitte on June 22, 2022.
• While the pandemic generally worsened people's health, executives are not completely aware of how much their employees are struggling. C-suite executives are also not immune to the struggle as there has been a recent increase in quit rates among them. Health-savvy executives will be able to improve the situation and reimagine well-being for their employees as well as themselves.

 

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• Well-being has recently become a top priority for everyone, but work is still a major obstacle. However, in order to retain both employees and executives, companies need to have a strong focus on well-being.

 

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• Health-savvy leaders recognize the impact that well-being has on organizational culture, how work is done, and the organization's external environment. In order to be health-savvy, executives need to promote a culture of well-being by encouraging their employees to disconnect or take time off more frequently; be more transparent with their employees so that the employees feel they can be vulnerable about their well-being and how it affects their work; and be empathetic and aware of their employees' resources and access. 

A Debate Champion on How to Have More Productive Disagreements at Work

• Podcast published by Harvard Business Review on June 21, 2022. 
• This podcast presents an interview with Bo Seo, a two-time world champion debater and the author of the book “Good Arguments: How Debate Teaches us to Listen and Be Heard.”
• Professional conflicts should be settled with collaborative decision-making and thoughtful discussion, but this is not usually the case. The leaders or the loudest voices are usually the ones who win, leading to resentment from the others. However, disagreements can be had in more effective and healthier ways that lead to better outcomes for teams, shareholders and customers. 
• Disagreements are usually taken as offensive, a personal attack, or one being undermined. However, creating a workplace culture that values good disagreements and discourages fights can make it easier for everyone to participate.
• While it is important to make one's point of view known, it is also important to listen to those who oppose it. Rather than refuting something or telling people their ideas won't work, one should focus on pushing towards what works. 
• Companies need to focus on giving leaders and employees the skillset for healthy, good debates by socializing them to communicate in a particular way. In addition, leaders and managers can integrate aspects of debate into the ideas that are usually discussed in the company, for example, "having meetings where the whole point is to assign people positions and to argue about them", or asking someone who is pitching "to come up with the three best arguments for their proposal, and then having someone to respond to it who can pressure test those ideas." 

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