Senior leadership teams: 5 key characteristics of effective teams

Large companies are built on the backs of powerful leaders. These are leaders who: 

• Don’t back away from any situation

• Adapt quickly to the market

• Motivate their fellow employees

• Achieve their objectives no matter what

A strong senior leadership team helps in maintaining the organizational structure and encouraging employees to take the vision and mission of the company forward. They lead by example and set the tone for collaboration, innovation, adaptability, dedication, clear communication, and perseverance.

Hiring for different leadership team roles is one of the key tasks for any company. With the help of our Leadership and People Management test, you can evaluate the candidate’s ability to delegate tasks responsibly, motivate and guide others, provide clear directives, and come up with new ideas.

Before sending screening tests to candidates, let’s take a quick look into what a senior leadership team is. We’ll also focus on different senior leadership team roles, their key characteristics, and the expectations from a senior leadership team.

What is a senior leadership team?

As you move up on the corporate ladder, you get closer to the C-Suite. 

C-Suite refers to the highest step of the ladder where only the top senior executives of the organization sit. The senior leadership team consists of individuals whose titles start with “chief”. They are responsible for making sure that their team is keeping in line with the company’s policies, beliefs, and future plans.

The team meets regularly to discuss day-to-day business operations, set the overall direction of the company, solve problems, allocate resources, talk about new and existing products, establish organization-wide policies, and ensure that the company is in line with its goals and values.

 While the specific composition and responsibilities of a senior team can vary according to the company and its structure, their goal remains the same: ensure sustainable business growth. 

The team includes senior managers, executives, and directors from different departments within the company. When addressing the team members of their respective departments, they can act as the “face” of the company as well.

What are the different roles in a senior leadership team?

The chief executive officer, chief operating officer, chief administrative officer, and chief financial officer are some of the most commonly recognized senior leadership team roles. However, several other roles fall under the umbrella of C-Suite. Some of these are:

• Chief executive officer: The chief executive officer is typically the face of the company. They are the highest-level corporate executive and are usually a part of the founding team as well. Chief executive officers frequently consult with other members of the senior team to make  major decisions. They can come from any background, technical or non-technical. However, they must possess strong leadership and decision-making skills.

• Chief operating officer: As the name suggests, a chief operating officer is responsible for handling and overseeing the company’s daily operations and verifying whether plans are being followed. They aim to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and keep the organization on track to meet its goals.

• Chief financial officer: A chief financial officer handles the financial management of the company. Their job includes creating annual budgets, forecasting expenses and revenue, managing risks, auditing, and financial reporting. They work closely with other members of the leadership team to ensure that the company’s finances are in control and that it is financially stable. 

• Chief marketing officer: It’s the chief marketing officer’s job to promote the company and attract more customers. They are not only responsible for developing and implementing marketing strategies but also oversee market research, brand management, product development, and customer acquisitions.

• Chief technology officer: Every organization works with technology in some capacity. The chief technology officer is responsible for meeting the technological needs of the company. This includes issuing hardware and software to employees or setting up an infrastructure to enable in-house research and development.

Depending on the company and its needs, other senior leadership team roles can include the chief human resource officer, chief legal officer, chief information officer, or chief communications officer.

5 key characteristics of effective senior leadership teams

Let’s now look at some of the key characteristics that every senior leadership team needs:

1. Excellent communication skills

Effective communication is important for any role but it’s a necessity for senior leaders. They manage a team of employees who rely on them for prioritizing tasks, managing resources, getting feedback, and aligning with the company’s objectives. 

Listening is also an important part of communication. Leaders should have active listening skills and be willing to hear what employees have to say.2. Share a common purpose and goal

Great leaders connect with their team members by sharing the same purpose and goal. They motivate and inspire employees by making them feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves, and that everyone is on this journey together. It’s a leader’s responsibility to set their team up for success. 

By meeting regularly with their subordinates and assigning them key action items, they not only encourage the team to reach new heights but also ensure that everyone is aligned towards a common goal.

3. Have strong business ethics

Team members look up to their leaders and learn from them. The best leaders display strong, clear business ethics and set the tone for the rest of the organization. 

By exhibiting honesty, integrity, and ethical behavior, they inspire trust and respect from the employees and help build a positive work culture. You can evaluate the ethical knowledge of candidates with our online Business Ethics and Compliance test and find candidates who have a strong ethical compass.

4. Aren’t afraid of change

Businesses evolve constantly. Market trends change, new competitors come in, and customer demands shift. 

Strong leaders are highly adaptable and can quickly rethink the company’s strategy depending on the current situation. They aren’t afraid of change or taking calculated risks to ensure business sustainability. 

Experimenting with new ideas, products, and marketing strategies in response to changing circumstances is a key characteristic of an effective senior leadership team. 

5. Have a growth mindset

For a business to grow and reach new heights, its leaders must have a growth mindset. Focus on continuous learning, development, and improvement enables the organization to keep going forward. 

Leaders with a growth mindset are open to feedback and criticism and are willing to learn from their mistakes. They are more focused on the company’s development rather than being right. By encouraging experimentation, new ideas, and innovations, they influence a growth culture in the entire team as well.

 What are the responsibilities of a senior leadership team?

So, what is the senior leadership team responsible for? There are a number of key functions they must fulfill, such as:: 

Support the entire workforce

A company is as strong as its weakest employee. It’s the responsibility of the senior leadership team to not just take care of their departments but also support the entire workforce. 

This includes providing appropriate resources, tools, training, and inspiration to help employees perform their jobs efficiently. Leaders should strive to create a positive work environment that fosters growth and provides guidance to staff. 

Define the mission, vision, and values of the business

Senior leaders need to instill the values of the business into employees, explain what the company is doing, and what the long-term plans are. 

Defining these values for employees is an important task for leaders. This will bring a team closer to the company’s purpose and also serve as a guiding framework for making important decisions.

Define objectives and goals

Setting up organizational goals and objectives is necessary for defining the roles and responsibilities of every employee. 

It’s the senior leaders that decide the short and long-term goals for their teams and set priorities accordingly. 

Leaders identify areas for improvement and the resources required. They also establish metrics and analyze them to measure progress and success. With clearly defined objectives and goals, teams are able to work like a well-oiled machine.

Manage change

Businesses evolve constantly. This can be adaptive (as a reaction to the market scenarios), or transformational following a change in the existing state of affairs. 

However, half of the initiatives taken for organizational change are unsuccessful. This is partly because of the lack of strong governance. 

A senior executive team takes charge of dealing with changes and steers its overall direction. This enables them to reallocate resources, resolve issues, make critical decisions, and devise and implement strategies.

Set and manage the company culture

What does your company culture look like? Do you have a hierarchical structure or a flat one? Is open communication encouraged in the company? Is the organization people-oriented or task-oriented? What motivates the employees to keep going? 

These are just some questions that candidates ask in their interviews. Job satisfaction for them is very important and is closely linked to the company culture. The senior leadership team is responsible for setting up a positive work culture. 

By assessing the organizational culture, leaders can create a stimulating work environment that is geared towards the employee, as well as to overall business growth.

Build a strong leadership team to set your business up for success 

The importance of having a strong senior leadership team in the organization can’t be understated. It is a critical aspect of business success.

Effective senior leaders not only manage their respective teams but are responsible for creating a strategic direction for the company, promoting a positive work environment, managing change efficiently, and inspiring employees to achieve their objectives.

 Building a strong leadership team starts with hiring the right people. 

Evaluating the candidates through skills tests gives clarity to their skills and knowledge. We have 280+ skills tests available in our test library that can help you identify the perfect leadership candidate. Sign up now for a free demo and see how TestGorilla can help you build a better, more effective senior leadership team.