Building a Balanced Skill Set

Cultural intelligence (CQ), according to a recent article found in the Harvard Business Review, is one critical component of the skill-set aspiring executives need “to crack the C-suite.” The study, which focuses on the changing responsibilities of seven top-level positions, points to the importance of a balanced skill. Technological expertise needs to be accompanied by “soft skills,” such as cultural intelligence. More specifically, senior executives and CEO’s must possess the ability to work through, value, and leverage many different cultures. These include organizational as well as corporate cultures.
For example, monolingual executives who lack CQ often find themselves at a disadvantage, especially when they are working with foreign counterparts who are multilingual and possess a global mindset. CEO’s who lack expertise in cross-border networking and teaming, global marketing and intercultural communication are apt to find it difficult to compete in a global marketplace. While a strong background in finance or marketing is essential, so too is the ability to adapt to different languages, religions, and generational values and behaviors.
What can we take from this study? If you are interested in climbing the corporate ladder, expand your skill set. Start finding out more about your diverse colleagues and the environments in which you work and live. Become the CEO of your own skill-set, and identify your strengths and those areas that you need to work on to diversify and balance your skill-set. Finally, it is not enough to know what you have to do. You need to do it, and keep doing it.