It can be hard to play nice with peers while competing for a promotion, but that’s exactly what recruiters are saying is one of today’s most coveted leadership qualities, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Internal promotions have long been considered the most popular path to the corner office. Last year, about 73% of the heads of S&P 500 companies selected last year were promoted from within, compared to 69% in 2017. At the same time, more corporate boards are examining whether internal CEO candidates “play nicely with each other.”
“Today, inclusion and collaboration are the declared values of a lot of large organizations because those qualities demonstrate effective leadership,’’ says Janice Waterman, founder and CEO of Waterman Hurst.
Frequently, senior managers feel that a promotion competitor subtly undermines them and steals credit for accomplishments. In such a situation, leadership specialists advise turning to an internal mentor to confirm this mistreatment and then alerting decision-makers.
