In a recent interview with the Austrian newspaper
Die Presse,
Damien O’Brien, CEO of Egon Zehnder International, touches on a broad range of issues related to top-management. When asked to describe the qualities of a top executive O’Brien is careful to distinguish between good managers and great leaders. True leaders add real value and are generally characterised by their sense of vision, their ability to inspire others and their team-building skills, which include empowering fellow top-leaders to deal with issues in detail, he explains.
Reflecting on his international experience in a global firm, O’Brien also praises the value-adding contribution of foreigners to top leadership teams. Austria is an attractive location for imported talent, he adds, citing Vienna’s high living-standard and close relations to growth markets in Eastern Europe. Diversity is another key issue covered in the interview; and notably the growing demand for female top talent. Companies need to offer executive careers that can be combined with a family if they wish to retain top women leaders, warns O’Brien. At present many top women are jumping off the corporate career ladder early to gain greater flexibility by setting up their own business, he explains. This is resulting in a chronic shortage of female talent at the top of many firms, where the executive circle remains male-dominated, he adds.
