Character traits of effective executives: A phenomenological study of CEOs in Ghana. (2016)

“Four major themes were revealed… integrity, forward looking, emotional intelligence, and caring for others…..”

Remy Nyukorong, Stichting Kongregatie F.I.C. The Netherlands; and William Quisenberry, Swiss Management Center University School of Business.
European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 12(20).

Leadership in organizations has been widely studied… However, (there is) scant research exploring the critical personality characteristics business executives need to lead corporate organizations more effectively.

This qualitative, phenomenological study aimed to understand which personality characteristics in senior executives contribute to effective leadership, particularly in the Ghanaian context.

Ten Chief Executive Officers of Ghana Club 100 businesses were interviewed and shared their experiences as leaders. Transcripts of these email and face-to-face interviews were coded and analyzed for themes.

Four major themes were revealed… integrity, which is achieved through self-discipline and modelling the way for others to follow, forward looking, emotional intelligence, and caring for others…..

The study provides useful information to Boards of Directors in selecting, promoting, and training executive-level managers, and potentially lowering the costs associated with losing high-potential executive leaders. The findings could also help business schools and management consultants to focus better on preparing business leaders for the future.

Free access to the full paper is available here: Character traits of effective executives.