What Makes A Good Director?

And no, we're not talking about film making! It’s seen as the icing on the corporate cake, the title to which many executives aspire, the label at the top of the career ladder, ok, you get the idea.

But what makes a director ‘good’? What are the qualities of great leaders sitting in director jobs? Of course, it’s all relative to the business and the economic climate.

A good director or business leader will likely to be ‘made’ rather than born. Whilst it’s not unusual in the Middle East to see company directors of billion dollar businesses still in their formative twenties and thirties (usually due to family connections), there is the authority, respect and experience that only comes from years of living and breathing the corporate culture.

The ‘watch and learn’ approach is usually an effective strategy of those with their eye on the prize. Effective peer leadership and or a dynamic mentor can teach you so much, and also carries the advantage of knowing what mistakes NOT to make. This a different approach to those who ‘learned’ the more formal way, via business school training.

Whichever way you earn your coveted stripes, and regardless of whether you are a friendly ‘boss ‘ , or a tough one to crack, the key to loyalty lies with trust. Study shows that when employees trust the way management decisions are made—even if they don't agree with them-corporate performance improves by leaps and bounds. Innovation also flowers, as staff feel their ideas will be listened to.

Management thinking, as we enter the 21st century has changed from ‘processes’ to ‘people’. Whilst creation of wealth is the number one priority for any business, this new focus on ‘human capital’ achieves the right balance. Any good business leader will recognise this and work both with equal balance.

Her are the basic essential qualities of a ‘good’ Director:

• An effective Director looks at the big picture.
• A good Director has a keen sense of priorities.
• The caring Director provides growth opportunities for the staff.
• A judicious Director thinks before it acts.
• An efficient Director values teamwork.
• The outstanding Director constantly evaluates itself and keeps improving.

Management thinking, as we enter the 21st century has changed from ‘processes’ to ‘people’. Whilst creation of wealth is the number one priority for any business, this new focus on ‘human capital’ achieves the right balance. Any good business leader will recognise this and work both with equal balance.