The Leadership Capital Index

CHAPTER 3Personal Proficiency

Investors Want Leaders with Good Character and Health

A leader is often the face of a company. In founder-led companies, the leader’s personal style shapes the culture of the company—think of Alibaba, Amazon, Facebook, Marriott, Starbucks, Tata, Virgin—but it can happen later in a company’s life, too—consider Ken Chenault at American Express, Alan Lafley at Procter & Gamble, and Indra Nooyi at PepsiCo. When my colleagues and I interviewed investors about what they want from leadership, the responses often focused on the personal style of the most senior leader. The top leader’s charisma and personal charm do tend to boost investor confidence, but attending only to magnetism may be more superficial than substantive. ...