The higher up you go in an organization's hierarchy, the value of your technical and functional skills decline while the value of your interpersonal skills increase.
Firms that direct senior executives to spend more time on their non-core job roles, see higher levels of performance, according to a recent survey by the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. According to the survey of 378 Michigan-based executives, the average participant spend about 45 percent of his or her time on core job responsibilities and 55% in other areas: in project-based teams, enhancing individual career skills, developing innovative ideas or processes and working to support the overall company.
Those who spent just 36 percent of their time on core roles actually managed a higher-performing company than those who spent 50 percent of their time on core roles, according to the study.
"Leaders are pulled in various directions and that is why executive coaching is such a popular service these days, " says Jim Mitchell, senior vice president and general manager of Lee Hecht Harrison in Michigan. "If you don't take risks and are concentrating on those core roles that have an executive at his or her desk all day, you might be missing some good business opportunities."
Source: Michigan Business Review, www.mbizreview.com