Surrounding themselves with the right people is among both the best things about being a leader and the most difficult, say 260 presidents and CEOs of U.S. companies surveyed by Caliper Inc., an international human-resources consulting firm based in Princeton, N.J. "When you are leading an organization, surrounding yourself with the right people becomes an either-or situation," interprets Herbert M. Greenberg, Caliper's president and CEO. "Either you hire and develop people who you thoroughly enjoy working with, people who are bright, engaging, conscientious, and adept at solving problems -- or the chemistry just isn't there, and leading becomes a constant battle and, at best, an enormously unpleasant chore."
Here's the way executives rate leadership's best and most difficult aspects: The Three Best Creating the right vision: 45.3% Surrounding yourself with the right people: 41.2% Managing change: 40.1% The Three Most Difficult Maintaining momentum: 44.1% Developing your staff: 43.3% Surrounding yourself with the right people: 7.5%
(Percentages add to over 100% because multiple responses were possible.)
