The term “exponential” refers to a sequence or process by which desirable results are achieved. As Salim Ismail explains in his eponymous book, written with Michael S. Malone and Yuri van Geest, an exponential organization (ExO) “is one whose impact (or output) is disproportionately large — at least 10 times larger — than its peers because of the use of new organizational techniques that leverage accelerating technologies.” Such organizations pose unique challenges to those who aspire to lead them. In Chapter Eight, Ismail, “ExOs for Large Organizations,” he discusses six defining characteristics and I hasten to add that, with only slight modifications, they could also describe other leaders in small-to-midsize organizations.

Here are the six characteristics of exponential leadership, accompanied by Ismail’s comments:

1. Visionary Customer Advocate. “If customers see their needs and desires being attended to at the highest levels, they are much more willing to persevere through the chaos and experimentation that often happens with exponential growth.”

2. Data-driven Experimentalist: “To create order out of high-speed chaos requires a process-oriented approach that is ultimately nimble and scalable.”

3. Optimistic Realist: “Leaders able to articulate a positive outcome through any scenario, even downside scenarios, will be able to help maintain objectivity within their teams.”

4. Extreme Adaptability: “As a business scales and its activities morph, so too must its management…Constant learning is critical to staying on the exponential curve.”

5. Radical Openness: “While many [most?] leaders and their organizations ignore most of the criticism and suggestions [from within and beyond], creating an open channel to the crowd [outside of the given C-Suite] and the mechanisms to determine signal from noise can provide new perspectives and solutions, allowing access to whole new layers of innovation.”

6. Hyper-Confident: “Two of the most important personality traits for an exponential leader to have are the courage and perseverance to learn, adapt and ultimately, disrupt the given business.”

“How exponential is the leadership throughout your own organization?”

Salim Ismail is a sought-after speaker, strategist and entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley. He travels extensively addressing various topics including breakthrough technologies and their impact on a variety of industries and society in general.

Salim has spent the last six years building Singularity University as its founding Executive Director and current Global Ambassador. SU is based at NASA Ames and is training a new generation of leaders to manage exponentially growing technologies. Prior to that, as a Vice President at Yahoo, he built and ran Brickhouse, Yahoo’s internal incubator.

His latest book, Exponential Organizations: Why new organizations are ten times better, faster, and cheaper than yours (and what to do about it), written with Michael Malone and Yuri van Geest, and published by Diversion Books (2014)