There are many good reasons for CEOs to adopt social media: branding, social selling, recruitment, employee engagement, PR, networking – the list goes on.

But as new research from DDI shows, social CEOs are also good for business. DDI’s High-Resolution Leadership study indicates that social savviness is more than just a nice-to-have – it’s now a powerful selection criterion. The study shows that social CEOs excel in six key behaviors. They are:

• 89% stronger than non-social CEO candidates at Empowering Others
• 46% stronger at Influence
• 52% stronger at Compelling Communication
• 36% stronger at Cultivating Networks
• 19% stronger at Passion for Results
• 16% stronger at Decision Making

The research also showed that social CEOs share certain personality traits that make them better wired for business judgment than their non-social counterparts – they are more action-oriented and less argumentative and avoidant. DDI concludes that, while they don’t support using ‘social’ as a key selection criterion, they “wholeheartedly urge that it be considered alongside more robust assessment data”.

These findings back up my own experience that ‘CEO sociability’ is a now genuine differentiator – and one that is starting to impact on the bottom line.