How to select the right leaders for your business

Ingrid Kast, CEO at DAV - December 2009

I think we can all relate to the fact that the art of selecting leaders is not always an easy one... picking those gems that will take our businesses forward and help make them profitable. We at DAV believe that leadership talent is more available than people think.

The trick, whether you are promoting from inside or hiring from outside, is to identify it properly. Doing so requires probing the full range of leadership criteria, including soft skills such as integrity or the ability to inspire others. All too frequently individuals with superior potential are overlooked because of a single mistake while mediocre ones rise to great heights because they once got lucky.

To avoid overvaluing certain attributes while undervaluing others, we recommend using a process that relies on group evaluation. If promoting internally this would include the candidate’s boss and other executives who have worked with him or her. If it is an external hire the success of this rests on thorough interviewing processes along with exceptional reference checking.

If it is an external hire the success of this rests on thorough interviewing processes along with exceptional reference checking.

This process yields a full, balanced and accurate picture of candidates to help you ensure the right people make it up your corporate ladder!

Probe the candidate’s characteristics and behaviour by asking a set of questions encompassing a wide range of leadership criteria. We’ve compiled a small sample set of just such questions for you:

Describe the candidate’s integrity:

• Have you ever known him to colour or withhold information? What were the circumstances?
• Does he give appropriate credit to others?
• Does he stand firm in his opinions?

Describe how the candidate communicates information and expectations:

• How persuasive is he in getting his ideas accepted?
• Does he command the respect and attention of senior executives?
• Does he tailor his message to the needs of his audience?
• Is he intellectually aggressive without offending?

Describe how the candidate reasons and analyses issues:

• How well and how quickly can he assemble and integrate diverse information?
• Is he logical, and how does he demonstrate sound judgement?
• When confronted with an ambiguous or complex situation, does he procrastinate? Or does he make decisions too quickly?
• Is he more of a tactical or a strategic thinker?
• Does he have a vision for the company, and has he demonstrated that he can move a business into new areas?
• How well does he anticipate trends and translate them into the organisation’s long-term objectives?

Describe how the candidate runs his immediate work team:

• Has he demonstrated the ability to assemble a good team?
• Is he threatened by people who are more experienced, smarter or better technically?
• How well does he work with people who have different styles and skills?
• Does he always surround himself with strong people who will be candid and tell him what he needs to know instead of what he wants to hear?
• How does he motivate others to accomplish things independently of him?
• Does he delegate authority and responsibility or just tasks?

This approach cuts out bias and allows for a balanced analysis of the individual’s potential. DAV has become skilled over the last 35 years at getting to the heart of leadership potential, and we are always happy to share our expertise with you

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Tags: Leadership, Talent Attainment, Talent Retention
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