It’s not rocket science that exceptional leaders can help businesses become successful. Strong leadership sets the tone for the entire organization, meaning that businesses should assess their needs thoroughly.
Leaders of the new age need to excel at driving innovation, motivating employees, and making data-driven decisions. More or less, everything revolves around data.
As for effective strategies for recruiting exceptional, we’ll take a look at the critical elements to consider in the process.
Define the Desired Leadership Skills
Businesses should clearly the desired skills they seek in future leaders before even they start looking for a good match. Nowadays, soft skills are no less important than hard skills. Still, not every business needs the same skill sets.
Typical skills that seem to be universally cherished by all employers include adaptability, innovative mindset, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking.
Expand the list with additional specific skills your business is looking for and start your search. If you have a frontline team, you may also want to consider leaders who are up-to-date on the latest technology, including crucial job management software and methods of quality control.
Develop a Strong Employer Brand
Building a strong employer brand is a critical element when attracting exceptional leaders. A positive employer brand signifies a good reputation in the industry. In other words, businesses with this quality attached stand a fair chance of attracting talent.
To build a strong employer brand, you need to offer a compelling value proposition and emphasize the company’s vision, values, career development opportunities, and commitment to a healthy work-life balance.
Make sure to deploy multiple channels to establish your business’ reputation, such as the company website, social media, and employee testimonials.
Make Use of Professional Networks and Referrals
Referrals from trusted sources can be an effective way to source outstanding leaders. Your employees, business partners, and industry associations can serve as valuable sources of referrals.
Typically, businesses offer referral bonuses and rewards to encourage employees to participate in talent acquisition.
Another way is to make use of professional networks and platforms (LinkedIn is the most recent example) to connect with potential leaders looking for new job prospects. To build relationships with individuals who possess the skill set you’re looking for, look into targeted networking.
Research Executive Search Firms
Hiring a COO can be a demanding task. Unless your business engages in coaching for management, you may want to look into executive search firms. They can be of great help to businesses looking to fill senior-level positions.
These firms specialize in identifying and attracting top-level talent and they have substantial resources. E.g., they may be using their extensive networks, industry experience, and connections to pinpoint the right candidate.
They typically evaluate candidates and manage the recruitment process, leaving the client with more time to look through hand-picked CVs.
Hire an Integrator
Integrator services are in high demand and not without a good reason. Hiring integrators renders multiple benefits for a business as these individuals are trained leaders who know exactly what to do to help your business integrate its processes across the board.
Integrators can hold part-time positions and come from different management roles, notably CEOs and CFOs, but they can also work freelance and come from other companies or agencies. They have specific skill sets and expertise and know the exact goals and how to reach them fast and efficiently, illustrating stellar leadership accountability.
Implement a Comprehensive Assessment Process
Crafting an effective assessment process is vital to evaluate potential leaders’ skills and fit. The process may comprise interviews, behavioral profiling assessments, leadership assessments, case studies, etc.
For starters, assemble a panel of trained interviewers skilled in conducting structured interviews. These professionals know how to assess candidates’ leadership potential and competencies.
Of late, behavioral profiling assessments have been gaining momentum. Assessments like DISC or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator are often deployed to determine candidates’ personality traits and alignment potential. Including case studies or simulations can help candidates showcase their problem-solving skills and decision-making abilities.
During the recruitment process, provide candidates with a realistic overview of the role’s impact, challenges, and growth potential. Exceptional leaders seek roles that offer significant responsibilities and the opportunity to make a difference.
Provide Opportunities for Growth and Development
Businesses should analyze their training needs and come up with efficient training programs and methods that all employees can follow. Practically, this means that businesses need to utilize new technologies and apply modernized learning methods that serve smaller chunks of information.
Anything from gamification to AR for learning goes. Coupled with targeted online courses and brainstorming sessions, continued learning should allow for declining attention spans and rapidly changing business trends.
The same approach applies to internal coaching for management. Instead of looking for candidates elsewhere, look inside your organization. Talents can be trained over time. The biggest benefit of this strategy is candidates’ alignment with organizational culture. Why start from scratch if you already employ talent?
In addition to traditional training programs, offer mentoring programs, leadership training, executive coaching, and access to industry conferences and seminars.
Promote a culture of continuous learning, encouraging leaders to enhance their skills and stay updated with industry trends. These growth opportunities not only attract top leaders but also help retain them.
Build a Supportive Company Culture
In recent years, companies have begun to realize that empathy is crucial. That’s why soft skills are held in high regard. With diversity and inclusion initiatives — this year’s trending agenda — they command that successful leaders be committed to creating a shared sense of purpose.
A positive company culture rooted in trust and collaboration is the quest businesses are rushing to create. According to a recent Gallup poll, they are nowhere near the goal. Namely, only 19% of Americans think that management communicates efficiently, and it is well-known how important clear communication is.
It’s also important that leaders assist as new hires come into the mix. Whether they are onboarding a seasoned veteran or an expat who’s never even filed taxes, being clear on the proper paperwork can go a long way.
Keeping in mind that digitalization and social media have changed the cognitive abilities of young generations for the worse, a balanced approach is needed. Getting young employees to align with senior leaders is likely the greatest of challenges.
Overall, recruiting exceptional leaders requires careful planning, a well-defined set of criteria, and strategic sourcing and assessment techniques. By creating a strong employer brand, leveraging professional networks, engaging executive search firms, and implementing a comprehensive assessment process, businesses increase their chances of attracting talent.
