Executives and other members of management have a myriad of responsibilities, but mainly they are looked upon to provide leadership to the rest of their organization. An executive with poor leadership skills likely won't succeed in his or her position, so it's essential to identify this important quality prior to hiring a candidate to fill this position.
Why is it so important to identify strong leadership skills? There are some who say great leaders are born with that skill and it is not developed. If that's the case, it is absolutely crucial for you to identify the characteristics prevalent in strong leaders and look for them while evaluating candidates for your open executive positions. If you can recognize and bring in someone who embodies the characteristics of a strong leader, you can go a long way toward ensuring you made the right hire.
So how do you find strong leaders? Oracle president Mark Hurd believes there are five essential leadership qualities that all executives must possess. He shared them in a recent LinkedIn post. They are:
- Getting the strategy right
- Executing that strategy
- Putting the right people in the right places
- Managing duel priorities that others see as conflicting
- Keeping everyone focused on what matters.
While you may not be able to see these qualities in action before you bring on a new executive, there are character traits that could apply to them. For example, does the candidate tend to get off topic during the interview? Do they tend to get flustered when having to think of two things at once? Do they have problems keeping their resources organized? These could be potential red flags. However, if they show strength in these areas, they might just be the candidate you are looking for.
