Leadership talent can be challenging to find, especially in this economic climate and with the struggles of the professional market. Identifying leadership qualities in potential hires is a vital skill that ensures the talent you hire to operate as leaders will not cause more problems than they solve in your company. Unfortunately, we live in a time where people attain leadership positions based primarily on academic or professional qualifications, with less attention given to their actual leadership abilities.
It is no longer necessary to go it alone in your search for potential leaders in your company. At ImpactSearch, we have made it our mission to evaluate aspiring professionals and determine if they have the talents necessary to serve as leaders.
Not All Positive Traits Are Found On A Resume
When staffing for leadership roles, several positive traits are expected in leadership candidates. Those who possess these traits can be safely considered for leadership positions. Thus, we actively seek out leaders with these traits.
But not all traits, indeed some of the most important traits for successful leaders, can’t be gleaned from a resume, or even an initial interview.
One of the main traits the trained recruiters look for in our leadership candidates is their capacity for respect and deference where appropriate. Finding individuals who avoid sarcastic or otherwise rude gestures such as rolling their eyes or gossip when discussing former workplaces. These are key indicators a candidate could transfer that negativity to their next role and impact morale or even create an atmosphere of disrespect in their new role.
Another trait we look for is an ability to accept responsibility without making excuses to evade the consequences of their actions. A leader who cannot take responsibility for their actions will never inspire their team and will only generate ire and frustration. If they instead own up to their mistakes, they can grow and prevent repetition.
Finally, we look for candidates who can listen. Not the passive form wherein they register what is said in the loosest sense, but active listening in which they absorb and analyze what they are told and contribute to the conversation. Being able to actively listen to what they are told indicates their ability to execute assigned tasks and delegate as necessary without confusion.
When evaluating potential leaders, we search for examples of these traits in our candidates to establish whether they would best suit the role of a leader in a professional setting. If they lack these traits, they are passed over. However, the process requires more than simply finding the necessary positive traits but making sure they do not have any of the negative traits.
Negative Traits Can Be Even More Elusive
While the positive traits we search for are vital to placing someone in a leadership role, we also need to be sure they lack any counter traits that would make them a poor choice. If a candidate possesses one of these negative traits, they become a risk to the success of the company and the morale of the team they are meant to lead.
Unlike positive traits in a candidate, the red flags can be even more difficult to spot.
We discussed why being able to accept responsibility is a crucial trait in a leader. However, those who are unable to do so tend, instead, to promote the same toxic traits in their workforce, and, soon enough, you have an entire staff unable or unwilling to accept their mistakes and make up for them. If your leadership fails to take accountability, the entire team will not take responsibility either, feeling that they should not have to.
If your team leader sets a poor example to the remaining staff, it promotes an unreliable and undependable team. Ensuring your potential leader does not possess this negative trait, or any others is critical in our selection process to prevent a poorly managed staff.
Often, the only way to uncover these red flags is from knowing our candidates through and through. Our recruiters work hard to forge deep relationships with our candidates. And with our keen sense of character we can uncover the very best candidates, and identify others who would not be an ideal fit.
Find Your Best Leadership Talent
ImpactSearch’s mission is to provide leadership talent who are highly qualified. But identifying those qualities that indicate a candidate’s ability to truly excel in their next role, who won’t inhibit your workforce but will take your business to new heights – that is our key specialty.
That is why we thoroughly evaluate every applicant with our unique ability to judge character and identify the qualities that will inspire and promote the very best in your workforce.
More than just a checklist of traits, our recruiters are intimately familiar with the qualities of a good leader. We know them when we see them, and we have been told we have a sixth sense. Our intuitive ability to pick out great leaders makes us a foremost authority in executive staffing. So, if you’re looking for outstanding leaders for your organization, look no further. Contact us today – we’re here to help.
