The Challenging Process of Executive Recruitment
Executive recruitment, the process of finding and assessing candidates for CEO/President positions and those roles reporting directly to these positions is not only the most challenging and time-consuming type of selection process, it is almost the most impactful on the success and sustainability of the organization.
There are three key leadership styles that organizations need to understand prior to recruiting professionals – depending on their size, type of industry or business or institution, and their strategic issues.
One leadership style often seen in executive recruitment can be described as “entrepreneurial” – this individual brings the ability to more quickly or profitably grow a business and is able to bring focus and priority to increasing revenue, reducing costs and increasing profits.
Another leadership style involved in executive recruitment is “corporate” – this is an individual who brings the ability to juggle the priorities and issues of various stakeholders (i.e. a Board, shareholders, staff in multiple locations, broad range of customers/clients) and have both the strategic and political ability and astuteness to provide leadership that brings a collaborative culture into these diverse situations.
The third leadership style to consider during executive job recruitment is the “facilitator” – this individual intuitively builds relationships that allow him to make incremental changes in an organization without alienating stakeholders. Very effective in more institutional cultures or slower growing organizations.
Avoid Common Executive Assessment Mistakes
Perhaps one of the most common executive recruitment mistakes we observe is a tendency to appoint individuals with great resumes, high intelligence, solid educational background . . . but with a “Facilitator” profile. This is often done because Facilitators are “safe” – they won’t push the pedal to the metal, but they will brake at every “off ramp” – just to make sure they’re still going in the right direction.
The PPS (Pro.file Performance System), an Organizational Development Tool enables organizations to very clearly define the specific leadership style that is necessary for a specific division, department, business unit or enterprise. It adds to your ability in evaluating how qualified candidates will “fit” the leadership style and therefore significantly increase the likelihood of successful performance and matching your culture.
For more information about our PPS (Pro.file Performance System) and how to successfully execute your next executive recruitment, please Contact Us.
