Recruiting Leaders

Only 14% of businesses have the leadership talent they need to grow

55% of CEOs say developing the next generation of leaders is their biggest challenge

Only 11% of HR leaders feel they have a strong bench of future leaders

Less than a 1/3 of the world's senior leadership roles are held by women

70% of Exec Search firms say the skills shortage has worsened in the last 5 years

50% of all external senior hires fail within 18 months

According to a recent report by Thomas International, unplanned leadership succession can lead to losses of ￡m in stakeholder value.?So, what are the key risks to hiring the best talent, and how best can you mitigate those risks?

Lack of Candidates

At higher levels of leadership, the talent pool can be small, so be open to bringing talent in from other industries which often can bring innovation. However, don’t ignore your succession planning – make sure you identify existing employees with leadership potential and develop a robust talent pipeline that includes plenty of D&I.?

Team Fit

Looking outside a leadership business can bring new ideas and innovation, but the big question is will they fit with your current SLT. Look for Self-Awareness, Empathy, Self-Management, and Social Skills.

Lack of Diversity

The stereotypical leader usually exhibits dominance, however, the benefits of other leadership styles are increasingly becoming recognised.?Ethnic diversity increases profit by 35% whilst gender diversity increases it by 15%.?Why not remove identifiable information from CVs and develop job profiles that include personality and behavioural traits rather than just competencies?

Poor Agility

If recent crises have taught us anything, it is that leaders must be agile –today’s leaders must be able to process new information at top speed and react to it.?Look for candidates with an appetite for innovation and comfortable with change.

Misalignment with Values

Look for leaders who model your company values, so they can disseminate those values within the organisation.?

Utility People has many years experience of working to identify and recruit for senior-level positions, and as part of our process, we offer psychological assessments with our partner Thomas International.?We have qualified Assessors to review:

·?Personality traits that predict professional success and those with the highest potential for success

·?Aptitude – provides an objective picture of the speed of cognition and learning

·?Emotional Intelligence –measure 15 emotional traits to enhance organisational outcomes

·?Behaviour – deep insight into preferences, strengths, limitations, and communication style

· Engagement – establishes engagement and identifies strategies to improve employee wellbeing, motivation, and productivity

Why not find out more about how we can help you to identify and recruit talent for your most senior positions by clicking here?