How To Hire Members Of Your C-Suite
Hiring in your organization is always an exciting but important time that requires a lot of focus. If you're looking to hire members of your executive team, there are certain things you should keep an eye out for. In this blog post, we share the top qualities to look for in these positions.
Leadership
When hiring for a C-level position, it's important to remember that leadership isn't just about the candidate's experience or skills. We'd argue that leadership is more than anything—it's an attitude and behavior that allow the person in question to influence others.
To hire leaders effectively, you need to know what they look like in action. A leader can take ownership of a project and drive it forward. They're able to think strategically and make decisions that benefit everyone involved, not just themselves.
At the same time, they don't let obstacles get in the way. Instead, they see them as opportunities for growth and admit when they don't know something. To get a close match, ask your candidate about their leadership experience and how they overcame challenges when faced with them.
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It's a key leadership and executive competency, and it can be learned.
For example, if you're hiring someone who will be managing your employees, you want to know if they have empathy for the people they'll be working with. Is this person able to understand what it's like to lead a team? Can they put themselves in their shoes? If so, that's a good sign that they have what it takes—and will likely be an effective manager.
This skill is especially important because C-Suite roles require constant communication with others; otherwise, how would anyone know how their employees feel about something?
Decision Making
To be an effective leader, you'll need to make decisions regularly. For example, announcing a hiring freeze. That translates to having the ability to make better decisions for the organization and the employees alike.
Fortunately, decision-making is a skill that can be learned and improved upon, but this shouldn't limit your options in finding a top C-Suite candidate. You should always look for a candidate with strong decision-making skills and the willingness to build on them.
Employee Development
Finding a C-Suite member who is focused on employee development is a key skill that cannot be undervalued. It's a sign that the person has their finger on the pulse of what it takes to be successful in an organization and is willing to invest in others. As a leader, this is essential because it gives you insight into how they will handle employee issues, both big and small.
A great C-Suite candidate can identify the best talent in an organization and help them reach their full potential. They should also be able to draw out this talent during challenging situations, like when a team member struggles with a task or project. A strong leader will know how to motivate someone who isn’t up to par without micromanaging them.
Communication
Communication is all about keeping everyone in the loop about what’s going on with your company. A good C-Suite candidate can explain their strategies and plans clearly and concisely so that employees can understand what they need to do and why they need to do it.
Great communication skills also entail listening to what others have to say and being able to incorporate that feedback into your plans. Leaders who are open and receptive to hearing from their teams will be better positioned to make decisions that have the support of the whole company.
Strategic thinking and foresight
Strategic thinking and foresight are two important skills you must look for in a C-suite hire.
Strategic thinking involves seeing beyond your current business strategy and understanding how it will evolve. It's about planning so that you're prepared for any changes in your industry or environment and knowing exactly what you need to do when they arise.
Foresight also plays an important role in strategic planning: seeing how events might unfold before they occur allows leaders to prepare themselves better for challenges down the road.
Leaders who keep tabs on emerging trends can make more informed decisions about whether certain programs should continue funding or new research initiatives should start up; which partnerships are worth pursuing, which products need updating now versus waiting until later.
Change management
Change management is a crucial element of any successful organizational change initiative. Effectively managing change can help your organization increase its productivity, efficiency, and profitability.
Change management involves assessing the current situation, developing an effective strategy for moving forward, and implementing that plan by clearly communicating with employees. Hence, they understand how their work will be affected by the changes.
A great C-Suite member should execute such tasks with ease.
They are the change agent at your organization and should have the ability to lead through times of uncertainty. This means that they should be able to assess the current situation, develop an effective strategy for moving forward, communicate that plan clearly, so employees understand how their work will be affected, and then implement it with ease.
Conclusion
Despite the differences, there are some common threads among successful CEOs and entrepreneurs. By looking for these qualities during the hiring process, you'll have a better chance of bringing in someone who will partner with you to grow your business.
Just like you, we work with companies looking to hire the best and brightest talent around. To do so, they need someone to lead their staff on an aggressive growth plan.
Unfortunately, finding seasoned, experienced C-Suite members isn't easy. Not many business owners are willing to let go of their team members - the people who run their companies and keep everything in line.
At Sloane Staffing, we understand the struggle of finding the best executive talent. We help businesses like yours find the most qualified candidates – fast. We save our clients valuable time, stress, and effort - by creating better staffing experiences for all involved.
Takeaway: Hiring the right C-Suite member can have a huge impact on the success of your company.
