Tips for Recruiting Employees with Leadership Potential

The future leadership of organizations are at risk, with nearly 30 percent of human resource professionals admitting that they are struggling to fill senior leadership roles in their companies. Almost half of the companies that participated in The Global Workforce Leadership Survey mentioned that leadership was the hardest skill to find among employees. Most hiring managers and recruiter conduct pre-hire testing to determine the skills and aptitude of the applicants, which should include leadership potential in order to effectively gauge the capabilities of your candidates. 

Strategies to identify leadership qualities

Generally speaking, leaders are visionary and passionate. Look for employees who are able to influence other employees by their passion for the organization to succeed. They must also be able to create a vision that is meaningful to both the organization and the employees. During everyday encounters in the office, look for individuals who inspire their co-workers.

Evaluate the investment of the employees in the future of the company. Do they show a high degree of interest on the performance of the company and engage in future plans to achieving its goals? Determine employees who give their all to the company. Individuals with leadership qualities also take pride in what they do. Who among the current employees suggest good plans and strategies during meetings?

Good leaders are also resilient and have high levels of emotional intelligence. Do your high-potential employees communicate and express their feelings in a direct and clear manner? Are they open to improving themselves through self-awareness? They should also be able to accept failure and be motivated to try again. 

Strategies to turn top talent to future leaders

The cost of developing leaders from your workforce is cheaper than external hiring. In-house leadership development programs is a great way to mold your employees with high potential to become leaders. Your program can be specific to the needs and culture of the organization. Give your employees the right experience through job rotation so that they would become familiar with every aspect of the company.

Once you identify people with high-potential to lead, evaluate their past and present performance and coworkers. Getting the input of previous and current managers and coworkers are crucial since these people have been able to work directly with these employees. Ask questions that would give you data on whether your high-potentials would make a good leader.

Mentoring is an effective tool for leadership development since the 1980s. When young talents are exposed to senior leaders, they grow as they learn new skills and develop relationship with leaders and other employees based on trust and respect. Employees need to be taught about the value of professional relationships and expansion of their network. Mentors should also allow their mentees to struggle in some areas so that they can learn how to overcome challenges on their own.

Hiring managers need to spot individuals with leadership potential and nurture them so that they can develop their potential to leadership skills that the company can benefit from. Leaders are made and not born. If you can identify their potential and help them, you ensure the future of your company.