Hiring and Promoting the Best Leaders

Making mistakes in hiring or promoting can be costly to an organization, making mistakes in hiring or promoting people for leadership positions can actually be destructive to your organization.

According to the article, “Leadership Turnover Costs More Than You Think” by Kim Turnage in Talent Plus, “for front-line workers the direct costs of turnover is often calculated at 1-2x salary; but, stopping there for senior leaders is just wishful thinking.” She goes on to say “that a 10x salary multiplier is relatively conservative for the cost of senior leadership turnover.” Do the math yourself; bottom line, it’s very expensive. (Ask for our “Cost of a Hiring Mistake Worksheet”.)

The qualities necessary for success in a leadership position vary greatly based on the exact job requirements; but, they usually have very little in common with the requirements for success in a non-leadership position. How many times has an organization promoted their best sales person into a sales manager position only to lose on both counts; they ended up with a lousy sales manager and lost their best sales person. The same holds true for every other function in an organization. Further, just because a person is a good front-line supervisor, it doesn’t mean they’ll be able to make the unpopular decisions or handle the stress-filled environment of a senior manager position.

Applicants and those making the hiring decision often times place too little emphasis on attributes and abilities the position actually requires. An applicant for a senior management position may be attracted to the salary or the prestige of the position rather than to the duties and responsibilities (this one I know all too well from personal experience). On the other hand, decision makers are often attracted to one or two characteristics of an applicant, characteristics such as intelligence, charisma, integrity, or personality and, as a consequence, form a distorted perception of the person’s true qualifications. This often times becomes obvious when several people are involved in the selection process and they have very strong differences of opinion about which candidate is the most qualified.

Most people who fail in a leadership position do not fail because of ability. Failure usually occurs because of the lack of one or more characteristics that at the time of hiring or promotion seemed trivial. Examples of this would be ineptness in selling ideas in an executive committee meeting, having interpersonal conflicts with a peer, or simply not fitting into the organization’s culture.

There are many pitfalls to hiring or promoting candidates for leadership positions. The following recommendations are ways to minimize the pitfalls and improve your selection decisions:

Identify the Major Criteria for the Job before Evaluating Candidates. Understanding and identifying those criteria is a way to begin the process of developing what is called a Performance Model. With the use of a valid, reliable assessment, this model can then be used to efficiently and effectively compare people and their degree of match to any given position. This must be done before the initial face-to-face interviews. If done afterward, there is often a subconscious effort on the part of the interviewers to make the Performance Model fit the candidate(s) who made a good first impression but who really aren’t qualified to do the job.
Be Patient. Don’t select the best of the worst. Never choose someone with whom you have reservations so you can quickly end the selection process and “just fill the job”. Hire smart by using a valid, reliable assessment which has open-ended behavioral based interview questions that will help you make better hiring and promotional decisions.
Don’t Lose a Good Candidate Because of Your Indecisiveness. On the other hand, if you find the right person, chances are other organizations will find them to be the right person for their opening as well. Procrastination on your part in making an offer may cause you to lose the best candidate.
Place Greater Emphasis on Ability rather than Image. A valid, reliable assessment that measures core competencies is a proven way to measure a candidate’s ability. Research has shown that matching a candidate’s General Mental Abilities (i.e., Thinking Style) to the demands of the job is the number one predictor of success on a job. Use an assessment that answers the three critical questions every organization wants to know about a candidate – “Can they do the job?” (Thinking Style), “Will they do the job?” (Occupational Interest), and “How well will they work with others?” (Behavioral Traits).
Look at the Whole Picture. When evaluating a candidate, don’t fall in love with one special skill (e.g., public speaking) and overlook other skills necessary for the position. In addition, look at the candidate’s past (references, background checks, etc.), the present (their resume, interview, etc.), and the future (results from valid, reliable, assessments).
Team Fit. Discover the candidate’s leadership style and determine if it’s suited to your organization. Assessments which measure team compatibility attributes can help you accomplish this important step.