Recruiting executives

Whether you recruit executives from outside your organisation or appoint them from within, it is important to know that the people you choose have what it takes to excel at the decision-making level.

The checklist below will help you identify some potentially useful traits in candidates:

Print

Tick
Can think strategically
Can develop and maintain an organisation-wide perspective
Can set realistic goals and timelines…
…But has the flexibility to change them
Can inspire vision in others and motivate them towards long-term goals
Can focus on particulars when necessary and then pull back
Gets on well with people
Uses humour to good effect in dealing with people
Can diffuse stress and anxiety in others
Stays focused on core projects
Is not thrown off course by others’ emotional reactions
Prefers persuasion to displays of power
Is resilient and patient in working with others
Manages time well
Delegates effectively
Knows how to make himself/herself unavailable when necessary

If you identify people within your organisation who display even some of these traits, you might consider discreetly grooming them for bigger things further down the line.

Often, recruiting executives internally can be more cost-effective and more successful in the long term than appointing them from outside.