Henry Kissinger commented that: “Leaders think and act at the intersection of two axes: the first between the past and the future; the second, between the abiding values and aspirations of those that they lead.”
As stewards of leadership, we have the privilege of serving a variety of clients in various sectors for a wide range of “C” suite roles for boards of public companies, private equity-owned, and family enterprises over the past four decades.
While each client’s circumstances and success factors for each role are unique, as dissimilar as each of these clients and their requirements are, there are a few “nuanced” but critically important factors in today’s disruptive and transformational times that define who is the most qualified to lead … beyond an individual’s attributable experiences and successes.
To determine an individual’s fitness to lead now requires “digging deep” and ascertaining “nuanced differentiating factors” that will drive success. In evaluating whether a candidate appreciates and can deliver, we seek examples of what we call “leadership trust” — ones that demonstrate these essential elements that will drive success:
Clarity of Focus
How does a candidate bring executive teams to agreement on available options, recognizing complexities in developing going forward priorities? Our advice — seek executives that confront distractions and internal politics/turf battles … trust is won by knowing how to lead through disruptions and reset direction and realign resources. Egos aside.
Transparency and Patience
To win now requires open communication to encourage team interaction to make tough calls when the future is to be shaped, while recognizing upfront that every major decision will require continual adjustments … Trusted leaders understand their own limits and vulnerability and, as such, are comfortable seeking out outliers within the team, who pose difficult questions and thoughtful considerations. While time is of the essence, they’re careful not to become enamored with first movers … to succeed, these leaders think, evaluate, learn, and challenge to address “curveballs” … embody winning together … then move fast.
Avoiding Preconceived Answers
The current era is characterized by the velocity of change and unknowns translates to no leader being the Yoda of all tactical or strategic thought. How a leader embraces his/her vulnerability and acts as a guide with a willingness to accept challenges to their thinking is the quality of a leader that our clients are seeking. These executives, who at their core, win trust by embodying a non-credit style of winning by taking and executing effectively the best ideas by aligning the team and its resources. Surprisingly, this is a quality that few executives truly exhibit … yet, is so necessary.
The Bottom Line … No Games, Just Outcomes
Admittedly, times have changed, and nuances to demonstrate trust truly matter in evaluating fitness to lead.
Recruiting utilizing the traditional evaluative manner of past accomplishments and overall fit to a client’s circumstances is mere table stakes, and it’s not nearly enough to assure value in determining who best should be selected & trusted to lead now.
With CEO turnover in the Fortune 1000 at an all-time high, boards are seeking more than just a candidate’s “credentials”. They are looking for differentiation … qualities that will enhance value … beyond just skills, business exposures, or prior leadership experiences.
Our clients require individuals who demonstrate value enhancement who will be trusted to reshape cultures to fully engage their teams … and, by that engagement, reshape their decision-making — from the CEO being the sole arbiter of every major decision to a more inclusive and open debate model. The desired leaders today encourage and engage executive teams to provide candid thoughts and varying perspectives for consideration and evaluation.
Regardless of the executive role and responsibilities, those who know how to deal effectively with multiple complex and fast-evolving issues will increase the opportunity for upside and sustainable shareholder value. Many leaders say they have/can … yet, when one examines their claims, very few truly meet the high bar of trust.
So, whether a client is seeking a CEO or a senior executive with specific responsibilities, we suggest looking deeply into “the how” in ascertaining whether a candidate thinks and acts interactively about strategic issues and current challenges and whether they engender trust by respectfully observing team-oriented values.
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With decades of experience and successfully having conducted numerous “sensitive” board and executive recruitments, call on us to learn about our reach, access, and capabilities. Our track record of 98% completions is the best in search. Your team will experience a difference.