Who Will Lead Your Business or Organization?

We need to embrace a new way of thinking about who leads us and what we want to see in them.  All too often today leaders are anointed or appointed because they convey confidence, turn a phrase, or they are wildly charismatic. Sometimes it is that they have all the right connections.

Yet rarely does confidence alone, charisma alone, or the ability to deliver a line accurately foretell true leadership capability. And simply being connected – does not demonstrate or adequately predict who is capable of real leadership.

If you hold the keys to leadership positions in your company or organization, I believe you need work on yourself first, well before posting for the position. Smart hiring leaders must rediscover or develop the abilities and processes necessary to discern confidence from competence, charisma from honest empathy and care. Hiring leaders must come to understand the ability to deliver a line well is not the same as to being thoughtful or insightful. Today’s hiring professionals understand that sometimes connections only indicate those who hold connections are simply more adapt at playing organizational systems and games. Sadly, today twenty-first century hiring professionals are also understand that some seeking to leverage their connections as their entry card to leadership; are simply the sons and daughters of privilege, and/or the beneficiaries of systemic barriers to access and institutional bias.

Savvy leadership hires are made by organizations using valid leadership assessments and a thoughtful review of past performance to measure what you want in your next leader. If you want leaders who demonstrate competence, personal and professional vision, empathy, integrity or any of a host of other positive virtues – ask your candidates to take assessments, reliably calibrated against the leadership characteristics you and your organization value. Carefully scrutinize past work performance, talk to their colleagues about the work environment the aspiring leader created or maintained. Ask colleagues how the aspiring leader made them feel as a colleague or partner in the work. Remembering the old adages - that behavior predicts behavior and when someone shows you who they are, believe them.

All this takes time –understandable an uncomfortable amount of time given the urgency of the moment in today’s hyper fixated businesses and organizations. Yet there is likely not another decision your business or organization will make that is as important as who will lead your business or organization through what will most likely be the most challenging of times.

Clayton Wilcox