What Makes A Great Leader? 12 Executives Weigh In

When you are searching for the best candidate to lead your team, they don't always need to be the most knowledgeable but they do need to possess the ability to make complex decisions with the clarity and confidence to move the company and its people forward.

In addition, shareholders and staff are more likely to rely on a leader who has conviction and is willing to dig into a wide range of situations the company may be faced with, no matter how uncomfortable the environment may be.

Below, 12 members of Forbes Human Resources Council are here to discuss the leadership skills that hiring managers should be seeking during their recruitment process for executive-level positions.

1. Well-Roundedness

No singular trait should rate above some of the critical traits for recruiting executive-level hires. Because in an executive hire, the target is to get a well-rounded candidate. Just as leadership skills rank high, so do vision, confidence, courage of conviction, integrity, transparency, emotional intelligence, adaptability, communication, and in the new normal, empathy. - Awuese Oku, African Development Bank

2. Agility

Agility is key. As I think of the executives that I've worked with over the years and the ones that truly scaled, they had an innate ability to show agility when dealing with operational issues, organizational challenges or external forces often times out of their control. This was all while maintaining an engaging and collaborative approach with team members. - Kelly Jones, Alleghany Corporation

3. The Ability To Develop People

Look at how many employees they have promoted or enabled to be promoted. This is a great indicator that they are a people-focused leader who truly understands how to develop a team. It’s also an easy, objective interview criterion that can be applied across the whole team regardless of their discipline. - Karla Reffold, Orpheus Cyber

4. Empathy

Empathy is important and ties directly to employee engagement. It is critical that executives relate to employees with compassion. Part of being an executive is being a cheerleader. We need to encourage and inspire others so that they show up and deliver their best every day. In our company, we work hard to ensure everyone gets the recognition and support they need at every level. - Addie Swartz, reacHIRE

5. Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is key. Leaders who truly understand their strengths and take an honest view of their development areas tend to be more successful in the long run. Similarly, those with a hunger to continue their growth are ironically the most effective. - Jeff Rosenthal, ProjectNext Leadership

6. Resiliency

Resilience in leaders is a critical trait. With the barrage of challenges that executives face today, resilience equips them to be flexible and adaptable in the face of challenges and change. Add optimism to the equation as a byproduct of being resilient and the sum will support instilling trust and confidence in the leader from the executive’s peers and reporting line. - Megan McCann, McCann Partners

7. Clear Vision And Communication

One trait that I look for when hiring executive-level candidates is the ability to think with clarity and communicate the same across a wide global audience with simplistic language that is easy to understand and moves people to action. - Bala Sathyanarayanan, Greif Inc

8. Confidence In Decision Making

I look for executives who make decisions with speed and conviction. In evolving climates, the pressure is on leaders to provide clear direction, empowering teams to charge forward. Shareholders want leaders who can steer the company swiftly towards success. They don't always have to make the right decisions, but they do make them quickly and confidently, even in uncomfortable environments. - Jenn Bouyoukos, Yorkville University

9. Ability To Empower Others

The best leaders don’t have to be the most knowledgeable person in the room, but they do need to possess exceptional leadership skills. Executives who possess empathy and compassion while also empowering their leaders and team with a strong grasp of how to utilize data to drive results are going to be your most successful hires. - Jason Lee, DailyPay

10. Culture Champion

It’s important for executive-level hires to be stewards of culture and this is something to look for when hiring. By being a culture champion and a builder of culture, executives need to display high levels of empathy, coaching techniques, strategic thinking around people and organizational matters, and lastly, the ability to translate that strategy into actionable and excitable items for growth. - Elizabeth Corey, Velosio

11. Emotional Intelligence

Executives influence the culture and bottom line of the organization, so it is imperative to hire the right executive. One trait to look for when recruiting executives is their emotional intelligence (EI). Executives need to make tough decisions and must have control over their emotions. EI will affect interactions with employees and decisions being made that can change the trajectory of the company. - Tania White, Canary HR Consulting

12. Flexibility

Flexibility is essential. Times are changing and how we do business—regardless of the industry—is changing as well. When recruiting executive-level hires, you need to ensure that your candidates are able to be creative in both leadership and approach and can adapt to both internal and external factors. Long gone are the days when an executive can excel if they can't move past how things "used to be done." - Angela Persaud, Anthem Entertainment

Source: Forbes