If you are in a role where you ever have the need to hire employees, especially employees at the creative or leadership level, your decisions are critical. They may either set your organization up for advancement and strength or they may set you up for headaches, frustrations, and difficult conversations. It’s important to hire well so it is important to know what to look for when you are hiring.
With that in mind, I offer Claudio Fernandez-Araoz’s June 2014 article in the Harvard Business Review for your study. The article is entitled 21st Century Talent Spotting and in the article he talks about the importance of looking for people with potential. Here are the main qualities he suggests we look for to gauge a person’s potential. I suggest that these qualities should be looked for in new hires and potential candidates for future leadership roles in your organization. If you are going to groom someone for leadership, look for a person with these qualities.
Motivation – “a fierce commitment to excel in the pursuit of unselfish goals”
Curiosity – “a penchant for seeking out new experiences, knowledge, and candid feedback and an openness to learning and change”
Insight – “the ability to gather and make sense of information that suggests new possibilities”
Engagement – “a knack for using emotion and logic to communicate a persuasive vision and connect with people”
Determination – “the wherewithal to fight for difficult goals despite challenges and to bounce back from adversity”
What other characteristics do you look for when hiring or promoting? Leave a comment.