Hiring Leaders
Hiring leaders is crucial to any business, and a practice that is made easier through implementing psychometric testing into your recruitment practices.
However, a crucial step is to identify what makes a leader. It is important to understand yourself, “What are the qualities that we are looking for in a leader?”, and whilst this may slightly differ from industry to industry, the fundamentals of leadership will remain the same.
What Makes a Leader?
Martin M. Chemers, writer of “An Integrative Theory of Leadership”, stated “Leadership is a process of social influence in which one person is able to enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task”.
Although this sounds like a very simple way of defining leadership, if we are to break down the statement it becomes far clearer that several characteristics must come together in harmony to form a leader. For example, the ability to socially influence others around you can comprise of characteristics such as emotional stability, social awareness and introversion/extroversion.
Important Characteristics to Assess for Hiring Leaders
As previously mentioned, when hiring leaders there are common attributes that will be appropriate regardless of what industry you are in.
Many of the most common characteristics in leaders are identifiable through using psychometric testing platforms. Here are some of the key characteristics for leaders and how Inpsyght can determine their prowess in candidates.
Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness is defined as “the quality of wishing to do one’s work or duty well and thoroughly”. A high level of conscientiousness is therefore displayed in a person who undertakes their role to the highest of their abilities.
A high level of conscientiousness is a key trait for leaders. A leader needs to set a good example through passion and thoroughness for their work, this is inspiring and motivational for a team.
Openness
Openness entails two key characteristics behind being a leader: Problem solving and critical thinking.
A person who has scored high in Openness is creative and open to new ideas to solve a problem. Openness is a trait common with leadership due to their flexibility and approach to overcoming issues. They generally approach problems with imagination and creativity, as well as curiosity to find novel solutions to problems.
Extroversion/Introversion
Whilst it may be commonly accepted that extroverts make for better leaders, this is not always the case. It is important to take into account the company culture and requirements of the role itself before dismissing a candidate who scores highly on introversion.
Extroversion and Introversion not only determines your ability to work in a team or collaborate with an external agency for example, but also your management style and all professional relationships.
All of the above attributes can be assessed through a combination of cognitive testing, psychometric assessments and a structured interview process.
To learn more about the psychometric tests we provide, use the following link: https://www.inpsyght.co.uk/solutions/
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