The 5 hidden traits CEOs look for when hiring a leadership team

The 5 hidden traits CEOs look for when hiring a leadership kollektivThe 5 hidden traits CEOs look for when hiring a leadership teamIn business, we like to think everything is quantifiable- but thats not the case.Even something as essential as findinggreat leaderscant be done with data or numbers alone.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraWhen hiring a leadership team, credentials factor in, but CEOs dont blindly rely on a resume alone. Past accomplishments, college credentials, and other on-paper accolades dont always translate to actual ability, unfortunately.For a company to find what it really needs- great managers who make excellent judgment calls- the hiring team has to look beyond credentials to understand a candidates true colors.Its about identifying the intangible traits that cant be taught. Sometimes, figuring out if someone will be a truly competent leader requires actuall y throwing them into the fire and seeing how they respond.As a three-time CEO, I look for key traits that suggest a candidate is, in fact, the type of person who will succeed in a high-pressure leadership role.Here are the most telling1. ResourcefulnessBeing resourceful means being able to make the most of a companys resources- no matter the supply.But you have to see this skill in action to effectively gauge it.Thats why I prefer topromote employeesinternally whenever I can. At one of my previous companies, many of our best managers started off at the company in entry-level positions. And perhaps an even better example is the CEO of Walmart, Doug McMillon, who started with the retail giant as an assistant manager in college. Id be willing to bet his resourcefulness is a big reason why hes running the company today.When hiring a leadership team, CEOs key in on team members who get the job done regardless of the circumstances and available resources. So if youre a resourceful person who can solve big problems with limited assistance, youre in a good position to be considered for a leadership role.2. A Willingness To ExperimentTheres not always a clear path to the solution. Sometimes, you have to experiment.High-potential leaders understand this need and are willing to jump into the weeds to try new approaches and test out unproven ideas.When hiring a leadership team, I check for this skill by noticing when a manager sees equal or better results from solving a problem their own way. If amistakeis made once in a while as a result of this approach, thats okay. Having the desire to experiment, and seeing innovation as a result, is much more important than the occasional slip-up.Every good leader has to be open to experimentation, especially in the tech industry. Most companies are building entirely new products, after all.3. Adept At Showing Your WorkRemember how you had to show your work in high school math class? It wasnt just about results- it was about how you got there.This is a similar idea.In buchung to fully understand how my teams are operating, I expect managers to communicate not only what theyve accomplished, but how. I want to know exactly how a plan developed and where resources were allocated- and I expect the flowchart to be well-organized.Finding managers who show their work well helps me clearly understand how the company is operating, which is especially helpful when diagnosing problems.4. The Ability To Help And Teach OthersIts one thing to know how to do a job correctly and another to communicate your methodology.The best leaders can take a big, complicated process and put it into simple enough terms that even a new hire can understand. Thats an extremely valuable skill. And in the same vein, a managers mindset needs to be about helping those around them- not bossing them around. They should be empowering their team members, not taking a power trip all their own.You need to hire leaders who genuinely want, and have the sk ills, to help, teach, and make those around them better.5. Being Open-MindedIn order for a manager toeffectively lead a team, they have to actively accept feedback and ideas from their teammates.Much of the time, managers fall into the rut of thinking they have all the answers. So they begin to rely solely on their own ideas as a result. But a good manager involves their entire team during all creative and problem-solving processes. When given the freedom to operate on their own terms, they define those terms alongside their team members.This considered, you want to focus on hiring a leadership team that is open-minded enough to operate collaboratively, not authoritatively.This article first appeared on Minutes Magazine.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people