Facing the Leadership Trust Crisis
Worldwide, people develop more and more doubts in leadership in this modern age. It is a leadership trust crisis.
My friend, Kevin Williams, masterfully managed a US factory in Suzhou and then was CEO at the US headquarters in the US following that time.
He says developing trust in leadership is critical. He linked to an article showing that it is getting harder and harder, but the need is greater and greater. So, let’s pause and think on that in the recruiting space.
Lots of people can talk a good talk on leadership, but getting a company all on the same page and going somewhere useful is not as easy as ordering people around.
The article is good, as is Kevin’s emphasis. Let me note a few points.
They mentioned intent. What they mean is having skills will not do it. You have to have the right heart. Finding a person with the right heart is where most companies stumble. Lots of folks can get the basic resume stuff worked out. Intent is deep water and unlikely to come out in the interview, yet you need to know if you have it or not. This is the depth we go to in every placement because only then can companies do anything other than roll the dice in recruiting. People and especially leaders are just that deep. Or might I say they are just that they are just that experienced in interviewing. Therefore, it is too unlikely to get to the real person.
You get the real person when they work for you, but rarely get it in the day of the interview.
Hire Approachable Leaders as a Step To Face Leadership Trust Crisis
The authors also mention likability. They ask the question, “Are you warm and approachable?” So much important information is lost when people are reticent to speak the hard truth to power. In the interview, almost all can appear likable. Only by a deeper dive can we get the whole story. Then, you will not face surprise a year later with something that someone should have told you then.
In fact, you will learn little beyond basic technical competence by the normal process in recruiting, so we go much farther.