By Rosie Saenz, Managing Partner/SVP Business Development
Finding the right executive—such as a CEO— requires a multi-faceted approach to ensure you select the candidate who is fully capable of leading your organization into the future. This is why our clients utilize MCR for a retained search process to help them ensure they meet their goals.
As part of the search process—there are several key criteria that MCR evaluates with our clients in order to help organizations arrive at the ideal candidate.
Strategic Focus
It’s important that the executive has the ability to create and articulate an inspiring vision to all internal and external stakeholders—that motivates them toward achieving it. Even more important is the ability to foresee potential obstacles and develop innovative approaches to complex problems.
The executive should have a growth mindset and take entrepreneurial and creative approaches to developing new ideas. At the same time, team members want the assurance that the executive has an understanding of how much change the organization is capable of handling—in order to have implementation plans that are achievable and successful.
With every interaction, the executive should bring a broad perspective, emotional maturity, persistence/resilience, and empathy to support effective decision-making throughout the organization.
Leadership and Integrity
The right leader will model integrity for others to see. As the ‘true north’ of accountability, this person will ensure the organization will adhere to its core values and ethical standards—and will live the values at all times.
The right leader will have a high degree of emotional intelligence and be a continual relationship-builder—managing complex people dynamics to truly understand where everyone is coming from before taking action.
As there is much uncertainty that presents itself in the organization on a daily basis—the right executive will lead the company through change and navigate the currents with a strategic yet personal approach.
Executing for Results / Driving Sustainability
When evaluating candidates, assessing whether the candidate is able to drive strategy versus tactical details is critical. The other piece of strategic leadership is making sure the candidate is able to align the organization with long-term business objectives and break down initiatives that work toward those goals on a continual basis.
It is highly beneficial to have proven experience in the industry you work in—as all industries have complex and specific requirements (there are exceptions to this at times, depending on the position). Additionally, a candidate needs to have sound financial acumen to ensure the organization will stay financially healthy. At this level, it is of paramount importance that executives truly understand the financial impacts of their decisions and what is best for the company, long-term.
Relationships and Influence
The right executive will have no trouble demonstrating relationship-building skills, cultural competence, and inclusion—fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment that drives innovation.
Leaders have so many competing initiatives to handle on a day-to-day basis—and so, stakeholder management skills are key whether dealing with staff, board members, or large national clients. Executives need to understand how to manage the politics of changing situations and build relationships effectively. A key piece of stakeholder management is encouragement—the ability to keep the levels of engagement and motivation high, on a consistent basis.
Great interpersonal skills typically ‘grease the wheels’ of communication and collaboration—if this is a priority for the organizational culture. An awareness of and ability to work with an intergenerational workforce and the associated complexities also helps to streamline company productivity—the executive should be charismatic with the ability to build and maintain authentic relationships rooted in trust and respect.
Finally, the successful candidate will ideally derive energy from engaging in matters of policy at the local, state, and federal level.
How MCR Can Help
Clients nationwide look to MCR’s healthcare expertise to help them with key hires--our search consultants are well-versed in industry challenges and can help you navigate this complex selection process with superior results.
To make informed hiring choices, it’s important to understand the advantages of executive search. MCR has a team of highly experienced recruiters with extensive experience and deep knowledge of the healthcare industry—which allows us to quickly align with your needs and identify optimal talent.
We have a vast network of potential talent—that includes industry leaders and active/passive job seekers—from coast to coast, ensuring you have a full roster of excellent candidates to evaluate for your critical position. Our personalized and focused selection approach ensures you can efficiently evaluate top-tier talent and conduct a thorough vetting process to arrive at your optimal candidate.
MCR is —ready to assist. Please feel free to email me directly at rosie@morganconsulting.com or visit our website and contact us at morganconsulting.com!
