How to choose the best manager from the long-list?

Any executive search and selection project reaches a stage where a final shortlist of the most suitable candidates is selected and a decision has to be made on which candidate to choose. How do I choose the most suitable manager from the final shortlist of candidates in an executive search? There are 4 main parameters used in all executive search projects:

Motivation

No matter how suitable a candidate for a managerial position may be in terms of the other parameters, motivation has a direct impact on the exploitation or non-exploitation of the other good qualities. Even a manager with a strong track record of success in the same field may not be motivated to move to a company in a similar field, and low motivation would also mean a reduced effort to achieve the best result. Thus, motivation is one of the key parameters, and a low level of motivation directly undermines the importance of the other parameters, or may negate them completely. Motivation can be measured both in structured interviews in the executive selection process, by assigning tasks and measuring candidates’ commitment to them, and by assessing candidates’ activity in the executive selection process.

Matching leadership style

Before starting the executive search process, both the internal HR professional and the executive search firm need to know the leadership style requirements of the shareholders or the board. Only by knowing this parameter can the executive search project manager assess whether the candidate’s leadership style matches the expectations set and what are the potential threats or additional opportunities in hiring a particular candidate. In most cases, in the selection of top managers, candidates may offer leadership traits that have not been discussed, or may offer a very high level of adaptation to a leadership model that is relevant to the business at the time. If a high level of adaptation is observed, the candidate is seen positively as he/she is able to change the management model according to the different life cycle of the business he/she manages.

Cultural fit

Every organisation has an established culture which is reflected in the core values of its employees. In the executive search process, the cultural fit of each candidate is assessed. If, for example, a management candidate is characterised by quick decision-making, short-term planning and initiating rapid change, he or she may be a good fit for a fast-growing, ambitious smaller company, but not at all for a large, conservative and long-term oriented business. It is important to note that there are 4 types of cultural fit in executive selection:

1. High cultural fit
2. Medium cultural fit
3. Low cultural fit (this is when a candidate’s leadership culture is not appropriate for a particular company, but may be appropriate for another business that has different values)
4. Inadequate culture (a rare assessment of a manager’s cultural fit, where the candidate’s culture tramples on the fundamental standards of a managerial culture and is not appropriate for any business)

Experience in a similar field before general knowledge of the field or sector.

This parameter of the executive search generates the most debate in the preparation phase of the executive search. Normally, some of the board or shareholders want to select a top manager with experience in the business they manage, but this solution, although seemingly straightforward, has its drawbacks:

1. Selecting a manager from only a few companies in a similar field sometimes narrows the pool of candidates.
2. Managers from companies in the same field are already familiar with the field they are managing, so their motivation to change position is often purely monetary.
3. Some managers are reluctant to try new things because their knowledge is used to make the most of existing opportunities. This is partly due to a lack of motivation from working in the same business for a long time.

It is common practice for an executive search firm to recommend that candidates with both similar experience and success in another field should be included so that comparisons can be made between them. This approach allows a safe decision to be made on the final suitable manager, knowing that the maximum appropriate sample of candidates has been screened and the most suitable manager has been selected from among them.