Shane Phillips, CEO at The Phillips Group on: How to hire a CEO in a new era of workplace

In the current millennium businesses have been forced to adapt to unprecedented levels of volatility as the coronavirus pandemic has changed the way companies work, customers consume and people interact. Leaders saw their roles expand to meet the challenges at hand. Not only were leaders tasked with guiding their companies through massive market upheavals, but they also took on a larger role as community leaders, advocating for their employee’s safety and contributing on political and social trends.

There may not be a one size fits all approach, but there are some core questions you can ask and signs to look out for, which will weed out those unfit for the role. A top performer will be able to answer questions like:

• How did you generate NET profit over the last twelve months in your current role?
• How will this new organisation generate net profit over the next twelve months?
• How will it generate more net profit than last year?
• How will it generate more net profit than the competition?

Interviews must embed the vision and strategy of the business at its core, and be tied to the bottom-line performance of the organisation. The Phillips Group looks to understand the vision of the board, the key objectives, and business milestones which must be achieved and then goes ahead and puts together that set of questions which will give you your answers.

When interviewing a potential CEO of an organisation you are measuring their ability to fulfil the vision for your company, therefore finding out whether they are able to assess whether your existing team has the right capabilities and who does not have the capabilities to deliver against what has been envisaged, is critical. Before you can hire you CEO, a Board must be clear on a few things:

• What is currently top priority as a skillset to take your business to the next level?
• What is your company’s vision?
• How long do you need your new hire to stay in place for?
• What is their vision for the company?
• What does leadership mean to them?

These questions are often never asked. Underpinning the realisation of the vision, is the competencies which are required by the CEO or executive leadership team in order to be successful. This will be different for every company, for every business case, for every economic environment. For example, if a company has lost its bottom line due to runaway costs, it will require a very different type of CEO than a company which is looking to take market share and grow top line sales. Each business case requires a different type of leadership with a different set of competencies. Each CEO Assessment or senior executive assessment must be custom made and tailor built. This is a bespoke process.

Today’s most successful enterprises have leaders that can simultaneously transform the business, while driving performance. They welcome innovation and change. They’re digitally minded. They’re optimistic and proactive. And, they’re inclusive.