Does Your Brain Need an Upgrade?

Posted By: Robyn Greenspan
Filed Under: world business forum, robyn greenspan, executive recruiters, executive hiring, diversity, emotional intelligence, claudio fernández-aráoz

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"Nothing is more important for our career success than making great people decisions," said Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, author of Great People Decisions at the 2011 World Business Forum, where ExecuNet exclusively reported. When he surveyed which of the thousands of business leaders in the audience were formally trained in this selection process, very few raised their hands.

But, Fernández-Aráoz told a small, invited audience at a separate "Unplugged" event at the World Business Forum, "We choose people using an 'old brain,' which is like an old computer that needs an upgrade." That "old brain," he said, uses the wrong criteria for hiring. "We look for similarity but we need diversity of skills when he hire."

Rather than evaluate candidates by experience and intelligence, Fernández-Aráoz explained that emotional intelligence (EQ) is a better predictor of management performance. According to recruiter David Perry, managing director of Perry-Martel International and author of Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters, there are five key ideals that help hiring managers identify candidates' EQ levels.

Self-concept: Is the candidate's concept of self healthy and strong enough to navigate treacherous waters intuitively, as well as develop and motivate staff as though the staff developed the ideas themselves?
Persistence: Is the candidate an assertive individual who will drive programs to successful fruition? Is the professional highly self-motivated or an order-taker in disguise?
Empathy: Does the candidate have the ability to connect with employees and customers?
Commitment: Is there a demonstrated willingness to make a substantial personal commitment of time to the people in the business?
Defendable values: Does the candidate by dint of personal style and experience establish a core philosophy of operation (a value set) and organizational culture that will promote the desired results?

As any leader recognizes, putting the right candidate in the right seat is just one stop on the talent management bus. Continued motivation and professional development will likely reveal hidden employee skills, so it is critical to have the open dialogue and flexibility to enable fish to swim and tree-climbers to climb.

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Robyn Greenspan's avatar Robyn Greenspan
Robyn Greenspan is the Editor-in-Chief at ExecuNet, where she is responsible for setting and driving the editorial content engagement strategy across the private business network's publications and expert-led programming. She is also a Huffington Post blogger. You can follow her on Twitter @RobynGreenspan