Assessing Leadership capability in Engineering-led organisations – The battle between technical capability and leadership competence
It has often been the case that engineering-led organisations fall into the trap of promoting or hiring only the most technically qualified individuals into leadership roles. Organizations suffer considerable human and financial costs when a person who has been promoted or hired because of strong individual performance and qualifications fails to adjust successfully to the role of a leader.
The failures aren’t surprising, given the difficulty of the transition. Ask any new leader about the early days of being a boss—indeed, ask any senior executive to recall how he or she felt as a new leader. If you get an honest answer, you’ll hear a tale of disorientation and, for some, overwhelming confusion. The new role didn’t feel anything like it was supposed to. It felt too big for any one person to handle.
So how can these failures be mitigated? The new leader’s functional competence should be a given – they are technically qualified and have demonstrable experience that makes them relevant for the role. It is their ability to lead that is often unproven or more difficult to assess. Therefore, a good hiring or promotion process must look deeply at the individual’s experience to search for tangible examples of when leadership competence has been demonstrated. The evidence may present itself across a range of situations and behaviours. Their ability to deal with adversity when things are going wrong, when they have led small project teams, or have had to deal with difficult senior stakeholders can all indicate that an individual contributor is able to deal with the trials and tribulations of a leadership position.
The behavioural competencies required to succeed in the role must be identified before any hiring or promotion process is initiated, to ensure a rigorous and evidence-based assessment. This will help to ensure that the right individuals are appointed, particularly in engineering-led businesses where the technical competence of the potential candidates can become overly important during the selection and interview stage. In some cases a focus on these competencies can overshadow the need for the wider leadership skills that are necessary for the success of the new leader – whether we are talking about a seasoned Executive or someone being considered for their first promotion to a more senior level.
At Norman Broadbent we have the capability to help develop your assessment process and execute your search to ensure potential new hires and promotes have both the leadership and technical capabilities to meet your business’s needs. If you would like to discuss how Norman Broadbent can help you overcome your business or people challenges, or to specifically discuss how we can support your next key hire, please do not hesitate to contact
<u>John Begley </u>for an initial and confidential conversation.