One of the most critical aspects to evaluate during the hiring process, especially for management roles, is whether the candidate possesses leadership skills. Even for non-management positions, selecting candidates with strong leadership potential can be beneficial, as they can grow and advance within the organization. However, leadership skills can be both assessed and developed in individuals. Understanding how to assess leadership potential in candidates is essential to identifying those who can drive success. So, how do you recruit candidates with leadership skills? More importantly, can you help nurture their leadership potential? Here are some key strategies to help you find and develop future leaders within your team.

Evaluating Leadership Potential in Candidates

In short, leadership skills are all about a person’s capacity to be able to lead a group. It is also about how well they manage the individuals in a group and get the best out of them. A leader comes with some inborn abilities and personality qualities that are either inborn or can be developed. A leader will have the ability to manage a diverse set of situations. While leadership attributes can be strengthened and nurtured during a person’s career, they can definitely be identified during the hiring process. To assess leadership potential in candidates, you must conduct a combination of interviews, tests, and real-world problem-solving evaluations.

Leadership styles vary depending on the leader, but the best leader knows inherently which style will extract the right response from the team.

Identifying and evaluating leadership traits during an interview can be difficult compared to other aspects. Although people do mention their leadership qualities in their resumes, it is hard to know how competent they really are. 

Interviews are a great starting point to assess leadership traits. During the interview, you can ask situational questions that give you an idea about their morals and character. You can also ask questions about previous times when they have had to exhibit their leadership skills at some point in their lives. For instance, someone with previous entrepreneurial experience may definitely be a promising leader because of their exposure. 

You need to evaluate many qualities in a leader to determine whether they can be an asset to your company.

Passion

Passion is easy to identify. Candidate exhibits it when they begin to speak, especially about their positive experiences, work ethic, and principles. They will express a keen intent to learn and to engross themselves in their work. Such individuals are motivated, will climb the ladder, and guide the whole team. They want to make a difference to the company. Sample questions that you can ask a candidate are:

• Did you experience something going wrong, and did you have to control the situation? How did you handle the whole experience?
• How would you encourage your team to improve their performance? If there were issues, how did you detect and address them?

Communication ability

While good communication is important, not all good communicators are effective leaders. Candidates must be able to articulate their thoughts clearly and be good listeners, too. When asked a vague question, they will try to break it down and sometimes even take a pause. This shows that they are actively thinking. To assess this, you may question them in the following way:

• Tell me about your experience dealing with a tough customer. What was their challenge, and how did you handle it?
• Have you ever suggested an idea to your company? What was the idea, and how did you get a buy-in for it?

Collaboration

A key trait of leadership is knowing when to delegate, when to take over, and when to be hands-on. Teamwork and collaboration are hallmarks of great leaders. Good leaders have great confidence, but they are also humble and listen to others. They have good body language, posture, and eye contact. A good leader will not hesitate to work with others and knows that two heads are inherently better than one. You can assess this quality by asking the following questions:

• Did you have to work with a difficult colleague on any task? Share your experience. How was the interaction, and what was the outcome?
• Was there a situation where you had to use your expertise to help a colleague? What happened, and was the problem solved?

Problem-solving and risk management

Good leaders do not hesitate to try something new that enhances the growth of the business. They weigh the pros and cons and make an objective decision to arrive at a logical decision. They look at a situation and generate possible solutions and non-conforming ideas. You can assess this quality by asking the following questions:

• In a stressful situation where you had to act very fast, what did you do, and what was the outcome?
• Was there a stressful situation where you had to make a significant decision, knowing that you would be judged on that decision by key players later on?

Delegating tasks effectively

A leader must oversee all aspects of a business and effectively disseminate tasks to ensure efficiency and productivity. Even though they have given control to others, leaders remain plugged in with what is happening. They have a good relationship with their peers and empower them to complete the task at hand. You may ask the following questions to evaluate their capability to delegate:

• Was there a stressful project where you had to delegate tasks to others? How did you decide which task should go to whom?
• How do you ensure that the tasks you have allocated to them are finished and completed on time?

Good role models

Good leaders inspire, influence, and motivate their colleagues. They display a positive attitude in both good and bad times. They speak with credibility, compassion, and eloquence. Leaders show by example how things have to be done and inspire others to follow their way of working. Good role models are hands-on and get involved in things without waiting for them to snowball into a crisis. A good way to assess this would be to ask the following questions:

• Share an experience where you had to lead by example. How did your colleagues respond?
• Did you, at any time, have to step in to motivate, encourage, or help out a colleague? What was the outcome?

Exploring Leadership Styles: Which One Fits Your Business

Different leadership styles can shape an organization’s culture and overall success. It is important to choose the right leadership skill before you assess the candidates’ potential.

• Autocratic – Makes independent decisions with minimal input from others.
• Bureaucratic – Considers employee input but prioritizes company policies and established practices.
• Coaching – Identifies and nurtures individual strengths, focusing on employee growth and success.
• Democratic/Participative – Encourages team involvement in decision-making, fostering trust and engagement.
• Laissez-faire/Delegative – Provides autonomy with minimal guidance, effective for skilled and self-motivated teams.
• Authoritative/Transformational – Inspires and motivates with a clear vision, driving team development and change.
• Transactional – Uses rewards and consequences to encourage goal achievement and performance.
• Servant – Puts team members first, offering support and development opportunities.
• Charismatic – Motivates through personality, charm, and strong emotional connections.
• Situational – Adapts leadership style based on team needs and changing circumstances.
• Strategic – Leverages vision, market awareness, and adaptability to drive success.
• Pacesetting – Sets high-performance expectations and ensures goals are met efficiently.

How to Build Leadership Potential in Candidates

Any organization’s success depends on effective leadership. Identifying and nurturing leadership potential in candidates, on the other hand, can be difficult. Understanding what qualities make a good leader and providing the right opportunities for growth and development are required.

• Identify key leadership qualities: Before beginning to develop candidates’ leadership potential, you must first understand what qualities make a good leader. Identifying these characteristics in candidates can assist you in focusing your efforts on developing their skills and abilities in these areas.
• Provide growth opportunities: One example is assigning them to projects or teams where they can take on more responsibility and develop their skills. You can also offer leadership training and development programs focusing on communication, delegation, and conflict resolution.
• Encourage feedback and reflection: Giving candidates regular feedback and encouraging reflection can help them develop leadership skills and self-awareness.
• Foster a learning culture: Developing candidates’ leadership potential necessitates fostering a culture that values learning and development. This can be accomplished by providing ongoing learning resources such as books, workshops, and conferences.

These opportunities may involve managing projects, leading teams, or temporarily stepping into leadership roles. By creating these opportunities, candidates can enhance their leadership skills and strengthen their confidence.

Leadership Assessment: A Blend of Interviews and Testing

While interviews are a great way to assess leadership potential, you will need to also employ some detailed analysis later on. There are many pre-employment leadership tests in the marketplace that will enable you to assess the leadership traits of potential candidates. These tests are designed to give you a better understanding of a potential candidate and their character. An interview alone may not be able to give you a complete idea of a person’s leadership ability. So, a combination of questioning during an interview and administering some pre-employment personality assessments may help you identify the ideal candidate for your organization.