A CEO cannot run a successful company alone. They need the support of other executives, namely a COO, a CIO, a CFO, and additional leaders that may be suited to their industry. Choosing the right people is not always easy, but it is instrumental to company growth.

A business leader must choose executives based on various hard and soft skills. They must then integrate a strategy that ensures they align with company goals. With the right approach, you can build a team to be reckoned with.

Talent Acquisition

The first step in building an executive team is talent acquisition. There are agencies and job boards that can connect you with professionals looking for leadership positions. However, an organic approach may help you find the best company match.

Look into your network and ask colleagues if they have recommendations on executives who may be a good fit.

Once you have candidates to choose from, ensure your hiring process allows you to find the best match for your company. Here are some helpful tips.

• Be Clear About Your Expectations: This ensures you and your candidate are on the same page. It eliminates candidates that may not be the best match early in the process.
• Ask the Right Interview Questions: Ask interview questions that will help you determine if the candidate has the necessary hard and soft skills and whether they will fit with your company culture.
• Know What You Are Looking For: Understand what you are looking for and ensure the candidate meets these needs. This understanding will also help you set candidate expectations.

What Qualities Should I Look for in An Executive?

The executives you hire for your organization should be skilled in their specific field. For example, a CIO should have an extensive knowledge of technology. CFOs should have hands-on experience working in the financial sector. And any executive should have leadership skills.

The required hard skills will vary depending on your business needs, but all executives should have specific soft skills in common. These include:

• Integrity: An executive with integrity will be accountable for their actions. They will go beyond self-interest to ensure company ethics are upheld. People with integrity also tend to have a deep sense of humility ensuring they are not too proud to address failures and make improvements.
• Judgment: Judgment is the ability to weigh various factors and come to the best conclusion. An executive with good judgment will go beyond providing the most obvious answer. They will gather data, be objective, and base solutions on values and experience.
• Drive: Drive refers to motivation, stamina, and willingness to take calculated risks. A leader with great drive will overcome adversity and move forward with positivity. They will initiate action, keep projects afloat, and ensure they are completed with high success rates.
• Emotional Intelligence: An executive with high emotional intelligence will work well with others. They will tune into their emotions to find the best methods for collaboration, motivation, and teaching. Look for a leader that asks questions and listens to ensure they possess this quality.

Building Your Team

Once you have leaders lined up, you must ensure they focus on company goals. Here are some tips that ensure your executives are on the same page.

• Encourage Shared Mindsets: Shared mindsets ensure everyone has the same goals. Experts recommend setting up a priority tier of enterprise first, team second, and self third. This allows leaders to shed their identities in collaborative efforts so they can function as a unit.
• Make Autonomy Universal: A leader’s perceived decision-making power is often limited to their department. However, they must be encouraged to make decisions on behalf of the company when necessary. This type of mindset will also ensure they consider the goals of the company in every decision they make.
• Focus on Long-Term Goals: Create a policy that supports long-term goals. This ensures each executive is responsible for fulfilling these goals in their immediate decisions. It also means everyone has input into the company’s strategies.
• Adjust Operations to Foster Collaborations: To ensure collaboration among executives, you should devise a schedule for regular meetings. Executives should also be provided with regular updates and reports to ensure transparency. Other supportive behaviors include hiring executive coaches to work with your leaders and readjusting compensation structures to reward executives and allow them to reward their teams.

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