In recent months, in the process of searching for executives, there has been a growing tension between the speed at which organizations evolve and the market’s ability to generate certain leadership profiles.
The market continues to have solid executives with good track records. But, in many cases, it is becoming more difficult to find profiles that are truly prepared for certain contexts of transformation. The mismatch is not due to a lack of functional experience, but because many companies no longer need only good managers. They need leaders who can operate in ambiguity, accelerate change, professionalize structures, or lead under pressure.
And there’s probably an underlying reason: uncertainty and change are not new. The VUCA concept has been in use for more than four decades. But it does seem that in recent years there is a clear component of acceleration. Organizations evolve, change, and transform faster and faster.
And in many cases, the needs of companies evolve faster than the ability of the management market itself to adapt. That is where the divergence appears. Companies know they need to incorporate leadership, but they’re not always clear on exactly what kind of leadership they need at that moment. For this reason, in certain processes, Executive Search ceases to be only an exercise in identifying talent and becomes, in part, an exercise in diagnosis and advice in the definition of the profile.
Perhaps part of the challenge is also to accept that, in environments of accelerated change, the most valuable leadership is no longer the one that best replicates the past, but the one that can best help build the next scenario by navigating uncertainty. And that requires, in many cases, prioritizing the ability to adapt and criteria over the perfect fit on paper.
Because that ideal scenario of having three “plug & play” candidates on the table and simply choosing which one fits best is no longer common.
Finding leaders in times of acceleration
In recent months, in the process of searching for executives, there has been a growing tension between the speed at which organizations evolve and the market’s ability to generate certain leadership profiles.
The market continues to have solid executives with good track records. But, in many cases, it is becoming more difficult to find profiles that are truly prepared for certain contexts of transformation. The mismatch is not due to a lack of functional experience, but because many companies no longer need only good managers. They need leaders who can operate in ambiguity, accelerate change, professionalize structures, or lead under pressure.
And there’s probably an underlying reason: uncertainty and change are not new. The VUCA concept has been in use for more than four decades. But it does seem that in recent years there is a clear component of acceleration. Organizations evolve, change, and transform faster and faster.
And in many cases, the needs of companies evolve faster than the ability of the management market itself to adapt. That is where the divergence appears. Companies know they need to incorporate leadership, but they’re not always clear on exactly what kind of leadership they need at that moment. For this reason, in certain processes, Executive Search ceases to be only an exercise in identifying talent and becomes, in part, an exercise in diagnosis and advice in the definition of the profile.
Perhaps part of the challenge is also to accept that, in environments of accelerated change, the most valuable leadership is no longer the one that best replicates the past, but the one that can best help build the next scenario by navigating uncertainty. And that requires, in many cases, prioritizing the ability to adapt and criteria over the perfect fit on paper.
Because that ideal scenario of having three “plug & play” candidates on the table and simply choosing which one fits best is no longer common.
Article from César Durán (Associate Director)
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