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Leadership isn鈥檛 confined to the C-suite. Companies increasingly look for solid leadership skills when adding to their workforce, whether the roles are entry-level or executive. Stephany Samuels, senior vice president of people strategy at IT recruiting and staffing firm , explains which qualities you should be looking for when hiring and how to identify the leaders in your talent pool.

鈥淐ompanies thrive and grow when their workforce is comprised of leaders that instinctively explore creative solutions and bring out the best in their colleagues. So, how can you enhance your ability to recognize a leader in the hiring process? There are some qualities you should be looking for when you鈥檙e hiring for leaders,鈥� she says.

A leader is constantly looking to improve themselves, and they take ownership of that responsibility by identifying and pursuing professional development opportunities whenever they can, says Samuels. 鈥淎sking candidates how they鈥檝e developed their skills will give you a window into how serious they are about seeking out these types of opportunities on their own,鈥� she says.

Leaders aren鈥檛 afraid of making a mistake, especially if it鈥檚 made to reach for more innovative solutions. How can you identify this trait in a potential hire? 鈥淩equest examples of a difficult workplace decision they鈥檝e made or how they found the solution to a tricky problem will help give insight into how they view decision-making,鈥� Samuels says.

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Top performers know that to grow professionally, they need to know how they are doing. They request feedback and appreciate when it鈥檚 given. You don鈥檛 have to wait until someone鈥檚 hired to explore their feelings on the topic, though. 鈥淵ou can broach the topic of feedback in the interview process and let the candidate tell you about the times they sought out feedback and how they reacted to it,鈥� Samuels says.

Leaders are people you want to be around and who naturally motivate and inspire their colleagues, Samuels says. 鈥淟eaders are often engaging and have a dynamic personality that draws people to them and motivates others to be more like them. This is true for both introverts and extroverts. While nerves are a common component of any interview, this shouldn鈥檛 hold natural leaders back from letting their personality shine through,鈥� she says.

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Along with a dynamic personality, leaders excel in emotional intelligence, which is priceless in a business environment, Samuels says. It鈥檚 all about empathy and understanding how to put themselves in others鈥� shoes. 鈥淯nderstanding the emotions that drive those around them and how to best manage those to reach an end goal is more important than any other intrapersonal skill. Ask candidates to describe a situation when they鈥檝e used emotional intelligence to their advantage in a professional environment,鈥� she says.

A true leader doesn鈥檛 do something just to get it done, and they don鈥檛 tend to do things halfheartedly or sloppily, Samuels says. They are finished when the quality of the finished product is the highest it possibly can be. 鈥淟eaders want everything they sign off on to reflect their 鈥� and their teams鈥� commitment to excellence. Asking for specific examples of work or metrics that showcase the quality of their work will help you identify whether they are the leader you need,鈥� Samuels says.

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