Effective leadership is one of the most important factors in defining success for a new organisation and sponsor departments have a very strong interest in getting this right. Veredus proposes the following three-step approach for appointing effective leaders:
- Analyse the organisation
- What are the key drivers?
- What is its operational context now and what will be different in the future?
- What are the organisation’s needs?
- What are the organisation’s future challenges and how does this affect the way the appointee will need to operate?
- Analyse the role priorities
- What are the objectives and activities that need to be performed?
- What does this person need to contribute?
- Role specification
- From the above, what are the skills, knowledge and personal attributes needed for this job?
- Who will best reflect the world in which the NDPB will operate?
- What skills, behaviours and competencies does this person need?
- Remove all non-essential criteria.
To find a suitable leader, you’ll get the best results if you or your chosen recruiter consults widely and appropriately to generate a sufficiently robust role brief. For an organisation to succeed, all of its stakeholders need confidence in its leadership in both executive and non-executive capacities.
Appointing great leaders
What to look for in a start-up Chair
- Wisdom, perspective and judgement
- Strong interpersonal skills; someone who will work proactively to develop strong relationships and who will manage the Board effectively
- Someone who will be a critical friend to the Chief Executive and who will support them in building a top team
- A team-worker: someone who establishes a modus operandi with the Chief Executive
- Someone who understands Ministers and the nature of political imperative and public perception
- Someone with undisputed personal integrity who is highly respected, immediately credible and will present a strong public image
- A high level of commitment and resilience: someone who will maintain the confidence and trust of the Board.
What to look for in a start-up Chief Executive
- Someone who will take the time to invest in their relationship with the Chair/Board from the very outset
- Political acumen and sensitivity
- Ability to work under significant pressure and with a high degree of ambiguity
- A very strong team-worker who will manage upwards as well as downwards
- Someone who is robust on corporate governance and will work closely with the Board on developing this
- An experienced general manager with a broad understanding of the components of a successful organisation: finance, human resources, communications and service provision
- Business skills, flexibility and resilience
- Someone whose skills and experience complement those of the Chair.
What to look for in start-up Board members
- Someone who has started an organisation previously
- Someone who knows when to challenge and when not to, and who challenges constructively
- Breadth of experience and perspective; someone who can take a step back
- A team player with a collaborative approach
- A strong communicator, but someone who will listen to the views of others
- Solid, well-developed instincts; perceptive and good powers of observation
- In general, skills and knowledge should complement those of the Chair.