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Lelia Lim

The New Way of Looking at Skills in Executive Recruitment in Asia

In Asia, the current skills crisis and Great Resignation are changing how organisations look at potential leadership talent. No longer is it enough to have a wealth of experience and training in a particular field. Today’s senior executives must be innovative, able to adapt quickly and learn new skills on the job. This means that executive search specialists must reconsider what they look for in leadership candidates and how they assess their cultural fit and attitude to help organisations define competencies.

As businesses face disrupted industries and new technologies, the ability to adapt quickly has become essential. Many believe that the traditional executive education model – where employees are trained in specific skills for a particular role – is no longer fit for purpose. In its place, a more flexible and agile approach is needed. This means that companies need to find executives that think ”outside the box”, are able to learn new skills quickly, and can apply them in a range of different contexts.

Top three future skills leaders require:

Adaptability

The ability to adapt to change is becoming increasingly important as the world around us continues to evolve. With technology and globalisation constantly changing the work landscape, those who can adapt quickly will be the most successful.

Global perspective

With businesses becoming increasingly international, leaders need to have a global perspective. Those who can see the big picture and understand different cultures will be at an advantage.

Innovation

Leaders need to be looking for executives who are not afraid to take risks and are always thinking about how to improve. In a world where technology is constantly changing, those able to think outside the box and develop new ideas will be the most successful.

Leadership skills are vital in directing company success, but they’re also important in keeping a workforce engaged and productive. In fact, 48% of leaders in a recent Gallup survey said that leadership quality is very important to them, up from 34% in 2011.

The Gallup survey also highlighted that 55% of CEOs say developing the next generation of leaders is their top challenge. However, only 11% of HR leaders feel they have a strong bench that can take over key leadership roles in the future. This leaves many companies with leadership gaps and issues with succession planning.

Although future skills and competencies are important, cultural fit is also essential. It’s critical that candidates possess the right attitude and be culturally aligned with the company.

Finding the right leaders with the right skills and competencies is not the only factor in the recruitment process. With the war for talent becoming increasingly competitive, companies must be able to identify and attract top candidates. To become a company of choice, organisations need to create a solid and positive reputation to be more attractive to potential leaders.

There are many ways to do this, but some common methods include promoting your company culture, investing in employee development, and offering competitive benefits packages. Doing this can help ensure that your company is seen as a desirable place to work, which will make it easier to appeal to top talent.

How to Attract Top Talent in the Asia Pacific Region

To compete in the global marketplace, companies need to recruit leaders with the necessary skills and capabilities. This involves executive recruitment specialists rethinking their approach to candidate assessment. No longer able to rely on experience or qualifications alone, they must look for evidence of potential and attitude. This shift has been driven in part by the rise of social media and online platforms, which have made it easier for candidates to showcase their abilities. The increasing use of data in recruitment has also allowed recruiters to identify potential future leaders more easily.

Independent third-party assessments are a great way to identify the attributes needed, especially in Asia where cultural differences can make it difficult to assess leadership potential. Such assessments can help organisations identify individuals with the potential, and also help distinguish the skills and attributes most important for future leaders.

With the right tools and approach, companies and executive recruiters can find the best candidates for future success. This significant shift in attitude will help leaders in Asia-Pacific stay ahead of the game and be prepared for what disruptions lie ahead.

If you’re looking for top candidates in Asia, get in touch with our team of expert C-suite executive recruiters today. We can help you find the right leadership talent for your future success.

About Lim-Loges & Masters

Lim-Loges & Masters (LLM) is an award-winning boutique HR consulting agency offering expertise in three distinct, yet connected services – Executive Search, Transition Management and Disruption Management across Asia Pacific. LLM partners with multinational companies seeking to transform their organisations through their people. It’s streamlined processes embed the right HR infrastructure to secure tomorrow’s leaders and spur transformational change across organisations.

Focusing on Asia, the LLM team helps companies minimise risks and manage talent through a deep understanding of Asia Pacific’s business climate. LLM has a presence in Indochina, South East Asia, China, Hong Kong, India and its regional HQ, Singapore, with international affiliates in the UK.

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