In addition to the standard background and accomplishments, it is wise to include a statement or statements from the incoming CEO about their vision for the company and the direction the company will be heading under their guidance.

Clients, employees and others would like to be assured what the new CEO plans for the future. Of course you don't want to include information such as he/she plans on closing XX plants and eliminating XXX people in the process, but including a vision statement for the continuation of the company is always helpful.

posted June 15, 2009

Do they fit within the current culture of the existing company or if they are going to change the culture and how. Specifically, are they known for 'cut and slash' or 'let's take a bit of time and see where our collective minds might take us?

It goes deeper than just what the marketplace perception. It goes to capacity, capability, willingness and drive. I continually say this - Stop hiring the person you like, and hire the person you need. In the end, you will like the latter a lot more when they are successful.

posted June 15, 2009

Chiefly, his track record. What I mean by that is, what he's done for other corporations in the past. Is he a turn-around artist (etc)? How does his background and experience match the corporation he's now leading? If it differs, perhaps they're looking at taking the company in a new direction (if a newpaper company hires an Internet savvy person to lead them - look for an online play). Was he successful where he was? Could be an indicator as to how well he'll do in his new assignment. How does his persona match the corporate culture. If different - they'll be a clash of cultures that could be temporarily disruptive for the company (of course, such a shake-up might be just what the BOD is hoping for).

posted June 15, 2009

All true, these wise answers, although the context is critical, i.e. what is your industry, market condition, competition, brand equity, brand position? All of that needs to create the canvas for your portrait. Look how well Obama's image was cultivated and managed for the election.

However, I suggest that leadership, especially today, is a function of personality and vision. TELL THE STORY of how this character sees the world in the novel of your company's life. And tell how us how this CEO embraces a worldview beyond your business that engages and motivates people at all levels of an organization. Use concise anecdotes as brushstrokes to paint the picture. Includes one or two brief quotes that are not conventional jargon or vanilla mission statement rhetoric.

The key will be to withhold just enough so that media, industry experts, and competitors want to know more. Don't give them the third act of the drama, but if the profile doesn't inspire and deliver a few colorful strokes, a touch of the unconventional, it's unlikely anybody will care to notice in this economy. Tell a story in 200 to 500 words that you'd want to see on the big screen. Then partners, competitors, media, analysts, and employees will take notice. Then the profile will matter.

Links:

• http://www.FocusOnProgress.com

posted June 15, 2009

I would look for leadership skills in particular the ability to delegate, empower and motivate his team (therefore a team player) to be the best they can be and perform to the best of their abilities at all times.

The individual must also be capable of seeing the big picture of the business, but also capable of drilling down to details enough to fully understand the issues affecting the business and identify the right resources to resolve them. Therefore, does not have to know everything about everything, but must know something about the business and then be skilled at identifying the right resources for the right job.

They should be innovative, have high energy, be organised and bold in making decisions.

For an international post, understanding the phrase 'strength in diversity' is important which also ties in with paragraphs 1 and 2 above. Each location will have its strengths and weakneses, each culture and economy will have its strengths and weaknesses. This individual shoud be able to recognise the strengths and use them well, and find ways to reduce or eliminate the effect of the weaknesses of each for the benefit of the whole.

Finally honesty and integrity in the person. This is a quality that if perceived in this person by both staff and clients will result in a better trust environment and a higher chance of sales.

As a client I would be happier knowing that the staff who serve me are happy at their job - therefore is this individual a good manager of people or do they use cut-throat manipulative methods to get things done? What is their history?

As a supplier - honesty/integrity and skills in the CEO to make the business profitable.

As a competitor - if s/he has all the above I might want to have them on my team instead - how much are they worth?

Ophelia S. also suggests this expert on this topic:

• Liz T.

posted June 17, 2009

As a client or supplier - I would want to know what his external interests are to provide some context on what the CEO values outside the workplace.

As a competitor - I would want to know his strategic business decisions in previous positions to understand if there was a pattern or playbook that the new CEO tends to favor. That would be enormously useful for a competitor to determine potential countering moves.

posted June 20, 2009

His rich experience of the past.
Role of growing the business significantly in terms of numbers
Affiliations to various business institutions and educational institutions if any
How does he manage his work - life balance, hobbies

posted June 16, 2009