One of the most sought-after skills in business is good leadership. An effective manager uses their own skills, delegates well, and gets the most out of their subordinates. But it’s not always easy to tell which person is management material.

Before you can call someone a natural leader, you have to know what you’re looking for. No person will be perfect, but there are a few common traits to look for:

  • Ability to deal with pressure – If there’s one thing universal to leadership, it’s dealing with demands from seemingly everywhere at once, deciding what matters most, and accomplishing those tasks.
  • Social skills – A leader should be able to effectively manage the employees underneath them, both as workers and as people. Avoid someone who performs their own job well but is incapable of handling the social aspects of interacting with and managing a team.
  • Selflessness – A good leader knows that the objectives of the team are more important than personal glory or ego. Being part of a successful company reflects well on everyone involved.

This process is obviously going to be easier when promoting from within. You may already be familiar with a person’s strengths and weaknesses, or you’ll at least be able to talk to their supervisors and colleagues. If you think an employee may be suitable for a management role, see how they do when given more responsibilities, or as head of a smaller team working on a defined project.

Finding a natural leader through an interview process is more difficult, but not impossible. Interview questions should be used to discover how a candidate views the role of a leader, and how they might react in scenarios that require common leadership skills. What kinds of leaders do they admire? How do they approach resolving conflicts? Ask about the last person they let go – you can’t build an effective team without getting rid of people who don’t fit. Finally, use your judgment; does this person seem like someone you could respect and work for?

If you need some help finding the right people for your business, it might be time to do what hundreds of other Mississippi businesses have done and talk to Staffers, Inc., the Magnolia State’s leading office administration staffing company.

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