Nowadays, more is required from top executives than just specialist knowledge.
(Photo: Stone/Getty Images)
Dusseldorf Michael Oberwegner is looking for the top managers of the future at the HR consultant Kienbaum – for large international corporations and for family businesses in Germany. The headhunter has 24 years of experience on the job and says: “You can’t achieve anything with a lack of specialist skills.” But specialist knowledge alone is no longer enough for the boardroom.
Social skills are becoming more and more important for big management. In the past, only power-hungry, profit-seeking “alpha men” were sought, reports Oberwegner. Diversity is in demand today, “and not just in terms of gender”.
The recruitment consultant has had countless interviews with talented and experienced top managers. For example, he asks the candidates: “How did you keep your team together when everyone was working from home during the corona pandemic?” Oberwegner and headhunter Nicole Mai from Russell Reynolds explained to the Handelsblatt what five qualities they are looking for in future top managers.
1. Empathy becomes the key to success
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