SINGAPORE (Aug 31): Finding suitable candidates to fill leadership positions may be critical to a company’s success, but it is not going to get easier until organisations begin shifting their thinking on leadership, says LinkedIn Talent Solutions.

In its recent report, the recruitment business unit of LinkedIn reveals that 82% of Southeast Asian (SEA) human resources (HR) decision-makers surveyed claim it is difficult to fill leadership positions. 60% have expressed pessimism about the hiring outlook for these positions over the next five years.

The respondents are said to encounter exceptional difficulties in hiring for leadership positions in the business development, programme & project management, and CEO/board of directors functions. They have also reported to struggle with retaining as well as hiring local talent for such roles.

Their No. 1 complaint, however, is candidates’ “lack of soft skills and leadership competencies”.

Would this mean SEA’s leadership talents are declining in numbers, or have become less adequate?

Not at all.

According to LinkedIn Talent Solutions, the gap in supply and demand of leadership talent is largely due to the fact that companies have raised their expectations of leadership candidates in today’s “complex and fast-changing technological environment”.

This in turn reflects the rising complexity of modern leadership roles, which in turn takes a significant toll on businesses. One such instance is how 45% of HR decision makers in SEA say there has been a “detrimental impact” on employee engagement within their organisations as a result.

In LinkedIn Talent Solutions’ view, it is up to SEA organisations to address the problem. For example, decision-makers should begin by aligning their leadership talent strategies with business strategies – especially through the identification of the specific skills, behaviours and roles required to execute such strategies.

Data, such as in the form of talent pool analyses, will not only provide detailed information where to search for talent in a particular area or industry, but can also help to bridge the gap between what is being offered and what leaders want.

LinkedIn Talent Solutions suggests that through survey data, companies can better reflect their strengths and appeal to their target audience by knowing what is important to leadership talents of today.  

To ensure that the talent and leadership pipeline stays full, leadership development efforts and dollars would ideally extend to all levels of the organisation and to the most critical roles, as opposed to companies focusing only on the top end of the leadership pipeline. Leadership development programmes should include both appropriate approaches and technologies that are available when and where needed.

“[Organisations] need to change their mindset on how to find, develop, and inspire leaders,” emphasises LinkedIn Talent Solutions.

“Whilst succession planning is the most commonly adopted and successful strategy used, other commonly-used strategies are not always the most impactful.”