1️⃣ Score leadership behaviour separately HBR recommends testing senior candidates on failures, dependencies and how others experienced working with them. Technical strength and interpersonal capability should be scored independently.
💡 Why it matters Charisma can hide blame-shifting and weak accountability. Define good answers before the interview, use the same questions for every candidate and let behavioural red flags stand.
☕ Coffee talk Would your interview panel reject its most impressive candidate for failing to name one co-star?
2️⃣ Measure the exceptions, not the rollout An Ardent Partners survey found best-in-class accounts-payable teams had a 9% invoice exception rate, against 22% for other teams. Their processing time was 3.1 days, against 17.4.
💡 Why it matters Baseline exception rates and processing time before adding AI. Adoption says little if the same cases still climb to a senior desk.
☕ Coffee talk Which senior desk keeps receiving the same exception because nobody turned the answer into a rule?
3️⃣ Develop the network, not only the performer MIT SMR says high-potential employees are often trained for execution while the trust, credibility and cross-functional access needed for leadership remain unmanaged.
💡 Why it matters Give future leaders assignments that carry their work beyond the home team. Sponsorship, shared ownership and exposure to real decision makers belong in the development plan.
☕ Coffee talk Who knows your strongest manager’s work outside the team that already depends on it?