Finding the right hire can sometimes involve more than just looking for candidates with a set of demonstrated skills and abilities. More often than not it involves another element, sometimes referred to an “X Factor” – something that sets that candidate apart and provides the company with an influential member of the workforce environment.

For human resources managers faced with an ongoing company recruitment scenario, knowing what makes an influential person tick can be useful when assessing potential employees. Of course, not every new hire will go on to be a CEO or become an influential member of their industry, but studying what sets a well-known leader apart can be extremely beneficial for the hiring process.

Personality is Premium
Richard Branson, for example, reportedly sees personality as the most important part of the individual package. In a recent post on LinkedIn, Branson – arguably one of the most successful and innovative business leaders of the last 25 years – notes that finding somebody who can fit into the workplace culture is not always an easy task to accomplish, but while skills can be learned, training people to have a certain personality is another matter.

And in the same way that Branson deems personality to be an ingrained gift, so-called influencers in society have a wealth of tools at their disposal that can be used to gain a competitive advantage. Keep in mind that some people are natural born leaders, while others ultimately grow into that status after years of hard work.

According to Forbes, what sets influential people apart comes from their ability to communicate what others are thinking, especially when it comes to the generation of new ideas or ways to improve their workforce. Business leaders and influencers have, on the whole, excellent interpersonal skills, passion, confidence in their own ability, intense focus and a built-in charisma that makes people either want to follow them or listen to what they say.

Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, once said that success was all about growing oneself, but that success in leadership is about growing others. For someone like Welch, GE was not just about making sure that the bottom line was healthy, but that the staff – at whatever level – understood the importance of what they were doing as part of the GE team.

With that in mind, learning to understand how influencers came to occupy their positions as leaders could do wonders for your hiring strategy, especially in terms of finding the right hire for the workplace environment.