This is why CHROs should consider rotational programs for their top talent

Good morning!

Executives often end up in the C-suite after years of niche management technical training specific to their role and industry. That level of expertise is crucial to helping them climb to the top corporate ladderbut can become a hindrance when they reach the top.

The future of business belongs to ‘countless’ leaders, or people with diverse professional backgrounds, multi-generational ideas and… problem-solving skillssaid a recent one study from Bridge Partners, an executive search firm. When asked which skills will be most critical for leadership teams in the next five years, 56% of executives said there is more diversity in professional backgrounds (different sectors, functions), followed by cognitive diversity (different ways of thinking and problem solving) with 55%. , and then the ethnic and cultural diversity of 33%.

To find these “countless” leaders, experts recommend that recruiters prioritize looking for soft skills in executives during the hiring process, such as strategic thinking, agility and the ability to collaborate effectively. And companies shouldn’t hesitate to hire out-of-the-box candidates. For CEOs, this could mean looking beyond the traditional sales-to-C-suite pipeline and considering people who have worked in other departments.

“Future successful leaders have been in different places, gone to different positions, different organizations, different industries, and even lived in multiple countries,” says Ryan Whitacre, a partner at Bridge Partners. Fortune. “It is these types of perspectives that we are prioritizing for the next five years.”

Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors who has held the position for almost a decade, is a good example, he says. Although she has more than 30 years of experience with the company, she has held positions in manufacturing, product development, operations, human resources and even on-site as a plant manager, according to her LinkedIn.

For companies looking to better develop the leaders they already have, one of the best ways to do this is to use rotation programs, the research found. This means that top talent is placed for a limited period of time in teams they do not normally work with, or with which they have little familiarity.

“We’ve seen organizations like GE do this for years,” Whitacre says. “They purposely take someone from HR and move them into the business so they can interact with different parts of the business and adapt as needed.”

Brit Morse
[email protected]

Request your invitation Fortune‘s flagship event, the Fortune Global Forum, taking place November 11-12 in New York City. Fortune Global 500 executives and international policy leaders will discuss managing the workforce in an AI-powered economy, climate and energy issues, global trade and the future of democracy. Request your invitation here.

Today’s edition was curated by Emma Burleigh.

This story originally ran Fortune.com