Executive Search
Assessing leaders
Every executive search assignment includes rigorous candidate qualification. When the stakes justify it, we offer a dedicated assessment service: a functional expert from our network, Key Predict personality tests (formerly Central Test), and a report per candidate.
Definition
What is a leadership assessment?
Assessing a leader means checking three things before you decide: what they have actually achieved, what they can do, and whether they are right for your company at this point in its history. In a direct approach assignment, the headhunter running your search covers these points in interview. Our assessment offer goes further, with outside perspectives and measurement tools.
- What they did
Track record
Quantified results, put back in context: team size, budget, the company's stage, and the candidate's real share in the result.
- What they can do
Skills
Mastery of their function and leadership skills: hiring, making trade-offs, deciding with incomplete information, bringing an executive committee along.
- What they will do for you
Fit
Your company's stage, your culture, your shareholders. An excellent leader from a large corporation can fail in a scale-up, and vice versa.
What every assignment includes, and what the assessment offer adds
Candidate qualification is part of every assignment. The in-depth assessment is a separate offer, activated at your request.
- Interviews
- In every assignment Structured interview led by the consultant
- Assessment offer, on request An additional interview with a functional expert from our network
- Functional skills
- In every assignment Checked against career path and results
- Assessment offer, on request Challenged by a peer in the function, on a business case
- Personality
- In every assignment Assessed in interview
- Assessment offer, on request Measured by a Key Predict test, debriefed to the candidate and to you
- References
- In every assignment Reference checks on recent roles
- Assessment offer, on request 360° reference checks: a former manager, a peer and a direct report, all asked the same questions
- Deliverable
- In every assignment An annotated shortlist
- Assessment offer, on request An assessment report per candidate, with our recommendation
At Licorne Society
An offer to activate when the stakes justify it
First CFO before a funding round, succession of a founder, two close finalists: the in-depth assessment is triggered on request, on top of the assignment. It is never imposed, and the final decision stays with you.
How does a leadership assessment run?
Six stages per candidate, from scoping to the report.
- Step 1
Setting the criteria
Together we set the five or six criteria that will make the difference and the results expected at twelve months. This is the role's scorecard (in French).
- Step 2
Structured interview
The same questions for every candidate, asked by the consultant who specialises in the function. Facts: results, decisions made, failures and what they learned from them.
- Step 3
Interview with an expert
A peer in the function, drawn from our network, challenges the candidate on a business case taken from a real challenge in your company.
- Step 4
Personality test
The candidate takes a Key Predict inventory (formerly Central Test) online, in 25 minutes. The consultant debriefs it with the candidate, then with you.
- Step 5
360° reference checks
With the candidate's agreement: a former manager, a peer and a direct report from recent roles, all asked the same questions.
- Step 6
Report and recommendation
One report per candidate: strengths, points to watch, fit with the role and our view. You decide with every candidate compared side by side.
Functional experts, drawn from our network
The consultant assesses the career path, leadership and fit. Functional depth is best judged by a peer. As part of the assessment offer, we bring in an expert in the function, drawn from our network of serving leaders, for a dedicated interview.
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Finance
An experienced finance director challenges a CFO or finance director candidate on cash management, structuring the finance function and investor relations.
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Tech
A serving CTO reviews the architecture of a system the CTO candidate actually built, and how they hire engineers.
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Revenue and sales
A sales director judges a CRO candidate on building the sales engine, the pipeline and managing the teams.
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Product
A seasoned CPO assesses a CPO candidate on discovery, prioritisation and how they work with tech.
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Operations
A COO puts a COO candidate through their paces on structuring processes, scalability and managing by metrics.
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General management
A leader or investor from our network talks with a candidate for general management about strategy, the board and execution.
In the assessment offer
Key Predict personality tests, formerly Central Test
The second part of the offer: we run personality tests and handle the debrief. Our consultants are trained in Key Predict, formerly Central Test, a French publisher of psychometric tests for more than twenty years.
- The tool
Key Predict, formerly Central Test
Scientifically validated inventories of personality, motivation and aptitude. For leaders, the CTPI-R measures 19 personality traits and managerial potential in 25 minutes.
- CTPI-R
- 19 traits, 25 minutes
- The debrief
Test and debrief
The candidate takes the test online. The consultant debriefs it with the candidate, then with you, and reads it in light of the interviews and references.
- Candidate debrief
- Read with the interviews
- Used well
An insight, not a decision
The test describes a way of working. It measures neither experience nor results, and never replaces the structured interview and the references.
- As a complement
- Never on its own
When should you request an in-depth assessment?
Six situations where the assessment offer changes the decision.
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A first leadership role before a funding round
First CFO, first CTO: your investors will judge the profile. A peer's view secures the choice.
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Succeeding a founder
Replacing the person who built everything puts the team at risk. Cultural fit can be measured; it should not be left to guesswork.
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Two close finalists
When interviews cannot separate them, the business case and the personality test bring out the differences.
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A newly created role, with no internal benchmark
No one in your company has held the role. The functional expert brings the missing benchmark.
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A change of scale or sector
A leader moving from a large corporation to a scale-up, or the reverse. The assessment checks they can operate at your stage.
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An internal promotion against an external candidate
The same protocol for both candidates. It is the only way to decide without bias.