Examples of Strong Success Profiles
Success profiles are valuable tools that outline the specific responsibilities and requirements associated with a critical role. They also highlight key leadership competencies that individuals need in order to thrive in a position. Building success profiles is the second step in SIGMA’s six-step succession planning process, and it is a foundational step because it provides information upon which subsequent talent development decisions are based. In order to build strong success profiles, leaders must have an in-depth understanding of each critical role in their organization. To develop this insight, it can be helpful to consider examples of well-designed success profiles. In this article, SIGMA’s experts delve into the significance and characteristics of success profiles, and provide access to an extensive database of robust success profile examples. This resource aims to empower leaders to better identify and articulate the essential elements that contribute to role-specific success.
What is a Success Profile?
A success profile is a document that records the knowledge, skills, experiences, and characteristics that are required for success in any given role. It sets the standard for training and development, while also helping leaders evaluate potential candidates for succession. As such, success profiles serve as comprehensive guides for both recruiting and performance evaluations. They are deliberately crafted to capture the essence of what makes a role critical, including key skills, necessary qualifications, and desired behaviors that align with the company’s objectives and culture. By detailing these elements, success profiles help ensure that candidates selected for these roles are well-suited to not only perform the tasks required but also to drive the organization forward. They act as benchmarks for assessing an employee’s contributions and fit within the role, facilitating more focused development and training initiatives that enhance overall performance and productivity. SIGMA’s success profile template is unique in that it captures the present landscape, while also anticipating competencies that will become pivotal in the future.
Success Profile Examples
Every success profile is unique. Even when job titles and descriptions are the same, the organizational context in which a position functions influences the competencies that are required for success. That being said, in our work with clients, SIGMA’s consultants have identified common trends in roles frequently classified as critical and the leadership competencies essential for candidates to thrive in those roles. We have integrated these insights with thorough job analyses using professional resources like O*NET. This comprehensive approach has culminated in the creation of an extensive database known as the LeaderBase, which serves as a vital tool for understanding and developing leadership excellence.
SIGMA’s LeaderBase contains up-to-date success profiles for common critical roles across organizations of various industries and sizes. This results in a robust set of success profile examples that can serve as a foundation for creating tailored profiles. LeaderBase can also be used to support hiring, succession planning, team building, and talent development initiatives. To request access to SIGMA’s LeaderBase, please fill out the form at the bottom of the LeaderBase portal.
Leadership Success Profile Examples
In addition to showcasing success profiles examples for common critical roles, SIGMA’s LeaderBase also includes a summary of competencies that have been identified by clients as important for all leadership roles. This collective wisdom has been compiled into a Senior Management Team (SMT) profile. Serving as a quintessential leadership success profile, the SMT profile provides a versatile template applicable to various types of executives, management, team lead, or other leadership roles. The competencies outlined in this profile are essential for completing the “Leadership: Current Competencies” and “Leadership: Future Competencies” column on the SIGMA Success Profile™ for any other role.
Complementing Success Profiles with Behavioral Examples and Development Tools
Identifying and developing strong succession candidates requires more than a brief document like a success profile. Leadership competencies are not boxes to be checked or badges to be accumulated; they are inherently linked to ongoing behavioral outcomes. This understanding is crucial for fostering genuine leadership growth and ensuring competencies are effectively demonstrated in practice.
To learn more about behaviors associated with each competency in SIGMA’s Leadership Competency Framework, explore our Leadership Development Series. This series features 50 guides, available to download for free. Each guide provides a behavioral definition of a specific leadership competency, as well as practical questions to ask in order to identify proficiency in that competency. The guides also contain behavioral tips that can be used to develop each competency (see example: Great Leaders Manage Conflict). Beyond their development applications, these guides offer leaders a practical framework for understanding how each competency manifests in real-world scenarios. They serve as practical tools for identifying leadership competencies in action and crafting behavioral interview questions that ascertain a candidate’s ability to apply these competencies in daily work. This approach ensures a comprehensive evaluation of whether a candidate can effectively leverage their skills on-the-job.
Build Success Profiles for Your Organization
For organizations ready to begin building success profiles, SIGMA offers a suite of tools designed to provide support throughout the process. Begin by reading our blog on How to Build Strong Success Profiles. This resource includes a downloadable, form-fillable success profile template and provides detailed insights into what success profiles entail, how they differ from job descriptions, and how to maximize the effectiveness of each SIGMA Success Profile™.
Build Strong Success Profiles with SIGMA
Building success profiles can be a time-consuming process, yet it is crucial for laying the groundwork for all subsequent talent development initiatives. If you’re ready to get succession done but need help implementing the process, consider utilizing the expertise of SIGMA’s consultants to build a portfolio of strong success profiles. Our team will help you expedite the process while also ensuring that your success profiles are of the highest caliber so that your organization has a strong foundation for impactful talent development programs. Allow our experts to do what they do best so that your leaders don’t need to sacrifice time doing what only they can do.
Speak with an Expert
If you’re considering building success profiles but are unsure whether to tackle the task independently or seek expert guidance, take the first step towards informed decision-making. Schedule a complimentary consultation with one of SIGMA’s succession planning experts. During this call, you’ll gain insights into the process, and receive personalized advice and tools tailored to meet the unique needs of your organization and your team.
Meet the Team
Erica Sutherland, Ph.D.
Senior Consultant & Executive Coach
Erica completed her Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational psychology at Western University. She is a Senior Consultant at SIGMA, where she delivers consulting services and Succession Planning solutions to clients. As a member of SIGMA’s executive coaching team, Erica works one-on-one with leaders to develop talent. She also brings her expertise in measurement and psychometrics to the R&D team, assisting with the development and validation of SIGMA’s many assessments.
Brittney Anderson, Ph.D.
Senior Consultant & Executive Coach
Brittney is a member of our coaching and consulting team. She brings her expertise in evidence-based practice to provide companies with leadership solutions that meet their needs. Primarily, Brittney helps her clients prepare for their future with succession planning and comprehensive leadership development programs. As an executive coach, she helps leaders hone their skills using a process-based approach to development.
Arieana Thompson, Ph.D.
Senior Consultant
Arieana is a senior leadership consultant. She believes in positively transforming the modern-day workplace through thought-provoking, evidence-based insights. Arieana is a subject matter expert in executive leadership, succession management, wellness cultures, and employee growth. In her work at SIGMA, she supports executive teams with succession planning and leadership development and assessment.