Small companies make big decisions every day.

Young organizations need to identify and hire decision makers – the doers, go-getters and risk-takers who can trust their instincts and stand behind their choices.

“There’s no room for minor players in a small company,” says Alex MacKay, CEO of DMTI Spatial. “There’s no room for bureaucracy and no time for drawn-out discussions.”

So what does a decision maker sound and look like?

Identifying a decisive personality

Ward Flock, Principal at executive search firm Stanton Chase, says that true decision makers should be able to show results on paper.

He looks for signs of progress on a resume first.

“[It] might be in the form of a promotion or a reward,” says Flock. “Whatever the case, decision makers earn their stripes.”

While a resume can be a good indicator of an individual’s decision-making skills, Flock says the real test lies in their performance during the job interview. He looks for traits such as poise, stature, confidence, decisiveness, charisma and a sense of humour.

“Decision makers are well-rounded individuals,” says Flock. “I always look for people who are balanced.”

The ability to keep work and life in equilibrium is also a sign of a decisive personality, says MacKay.

“People who have a life outside of work tend to be more grounded, more stable, and more outgoing,” he says.

In fact, MacKay says that outgoing personalities are more likely to take chances, be creative and ask questions.

“People who just sit there and wait for the questions are not going to be decision makers. You want people who interrogate you as much as we interrogate them,” says MacKay. “I look for people who are inquisitive.”

Ambition isn’t a bad thing, either.

“One of the things that I’m looking for is whether they ask about advancement,” he says. “If they don’t ask me about the possibility of promotion, expanded responsibility or some level of advancement, then they won’t get the job.”

Decisions and mistakes go together

Although it’s a challenge to hire a decision maker, MacKay says that it’s equally important to create a work environment that fosters decision making. In other words, employers must permit people to take risks, and accept the fact that mistakes will be made.

“If you encourage them to make decisions, and then beat the crap out of them if they make a mistake, then it contradicts risk taking,” says MacKay.

When he sees a mistake being made, MacKay says he sits down with the employee to discuss what went wrong and how to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future.

“I’ve never fired anybody for a mistake. I’ve only fired people for incompetence and under-performance,” says MacKay.

In fact, Flock says that a good decision maker is determined not by the number of times that they do something right, but by the way they deal with things when they’re wrong.

“Did [they] cover it up, deny it, or take responsibility for it?” Flock questions. “If the individual learns from their experience and seeks ways to rectify the situation, then that is what moulds a decision maker.”

Nevertheless, owning up to a mistake can only take place in a forgiving environment.

Once they’ve identified and hired someone with the right personality and approach, employers must realize that in order to hire a decision maker, they must tolerate risk and create a environment that permits people to make decisions.

Small price to pay for such a significant gain.

A sample of MacKay and Flock’s interview questions:
• Give me an example of when you had to be creative in your job or on a project
• What do you do outside of work?
• What are your values?
• What’s most important to you?
• How have you dealt with change?
• When were you were required to ask for forgiveness?
• Give an example of a time when you disagreed with your manager or colleague. How did you deal with the situation?