For many hiring managers in 2025, spotting leadership potential early has become one of the most critical and elusive parts of the hiring process. Whether you're promoting from within or hiring a team lead from outside, the risk is the same: choosing someone who isn’t quite ready.
Most weeks go like this: You open a new leadership role, candidates flood in, and you’re left parsing CVs, wondering“Is this person just a strong performer, or are they ready to lead others?”
At Hirehoot, we work with companies every day to help them answer that question. We’ve studied the signals and the misses across hundreds of hires. And while titles can be misleading, certain patterns consistently show up in those who are ready to lead.
Here are four signs to look for👇
Top performers often get promoted based on individual success. But the best leaders know how to make that success scalable.
They coach others. They share playbooks. They tweak processes so the whole team runs better. Leadership-ready candidates think in terms of “us” instead of “me.
This mindset often shows up through:
🔍 How to screen for this:
Ask: “Tell me about a time you scaled a process or improved a team’s performance.”
And when reviewing CVs, look for team impact, frameworks they have created, and measurable improvements, not just personal wins.
What to look for on CVs:
Influence comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s charisma. Other times it’s quiet confidence, data-driven insight, or consistent problem-solving. Regardless of style, great leaders tend to attract trust.
You’ll notice teammates turning to them with questions. Juniors ask for feedback. Peers invite them into big conversations because they know things move faster when this person is involved.
This kind of early leadership can be harder to identify, especially in interviews. References can be incredibly useful here, especially when you ask about how a candidate works across teams or navigates conflict.
This kind of early leadership can be subtle and tough to spot in interviews. That’s where references become powerful. Ask about how the candidate works across teams, builds trust, or navigates conflict. Their influence will often show up in those stories.
🔍 How to screen for this:
Ask: “Tell me about a time you handled disagreement with a stakeholder or team member.”
Look for signs of emotional intelligence, listening, and steady influence, not just authority.
Some people are great at executing but don’t tend to look beyond their task list. Leadership-ready candidates are different. They zoom out.
They want to understand the why behind their work. They ask questions about the company’s broader goals. And they can translate strategic direction into meaningful action for others.
In fast-scaling companies, this ability to bridge vision and day-to-day execution is invaluable. It means they won’t just hit KPIs, they'll help others do the same.
🔍 How to screen for this:
Ask: “How do you prioritize when business goals compete?”
You’re listening for signs the candidate thinks cross-functionally, asks the right questions, and knows how to break down a complex goal into a practical plan.
Finally, great leaders are proactive not just responsive. They investigate. They spot patterns. They take initiative without waiting for permission.
They also ask excellent questions. They don’t challenge for the sake of it, but to move things forward. They’re thoughtful, self-aware, and decisive when it matters most.
You might notice they’ve proposed new ideas, challenged old processes, or introduced tools or tactics that shaped how a team works. These candidates don’t just do their job they shape it.
🔍 How to screen for this:
Ask: “What’s a time you challenged the existing team direction or brought a new idea to the table?”
Look for curiosity, conviction, and a clear example of driving meaningful change.
Promoting the wrong person too early can hurt team culture, performance, and trust. But recognizing leadership potential early and supporting it can supercharge growth.
At Hirehoot, we help companies find commercial leaders who scale results and multiply impact Whether you’re hiring your first team lead or replacing a key leadership role, our goal is to help you make the right match.
🦉 Hiring a team lead soon?
We can help you find someone who’s ready to lead from day one.
👉 Get started here!
