The executive you’re about to appoint will shape your company for the next decade. In mining, that decision carries weight most industries never face. Production risk, safety culture, community relationships, and regulatory scrutiny are just the tip of the iceberg.
Yet most CEOs still make that call based on interviews, references, and instinct alone. When comparing top candidates, it can be difficult to make that judgement, and you can’t afford to discover a leadership mismatch six months in.
Psychometric assessments can provide additional structure to support your recruitment process. When used properly, assessments can surface risks early and reveal hidden strengths.
It’s important to use assessments that are research-backed and designed specifically for senior leadership roles. This article examines what these assessments reveal, and why they matter in mining.
Executive fit is harder to judge than it looks
At the C-suite level, every candidate looks impressive on paper. They’ve led operations across different commodities, delivered production gains in multiple regions, and managed complex stakeholder environments. But beneath the surface, leaders all differ profoundly in how they think and relate to others.
A technically brilliant engineer promoted to COO may lack the emotional intelligence to engage a 2,000-person workforce. Two CFOs might both excel at financial modeling, but differ in their ability to navigate investor relations during a crisis.
Without structured assessments, it’s easy to over-value experience and under-estimate behavioural risk.
“Psychometric testing helps you see what’s beneath the surface,” says Janine Chapman, HR consultant at Globe 24-7. “It looks at how suitable an executive is for the specific demands of the role, not just whether they’ve done something similar before.”
Comparison is crucial for senior appointments
The process of replacing a senior leader can cost millions in productivity losses and disruption. The high stakes justify taking a more rigorous approach rather than relying on interviews and references alone.
Janine explains: “Every organisation talks about aspects like culture fit, but few can measure it. Assessments make these aspects measurable. By linking behavioural data to company values, you can judge whether top candidates might reinforce or dilute company culture.”
Executive aptitude assessments can reveal three dimensions that don’t show up on a resume: how candidates think, how they lead, and how they connect.
1. How they think: cognitive ability
Every day mining executives need to make decisions with incomplete data, shifting commodity prices, and operational variables that change by the hour. Cognitive agility separates proactive leaders from reactive ones.
SHL’s Verify Ability Assessments are a proven way to measure three key reasoning skills:
- Verbal. How well a leader interprets and communicates complex information.
- Numerical. Financial and analytical capability under pressure.
- Inductive. Problem-solving flexibility.
Together, these assessments reveal capabilities that interviews alone can’t measure. They show how an executive processes information and makes decisions.
2. How they lead: personality and behaviour
Technical skill might get someone into an executive seat, but personality determines what they do with it.
The Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ) is a personality assessment designed to measure behavioural style across 32 dimensions to indicate how an executive approaches leadership. Are they collaborative or directive, analytical or intuitive, detail-focused or visionary, risk-tolerant or cautious?
Why does this matter? A leader who thrives in a high-growth exploration phase might struggle in a mature, steady-state operation requiring patience and governance. A consensus-driven executive might falter during a turnaround demanding bold, decisive action.
“The OPQ helps you understand what sort of leader they really are,” explains Janine. “It highlights whether their natural style aligns with the culture you’ve built or the one you’re trying to create.”
Used well, personality assessments can predict how your candidate’s style will play out before they’re in the chair.
3. How they connect: emotional intelligence
Remote sites, long rosters, and culturally diverse teams mean emotional tone travels fast in mining operations. A leader with poor self-awareness or empathy can erode morale within months.
That’s why emotional intelligence (EI) carries operational weight. The EQ-i assessment measures self-awareness, empathy, and interpersonal regulation. These capabilities determine whether a technically strong leader can influence and connect with their workforce.
“If an engineer moves into a senior role that requires influence over large, distributed teams, emotional intelligence often determines how effective they’ll be,” says Janine.
How do you integrate these assessments?
Leading mining companies build assessments into their recruitment process from the start. A good process typically looks like this:
- Define the leadership profile: Clarify the capabilities and style needed for your company’s next phase. Whether that’s growth, transformation, or steady-state operations.
- Shortlist finalists: Identify 3-5 candidates based on experience and track record.
- Conduct assessments: Each candidate completes the cognitive, personality, and EI suite, often remotely.
- Validate results: An independent assessor discusses results with each candidate to confirm accuracy and context.
- Deliver board-ready insights: A concise summary outlines strengths, development needs, and culture fit aligned to the role.
- Inform onboarding: Assessment insights shape coaching priorities and integration plans for the successful hire.
What does great look like?
A rigorous executive assessment program is one where results are interpreted by qualified professionals. At Globe 24-7, our executive assessment process is overseen by registered psychologists. The program should include:
A range of tools: Cognitive (SHL Verify), personality (OPQ), and emotional intelligence (EQ-i) assessments tailored to senior leadership.
Expert interpretation: Assessors who understand both psychometrics and the operational realities of mining leadership.
Validation before decision: Candidates discuss results with the assessor to confirm accuracy and context before findings go to the client.
Board-ready reporting: Detailed analysis for HR teams, with concise summaries for executive decision-makers.
Recommendations: Insights tied directly to the role requirements and business strategy, not generic personality profiles.
Integration with onboarding: Assessment data informs coaching priorities and development plans for the successful candidate.
Make evidence-based hiring decisions
The goal of executive assessment is to bring clarity and confidence to the most consequential decisions you’ll make.
At the CEO and board level, it’s a big deal. You’re choosing someone who will impact every area of the business.
“Ultimately,” says Janine, “you’re choosing what kind of leadership your organisation will have for the next decade. Assessments give you the insight to make that choice with confidence, so you don’t have to rely on guesswork.”
The goal isn’t to eliminate your judgement, it’s to make better decisions with confidence. With psychometric assessments, you can back up your recruitment decisions with evidence and reduce the risk of making an expensive mistake.
