Human Capital as a Strategic Asset: Unlocking High-Performance Leadership in the C-Suite

May 20, 2025 – In today’s rapidly evolving business environment, human capital has become a true strategic asset. Organizations are realizing that successful leadership requires more than technical expertise — it demands a blend of measurable competencies and intangible qualities like emotional intelligence, adaptability, and cultural alignment. High-performance leadership is now defined by the ability to drive innovation, inspire teams, and create lasting organizational impact. As a result, executive recruitment is shifting toward a deeper focus on leadership DNA. Boards and CEOs seek leaders who not only deliver results but also foster collaboration and long-term growth.

Identifying these qualities requires moving beyond traditional metrics and understanding how executives influence culture, develop talent, and align with an organization’s future vision. “Leveraging human capital starts with defining a strategic approach to how the organization thinks about both technical competencies plus intangible leadership attributes – one without the other simply does not set a futuristic mindset that will allow a newly-recruited executive to achieve both near term goals to support the organization and long-term aspirational goals for the enterprise,” said Smooch Repovich Rosenberg, founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based SmoochUnplugged LLC.​

Ms. Repovich Rosenberg explained that high performance leadership starts with a proven track record of success in either: a). “Other functions internally within the organization, or b). externally with prior entities in terms of tangible, measurable performance,” she said. “I would also say that today’s C-suite teams require a much higher degree of neutrality in one’s thinking such that an executive is open minded to other peoples’ viewpoints. Collaboration starts with the DNA of a mindset and is not something that can be legislated or dictated from the CEO office.”

So what role does emotional intelligence play in selecting C-suite executives who drive organizational success? “In my opinion, by the time a professional reaches the C-suite level, they should have evolved and matured their emotional intelligence to a level that is intuitive versus I have to think about how to do that,” Ms. Repovich Rosenberg said. “When I am advising CEOs and the broader management team about how to make the right hire, it really is a singular focus on EQ + intangible leadership attributes, neither of which should be compromised in the decision-making process. One small mistake in this area of professional depth can be a negative disruptor in a C-suite team.”

Related: Private Equity Recruiting and What it Takes to Find the Right Candidates

After more than 25 years as a globally recognized executive search consultant, Ms. Repovich Rosenberg has her finger on the pulse of global investor relations, corporate communications and has had tremendous success leveraging human capital strategies to create high-octane, superior performing functions. She is known as a leading authority on the intangible leadership traits that define the top 20 percent of investor relations and chief communications officers globally.

Serving a Wide Range of Clients

Today, Ms. Repovich Rosenberg utilizes her business acumen to serve clients ranging in size from pre-IPO startups to Fortune 100 corporations as a C-suite executive search consultant, talent acquisition strategist, and leadership coach. In addition, she regularly contributes thought leadership pieces to industry publications and myriad media sources, shares her thoughts in interviews and podcasts, and engages with numerous professional organizations as a sought-after speaker. Ms. Repovich Rosenberg recently sat down with Hunt Scanlon Media to further discuss her views on driving high-impact leadership at the C-suite level.

Smooch, how can companies assess a candidate’s ability to build, develop, and retain top talent during the executive search process?

This is rather easily proven by having multiple discussions with former subordinates as well as those who have been keen observers of a candidate’s behaviors with teams, and by examining the career paths that former direct reports have taken which can be a direct result of the positive influence the candidate has had on others. Not an exact science here for sure.

Why is cultural fit just as important as technical expertise when recruiting C-suite leaders?

In my opinion, cultural fit trumps nearly everything at the C-suite level. If you think about it, by the time a professional reaches the C-suite, they have mastered (or should have) nearly all of the technical areas of competence required to oversee a team of people in a particular focus. And, if there is a gap in a particular competency, they can recruit a direct report to fill that gap. As a result, in the past decade we have seen a dramatic increase in C-suite leadership being recruited for their overall leadership capabilities and cultural fit because at the end of the day, the CEO and board want to trust that the leadership team fits well together, is cohesive in their thinking, and can be a formidable decision-making force for the company. The latter comes from cultural fit, well-developed intangible leadership attributes, and the right DNA to make appropriate decisions based on what is in the best interest of the company.

“In my opinion, cultural fit trumps nearly everything at the C-suite level.”

How do executive search firms evaluate a leader’s ability to foster innovation and agility in a dynamic business environment?

This is a challenge that I believe every search firm wrestles with on behalf of their clients. If you look historically at human capital evaluation tools, they have scored professionals on highly defined categories with little dedicated to the “DNA of a leader.” It is a small percentage of people who innately have the ability to foster human capital, let alone innovation and agility in an organization – both of these require a very particular DNA, largely based in neutrality to hear all perspectives and encourage the right ones. So if the majority of professionals do not have the “DNA of a leader” the challenge becomes assessing whether or not have they have enough so that others can coach them. In my advice to CEOs and others, I have always been an advocate of coaching them about the notion of “human capital tradeoffs.” Why? Because human beings are not perfect. So, I believe helping a client understand “acceptable tradeoffs” and what they mean to an organization will always help the client recruit more effectively.

How can organizations measure the long-term impact of C-suite hires on human capital development?

The answer to this is a complicated. A large part of this stems from how sophisticated the CHRO is as it relates to this topic – are the systems in place that provide an opportunity to obtain meaningful feedback about how leaders develop people? Does the organization care beyond “lip service” to the philosophical concept? Who has ownership of the measurement process. So, in my opinion, it starts with the basics of “is there a process in place?” Second, how is execution of this defined? And third, culturally is the organization committed to the concept?

Related: Exploring the Impact of Culture & Diversity Initiatives on the Search Process

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor  – Hunt Scanlon Media