Criteria

Criteria to present a candidate

Company profile

• Dutch companies with a minimum turnover of 250 million euro
• Companies with a clear growth potential to reach that minimum in the near future
• Stock listed or not
  
• Leading family owned companies
  
• Foreign companies with a significant presence in the Netherlands

Companies are restricted to one nominee.

Ideal candidate profile

The ideal nominee for the Young Captain Award is someone who is thought to have the potential to reach the BoD/Exec Board in the coming five to ten years, depending on the size of the company.

He or she has shown to be able to build bridges within and outside the organization and to include socio-economic insights in their chosen strategy. He/she will have strong communicative skills, a well-developed personality and a proven impact in their organization. More particularly, he/she will:

• Have a track record in a managerial position
  Leads a major business unit, operating company or geographical region and is in the sub-top of the company. Stands-out amongst others/peers.
  
• Interact directly with top management
  Reports to the top management, or has frequent interaction with the top management, or operates at the level of a manager of a mid-sized company.
  
• Have international experience
  Has managed an international team or operated in an international context, with experience of a variety of cultures. He/she thinks in an international context.
  
• Have a high level of social engagement
  The nominee has a genuine interest in social issues and is engaged in society.
  
• Be younger than 40
  Is not older than 39 when nominated.
  
• Be fluent in Dutch
  The nominee has a thorough command of the Dutch language and is preferably Dutch or embedded in Dutch culture and society.

The candidate’s critical leadership capabilities

• Driving results
  A young captain should at least work to exceed set goals, seizing opportunities to push the envelope. Preferably, he/she makes improvements by seeking to improve processes and implement best-in-class solutions, raising quality and productivity in a calculated way.
• Purpose driven
  In addition to driving results, he/she is fully connected to societal purpose, is able to create reconciliation and thus drives on the social impact agenda
  
• Strategic thinking
  The nominee has to be a clear visionary, who is at the same time able to communicate and translate the vision into action. Preferably, he/she proposes new directions for the business, challenging assumptions and thinking 3-5 years ahead into the next business cycle. More particularly, he/she is digital savvy and thus has a clear understanding of the impact of technology and the digital world on their business and can translate these into business opportunities.
  
• Leading change
  A young captain should at least advocate new directions by communicating changes with a clear rationale and appeal. Preferably, he/she is able to influence the organization for change by creating change leaders. He/she also involves key influencers designing and implementing the change initiative, and he/she achieves buy-in by tailoring their efforts to the individual and/or group. He/she is able to build (digital) capabilities and adapt the team/organization to respond to external challenges.
  
• Leading people
  A young captain acts as a story teller, telling a clear and consistent story where the business is heading for. In doing so he/she creates a following. He/she inspires people, is value driven, challenges and supports. He/she listens, collaborates and openly debates with the team in order to manage projects and is an inspiring engager by communicating a long-term direction. He/she values the input of different generations. Thus he/she is inclusive, well connected with all generations and knows to attract and retain millennials.
  
• Collaborating and influencing
  A young captain can effectively collaborate with a group, adopting a genuine give-and-take approach, where both parties are on an equal footing and decisions are shared. In doing so the nominee should be able to identify and to meet key players and stakeholders and shape common ground. This means engaging in a dialogue to reach a final conclusion comprising in the interest of results as necessary.

• Building teams
  The nominee develops people over the long term. He/she identifies issues, gives feedback, and supports and enables development. He/she systematically develops employees and teams through stretch assignments with specific competency development goals.

The selection procedure is in the hands of an expert jury and takes place in stages.