The Cannabis C-Suite – What Kind of People Are Weed Companies Looking For Right Now?

By this time next year, the US cannabis industry will have at least 100,000 new jobs, all of which will be filled by skilled workers.

Are you interested in becoming part of this burgeoning community? Perhaps you have built a portfolio seeking employment with one of the leading cannabis companies in legal states. Here are the essential leadership skills you need to adopt and build to get hired for leadership positions in no time.

Before I dive in, let’s look at a few key details about the US cannabis industry.

As of this writing, the country’s federal laws have yet to approve or implement cannabis reform. As millions of Americans cry day and night for change, the Biden-led administration has yet to postpone cannabis’ illegal status. Fortunately, the federal government’s determination to bar citizens from cannabis is not shared by all states. About 35 states have statutes on medicinal cannabis, while 18 have statutes on adult use of cannabis.

The cannabis industry in all jurisdictions employs almost 420,000 people of all ages. By January 2023, this number is expected to increase to at least 100,000. That means that in less than 12 months, the US would have more cannabis-related workers than architects, electrical engineers, or computer programmers. Cannabis jobs are hotly debated, but how do you get a good one?

The rapid growth of the industry has left employers with a slew of inexperienced or underskilled workers. The majority of workers in the C-suite section of cannabis companies learned to grow on the job. The pool of experienced employees is getting smaller by the day; Hence, prospective workers are advised to engage in acquiring knowledge and soft skills in order to be successful.

Top qualities executives need to succeed in C-suite roles

Good decision-making ability

A C-suite leader must be able to make firm decisions with conviction in the absence of key stakeholders in the organization. There will be moments when spontaneous decisions have to be made to seize opportunities or move the company forward. Sure, it’s impossible to get 100% accurate calls. nobody expects that. Even the most experienced business people make mistakes. However, you must be confident in your decision: hesitation, fear and doubt can only hinder the bigger picture.

As an executive in a burgeoning cannabis company, you must have a progressive mindset. It teaches you to see the opportunities and learning curve behind every mistake. The main thing is that you should be able to make the right calls at least 50 percent of the time.

Strong communication skills

Communication is very important in every company. As a cannabis executive, you must be clear and balanced in your communications with colleagues and younger or older employees. A Salesforce survey report showed that approximately 85% of workers at any company blame poor communication for most failures at work.

With strong communication skills, you can converse directly while being explicit about your expectations and goals without confusing the second party. Regardless of your role in the C-suite, you always need to spend a lot of time communicating with subordinates to keep them motivated and constantly realigned with the company goal.

Innovative mindset

The best leaders in cannabis companies have found unique, creative solutions to existing problems. Innovation isn’t just about technology or products, and every leader needs to look at challenges with fresh eyes.

To be successful as a C-suite worker in the cannabis industry, you must be a creative problem solver. It doesn’t help not to see challenges as opportunities. Rather, you must learn to be motivated by problems around you – you can even look to other related industries for inspiration. It is crucial that you or your direct junior staff keep your company at the top with innovative and creative ideas.

mentoring oriented

In every company and area, growth is easier when coaching or mentoring is available. In top cannabis companies, senior teams work hand-in-hand with lower-level workers, right down to entry-level positions. Effective cannabis leaders are assigned to other employees as mentors or coaches. This allows the growing members of the company to access the tools, trust and confidence they need to make decisions that would improve the business.

As a prospective leader, you must learn to listen to and support your team while fostering a collaborative environment. There is existing talent in the company instead of spending resources to hire more. You must be willing to emphasize company culture and values ​​to bring out the best in your employees.

adaptability

Executives in cannabis companies often have to adapt to new conditions and changing plans. In a new industry like the cannabis sector, rules, regulations and practices are often changed to make room for more guidelines. Cannabis leaders must be able to quickly adapt to new changes as they are announced.

Whether it’s new legislation or an innovative product on the market, you need to be ready to change strategy at any moment. In doing so, you must ensure that most or all of your customizations support the growth of the business.

Proven success

No matter how desperate a company is, it rarely hires an executive without a track record. As might be expected, given the relative newness of the cannabis industry in many states, many applicants do not necessarily need to have a cannabis-related degree or experience. However, you must have in-depth knowledge of a related field.

A track record and experience in a fast-paced industry, such as agriculture, food, retail, or pharmacy, will bring you one step closer to earning this board position at a cannabis company.

bottom line

Taking on or taking on the role of a cannabis manager is not an easy task. It takes continuous effort and learning curves to stay relevant in this burgeoning cannabis industry.

Before you embark on this, you need to understand that the job of a cannabis manager is arduous and selfless. To become the leader of a top cannabis company, you must put your personal status and success aside for the growth of your team and your business.

Wish you good luck!

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