The search committee should establish a profile of qualities and experiences that the new leader must have in order to be successful, based on the needs of the program. In preparing a profile of the desired characteristics, the search committee may want to involve key stakeholders - staff, clients, community partners, funders and others. Prioritize your list into two categories: qualities and experiences the candidate must have, and qualities and experiences that would be advantageous for the candidate to have. These may be thought of in terms of primary and secondary characteristics. This prioritizing of desired characteristics of the leader will guide the hiring process.