I have heard many times that taking someone from the outside does not work. This skepticism is noticeable both in large corporate companies and in medium-sized growing companies. The main reason is that there were previous failures in similar situations. I consider that if this was the case it is because something was done wrong, and that is what I want to help avoid, because failing to bring in someone from outside is very costly and almost embarrassing. It is understandable that this risk is not wanted.
Promote someone internal? Isn’t it always better to have someone who already knows the company, and that is why it is better to promote someone internal?
Not always. And I’ll tell you why. Firstly, because no one questions the benefits of diversity today. And clearly, bringing in someone who knows other worlds (other companies) is enriching. As long as it is listened to, and that is a whole issue, because the normal tendency is going to be “you better learn how we do things here”, “we are different”, etc. A conscious effort to give special attention to diverse opinions before disqualifying them is required to benefit from diversity.
Continuously improve. Another advantage of the external person, well chosen, is that he can raise the bar in some aspects that the company has not yet maximized, and in a competitive, Darwinian market, if the species is not permanently improved, it runs the risk of being surpassed by the competition. So conforming is bad, and challenging is healthy.
Finally, the obvious, the person who comes with the necessary experience accelerates the transformation. Today we talk about Talent Intelligence: incorporating talents and capabilities into the organization in a planned and strategic way.
What to do to avoid failure? As in everything, do things well. What does it mean in executive searches to do things well? In general terms, follow the processes indicated by experience, but I now highlight those that I know are not usually done well and are the ultimate cause of failure:
- Be broad rather than specific in defining the skills you are looking for.. There are many who make very long lists of requirements, mixing the essential with the desirable. Fewer requirements, only the essential ones, will allow us to have a larger sample of people to be able to consider many applicants, and to be able to choose the best one, from the cultural, intellectual and “hunger for progress” point of view. If you have to learn something, in a few months you will have learned and you will be the best of all in the company for the long term.
- Search well. It seems obvious, but human beings tend to go for the least effort, as Neuroscience teaches with biases, and sometimes they settle when they see a few good candidates. We must insist on never giving up. There is always one more twist, after which an exceptional person can emerge. I consider that between 40 and 100 possible people is an interesting amount to choose well.
- Buck up. Sometimes the most valuable candidates are not “touched” because it is assumed that they will not be interested in a change. And one can get great surprises. Just think if it seemed logical that Messi would go from the Spanish #1, Barcelona, to a club like Cosmos, very low in the league. This implies, on the one hand, encouraging oneself to offer, and on the other, not restricting oneself too much in offering conditions valued by the person. Sometimes they are not just economic, but if it is necessary to stretch economically, think about how much an exceptional executive can perform, and in parallel, how it can be reasonably explained to the rest of the organization to mitigate possible discomfort. Messi’s thing is a super example.
- Invest in interviews. Several interviews help to have complementary points of view. If you are a consultant, it is serious to have had two or three. As for the type of conversations, personally, I have obtained much greater clarity from cordial, non-aggressive and deep conversations than using the reverse. Allow the person to show their best. And this is complemented with non-invasive psychometric tools for the applicant but that shed light on non-obvious aspects.
- Ask for references, in deep. Talk to people you know in the companies where the person worked, so they can tell us what it is like to work with the candidate, what they require to give their best, if they are going to adapt to our culture. And let them be the opinions of bosses, peers and direct reports. Each one brings a different point of view. No less than 20 minutes per reference. Again, a professional consultation of a few minutes is not the same as an in-depth one.
- Be fast and enthusiastic: Long, overly bureaucratic processes are demotivating. Transmitting enthusiasm is very motivating. “How good it seems to be able to work with these people who love me!”
- Negotiate according to the reality of the market. With a win-win criterion, recognizing that today the market for exceptional candidates is a market of greater demand than supply, and that current generations are very aware of this.
If you recognize the value of attracting external talent, and follow the steps taught by this profession that has been around for some 60 years, you will obtain wonderful results like those I frequently observe, where exceptional people tend to quickly show that they are up for more and They will be responsible for driving units that are more valuable and important than thought.
Ricardo Backer is Founding Partner of Backer & Partners. Consultant specialized in searches for senior executives and cultural transformation of organizations.
by Ricardo Backer
