Hiring for Success

The recruitment process can be long and complex. And expensive. And the more senior the appointment, the more important it is to get it right.

Sixty four percent of new leaders hired from the outside won’t make it in their current jobs. So says one recent study of executive transition (cf the Center for Creative Leadership). Forty percent will fail within the first 18 months, reports another (cf Manchester Partners).

There are multiple stages to consider. Before searching, it's essential to be clear about what the job is, and what skills will be required to do it. Then one needs to think about where to find potential candidates and how to choose between them. Finally, seal the deal and get the new person on board.

I've summarized this process, below. Take a look at the key questions that have to be asked and answered at each stage. Note that I'm then going to leap ahead to the end, and deal with onboarding, first. This is because I believe it's vital to "begin with the end in mind" (Habit #2 from Dr Stephen R Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.) It's important to understand that, if you really want your new hire to be successful, not only does your role not end with the handshake as he or she accepts your offer, but also, you'll have a lot more work to do once they walk through the door!

Pre-Search Questions

1. Why hire at all? Or, what's this new person going to do, anyway?

In other words, before rushing out to hire someone, ask "what job needs to done?" 

Typically, this question is either not answered at all, or involves drawing up a "job description"... And if you want to know how good your organization's job descriptions are, just try to remember the last time you even looked at yours, let alone discussed it with your boss!

2. What kind of person is needed to succeed at this job?

Knowing the overall mission and the purpose of the position, makes it possible to figure out what kind of person it will take to carry it out. 

Often, this amounts to compiling a list of desired experience and qualifications. Little or no thought is given to the required attitude, skills, or knowledge.

We'll provide guidelines for how to draw up a "person specification", in a later blog.  

3. How will we know if our candidates have what it takes?

"Why, we'll review their resumes and interview the ones we like, right? And we'll hire whomever strikes us as the best fit. Easy!"

Not so fast! We're nowhere near a search yet, please note. We can't begin that process until we not only know what we're looking for, but also the means by which we'll assess it. 

Each of the key criteria desired in our ideal candidate has to be considered in turn to determine "how can we be sure the candidate has this quality?" The assessment process will vary depending on what's being measured.

Suffice it to say, for now, that the least successful approach is the unstructured interview!

Conducting the Search

4. Where to find such people?

Knowing what's wanted is one thing, attracting that talent is quite another.

There are numerous strategies that can be adopted, and we'll cover those in a future article.

5. Long and short-listing

All the work done in the pre-search stage really pays off here. Stick to looking for the criteria that you've identified, and it won't be too hard to come up with a long list. Sometimes, you can even go straight to the short list! 

6. Assessment and Selection 

Finally, bring some candidates in and put them under the microscope. I'll be looking at approaches to assessment - including testing and interviewing in a future piece.

For now, it's important to "stay on target", no matter how close Darth Vader or the CEO is behind you, breathing down your neck and urging you to get on with it! Don't be suckered into deviating from your original criteria and picking the individual you "like" best, ahead of the one who scored highest in your assessment.

More about this later.

7. Negotiating and Making the Offer

Phew! All done, eh? The best candidate has been identified and now we just give them the job, right? Waddayamean, they want to negotiate terms?

Again, it's important not give away the farm, just because you think you've found the next Steve Jobs or whomever - the person who's going to save the failing business, or take the successful organization to the next level. Nor should you be reluctant to reconsider the terms of what's on offer - this phase is critical, too.

After the Hire

8. Onboarding

OK, finally! You've found your new leader. Your investment of time and money in recruitment and selection is about to pay off. You've thought about the results you need, you've identified the person who can deliver those results, and they've accepted the job offer.

Now's the time to get out of their way and let them get on with it, yes?

No. No. And no.

Your job's only half done. If you want your new leader to succeed, you'd better make sure you have a plan and process in place to get them on board.  

• A Right Management Consultants' 2005 report indicated that about 30% of new mangers and executives fail at their new jobs and leave within 18 months.
• According to Bradt, Check & Pedraza (2009), less than 36 percent of executives hired from outside an organization will succeed and perform well in their new jobs. 
• A Harvard Business School report estimated a failure rate between 40 and 60 percent for all U.S. executives in 2003. 

The 6 Derailers for New Executives

According to the Corporate Leadership Council, there are six derailers for new executives:

1. Failure to establish key connections and partnerships.
2. Lack of political savvy or support to effectively navigate through the organization.
3. Failure to establish cultural fit. 
4. Confusion about role expectations. 
5. Lack of feedback and coaching. 
6. Ineffective people management/team building skills 

So, if you don't want your expensive new hire to fail, with all that that will mean - loss of your credibility throughout the organization, loss of money, demoralization of employees - you need a plan.

Research suggests that new employees get about 90 days to prove themselves in a new position. The faster new hires feel welcome and prepared for their jobs, the faster they will be able to successfully contribute to the firm’s mission.

The objective of the "onboarding" process - or orientation period, or socialization process, or whatever you want to call it - is to jump start the creation of the key relationships that a new leader needs. Better relationships lead to greater job satisfaction resulting in better performance and reduced turnover.

Of course, in an ideal world, the process has started before the interview! You've made it clear in your job ads and through the search process, that you expect your new hire to do their homework, to thoroughly research the organization that they're seeking to join, and to take responsibility for their own career development.

4 Levels of Integration

An effective process will assimilate the new hire at four levels: the organizational, the departmental, the functional, and the personal.

At the organizational level, the individual needs to know about the organization's history and culture, understand its strategy, and meet and form relationships with its key stakeholders.

At the departmental level, the new leader needs to know how work gets coordinated, what the decision-making process is, what the particular "seasonality" is - i.e. what are the organization's cycles throughout the year, quarter, month.

At the functional level, the new hire needs to know who his or her people are, their strengths and weaknesses, what the current operational challenges are, what resources are available, and what the key priorities are.

Finally, at a personal level, each new hire needs to understand how the new job impacts their home life, their family - are there transportation issues, schools to be considered, relocation, even?

4 Levels of Knowledge

What the new hire needs to know can be broken into 4 levels of knowledge:

• Basic operations: rules and regulations, policies and procedures.
• Overall objectives: what's the organizational mission, and what's the strategy.
• Culture: what are the norms - formal and informal, what are the values.
• People: who's who and how do the networks work.

Getting it Right

Duration - At least 6 months
This is the amount of time that an employee takes to make his or her decision to remain at (or leave) a company.

Before Arrival
Use whatever technology and/or social media you have at your disposal. Whether that's an intranet portal, a web-site, a facebook page, twitter feeds or whatever - make sure the new manager has easy access to key information. If you have stuff that needs reading - handbooks, policy documents, mission statements, details of benefit programs - have it handled before the first official day in the office. Use mail and/or email to allow the new hire to assimilate this material at home. Avoid overwhelming new managers.

Encourage the new leader to get as complete an outsider's view of the organization as they can before they start. Remember, one of the (short-lived) values they will bring is a picture of what the "forest" looks like from the outside. All-too-soon, like you and the other people on the inside, they'll see nothing but "trees"!

Internal Network
Give the new manager a brief guide to who's who in the organization. Networking with other leaders in the organization, both new and experienced, is one of the best ways to help new leaders build relationships. Some organizations use “buddy programs” or have mentorship arrangements. Identify whom the new manager needs to know to carry out his or her responsibilities. Set the stage for these meetings ahead of time, brief the network members to involve them in the process, and let them know that their contributions are wanted, valuable, and important.

Making a First Impression works both ways
Early experiences are important. If new hires get the feeling they are just a number, they will act that way. Conversely, if new hires feel welcomed and valued from the onset, they are more likely to act in ways that provide value. So, put out the welcome mat and inspire pride. Try to make a clear link between the new employee’s work and the overall success of the organization. Talk about mission and vision and values. Show newcomers that they’re part of something great. And let them know that they help make that greatness happen.

Careless onboarding evokes confusion, frustration, boredom, annoyance, anxiety, insecurity, disappointment, and regret. Effective onboarding makes the newcomer feel welcome, comfortable, secure, valued, important, proud, excited, and confident.

6 Key Steps

Both internal and external coaching can be critical in the success or failure of new employees. External coaches can be especially important for executive onboarding, where the stakes are high.

1. Homework
Make it clear that you expect candidates to have done their homework on the organization they wish to join, before the interview.

2. Information 
Provide as much as possible. New hires should do as much information gathering as they can; talking to customers, searching the internet, reading annual and financial reports, reviewing the mission and strategy. New leaders need to know the bad, and the ugly as well as the good.

3. Key Stakeholders
If possible, have the new hire talk to the current (past) post-holder, as well as direct reports, the boss' boss, peers, and key external clients or investors.

4. A clear break point
(This is especially important for internal appointments). As new leaders scramble to wrap-up their current roles and prepare for their new ones, encourage them to think through the differences in the old and new jobs. Leadership is situational, and by virtue of moving to a new position, they are, in fact, in a new “situation.” Consequently, they may need to change their behaviors. Whatever date is set in official communications, and in the payroll system, the new role starts as soon as it is announced. There's no such thing as a casual utterance once you're in charge - people will study behavior, listen to comments, and make all kinds of inferences.

5. Follow Up
If possible, give the person a coach - either internal or external - but be sure to schedule time for regular follow-ups and check-ins. Establish 30, 60, and 90-day milestones, as well as whatever routine the organization has for appraisals and reviews.

6. On-going Communication
As with any management situation, the challenge is to avoid surprises, or, at least, minimize their impact. This takes regular, daily, informal communication - listening and questioning as well as telling.

By addressing the needs of a new leader, your organization will gain an important competitive advantage – fully-integrated leadership - and will greatly improve the likelihood that the new hire will actually deliver the change and success for which he or she was recruited. In maximizing the chances for success of your new leader, you cover the costs involved, and eliminate the costs of clearing the organizational wreckage that can accompany a derailed or failed leader.

Importantly, in addition to the other clear benefits, a great on-boarding program can also be a valuable
recruiting tool. It lets key candidates know how important they are to you, and becomes your organization’s secret weapon in the War for Talent.

Finding and Keeping Great People

There are two basic reasons why you might be thinking about hiring someone. Either you're planning to replace someone who left (or was fired!), or you've created a new position and want someone to fill it. Whichever situation you find yourself in, these next couple of articles are intended to help you find (and keep) the best possible person for the job.

So, before you rush off and start creating job ads for Monster.com or wherever, let's take a few minutes to think about the process.

Step 1 is to design the job - which means thinking about what it is that you want done, and how you're going to know whether it's been well (and what you're prepared to pay for those results).

Step 2 is to define the ideal candidate - which means thinking about the skills, knowledge, personality, values, and qualifications they're going to need to get the results you want.

Step 3 is to "go fishing" for applicants - which means you need to think about which "pool" you should "cast the net" into to maximize your chances of attracting a good number of suitable candidates.

Step 4 is to select the best person for the job from among the applicants you have attracted in step 3 - which means thinking about how you're going to compare each person with the spec you created in step 2, and

Step 5 is getting your new hire on board and up-to-speed as smoothly and quickly as possible - which means thinking about how you're going to provide them with access to all the information they'll need to become high performing member of your team.

So, now we need to look at each step in more detail. First up, step 1 - what's the job?

Achieving Your Goals

One of the keys to achieving your goals is momentum.

Many people will tell you that you need to have goals, and that you need to plan your path towards them.

What they don't tell you is that, unless you gain a little ground EVERY SINGLE DAY, you are likely to begin to stumble on your path to success.

For example, if your goal is to write a book, write a page (or even a paragraph) every day. If you want to run a successful business, tell one new person about your products or services, every day.

Complete a little task every day without fail and you'll start to pick up momentum.

Ask yourself:

How can I break my goal down into daily tasks?

It's easy to get discouraged if your goal seems farther away than ever after just a couple of weeks. It's the classic mistake of most dieters.

Q. How do you eat an elephant?
A. One mouthful at a time!

If you know that you are moving forward one little baby step every single day - then you will also know that, if you focus and stay on track - then you WILL achieve your goal!

The Ultimate Bucket List

What you can do if you set yourself some goals...

clipped from johngoddard.info John Goddard's "Life List" John Goddard is most known for his amazing “Life List” of accomplishments. At the age of fifteen John Goddard listed 127 goals he wished to experience or achieve in his lifetime. The list is impressive and audacious, but the results have been truly incredible.

Set Course!

"If you don't know where you're going, then any path will take you there".

Is there anything in life you've always wanted to do? Do you find yourself coming back to the statement "I wish I...."?

Write these things down.

What's the Value of College Education

The following is an extract from a blog by Tamara Erickson posted on Harvard Business Online. The full article is entitled "I've Got a Job Offer! Placing a Future Value on College Degrees".

clipped from discussionleader.hbsp.com I caught an interview with Simon Cowell on Good Morning America recently (June 6). In case you’ve somehow managed to insulate yourself from popular culture over the past five years, Simon is the hard-hitting judge on American Idol. He is also #21 on the Celebrity 100 list Forbes compiles of the most powerful and highest paid stars, has launched half a dozen shows, and is worth an estimated $200 million. After commenting on his success, the interviewer asked him if he had any regrets for having dropped out of high school as a teenager and never having gone to college. His response caught my attention to the degree that I replayed it on TiVo often enough to write it down word-for-word. Here’s what the wise one said: “Absolutely not. Because there was nothing I could or wanted to learn in school; it was just a complete waste of my time. What I did have, and I've always had, is that I'm a hard worker. The secret of my success is that I make other people money.”

Isn't it "basic human nature" that those of us that went through college - at least if we consider ourselves even a little 'successful' - are going to take the position that "a college education is a prerequisite for a balanced, fulfilled, and successful life", whereas those who didn't - and consider themselves even a little 'successful' - are going to take the view that it's not.

Too often, it seems to me, people are encouraged to do the right thing according to someone else's set of values, rather than to work out what their own values are and then do the right thing according to them. "Above all - to thine own self be true".

The fundamental question, it seems to me, is not whether it is more 'valuable' to have a college degree than not (those whose interests lie in 'selling' college education will, of course, attempt to quantify its value in terms of dollars and cents), but whether young people have the opportunity and the mentors to help them a) establish what their life goals are, and b) find the best ways - inside or outside of formal education - to equip themselves to achieve those goals.

Finally, I can't help but wonder at how 'success' is defined. Simon Callow - as far as I can make out - is a bitter, vindictive, publicity hound, a bully whose "talent" lies in his ability publicly to ridicule and humiliate people without shame or remorse.

Hands up all those who want their kids to grow up to be like that!

There's no time for doubt

Time spent doubting is time spent in paralysis. "Should I? Shouldn't I? What if I make/have made a mistake? To be or not to be, that is the question...."

You can't be fully alive, seizing the day, pursuing your goals, if you get locked in the doubt trap. Remind yourself that a bad decision is always better than no decision at all. If you find yourself agonizing, you have to do some relaxation exercises, breathe, close your eyes, and listen. Listen to your heart. Then take that decision and move. Move one way or the other. Your heart knows which is right, but whatever you do, act... and move on.

Time is too short. Life is no dress rehearsal. Stop agonizing and get on with it!