"Heroes" and "Goats"

From time to time I am asked "How do you really know how well someone will perform before you hire them?" No matter how sophisticated the client nor personally invested she or he has been in the search process, when it comes to predicting how a person will perform once they join your company, there is always an anxious moment or two.

Given what is at stake for your company's performance (and your own personal expectations for the new hire), it is perfectly understandable to want to confirm your due diligence with a reassuring gaze into a crystal ball that tells you you are making the right choice.

Separating the heroes—those who will immediately hit for extra bases once they join your line-up—from the goats, who will only add goose eggs to the bottom line, is difficult. But it is not impossible.

The first and most obvious place to start is with the candidate's résumé. What kind of results does it feature? What has this person added to the bottom line or saved in the way of expenses to improve performance? Saving or making money are two prime indicators for hero status in my book. The more specific, detailed and current, the better.

Also, I look for promotions. Other than in smaller firms or those with very flat organizational structures, few or no promotions are a warning signal to me. Why hasn't this person advanced or been given added responsibilities in the current position? Assuming the company is large enough with lots of room for the candidate to have maneuvered, he or she should have progressed by now, but goats tend not to stand out from the flock.

Beyond the résumé and initial telephone screening interview (typically conducted by the search professional for your Search Committee), the next opportunity to gauge the prospective senior executive's qualities is during a personal interview. In advance of this, you will also have been thoroughly briefed about the person by your executive recruiter, who will already have spent several hours face-to-face with the candidate.

What should you look for? From the thousands of personal interviews with senior executives that I have conducted on practically every continent on earth, there are four critical factors which I have learned to seek without which, in my judgment, the candidate is unlikely to measure up to what is needed.

The first is preparedness. Has the candidate reviewed all the information you have provided and are they thoroughly conversant with your industry, your company and its products, and your people? Have they read the latest stock market report, seen the profile in Forbes or The Wall Street Journal?

Secondly, I believe that a potential CEO or senior executive must demonstrate a satisfactory ability to answer questions since a major part of a top corporate officer's responsibility is to make decisions about complex issues, often under severe pressure and time constraints.

In response to a difficult question from me then, a simple "yes" or "no" is a likely disqualifier. The successful candidate will listen acutely to the problem posed and, in fairly short order, give me a thoughtful, succinct and articulate answer. They generate additional confidence if they use the vocabulary, terms and phrases common to the industry because executives must be able to speak the same "language" in order to feel comfortable working together.

Third, will their personality fit into the culture of the company and do they possess gravitas? Are they personable, poised and self-confident (without being arrogant or overbearing)? Do they exhibit warmth and connectedness? Is their dress and speech appropriate to the occasion? Although such personal traits are not quantifiable on a handy scale, they are extremely important factors that should be taken into account during the evaluation process.

Lastly, in-depth reference checking which goes beyond the standard list of references provided to include the candidate's former supervisors, peers and subordinates is an excellent performance indicator. Consistent feedback on strengths and weaknesses from such close associates will help to confirm that what you have seen and heard is most likely what you will get on the job.

Upon reflection, selecting "heroes" while avoiding "goats" is not magic. But it does require a challenging combination of disciplined, thorough research and sensitive evaluation.

For more information about Kincannon & Reed, please link to krcontact@krsearch.net.