Worth The Wait
I had the opportunity to speak with a leadership group earlier this summer. The presentation was called “Terms Tell A Story”. This was the subject of last month’s Blog (see https://www.abelnmagy.com/blog/terms-tell-the-story).
Prior to the start of the presentation, I was talking with the group’s leader/facilitator – small talk – about a car I had searched for across the United States and Canada in the late 1990’s (we had been talking about cars from our past). It took me 14 months to find this particular car. I had advertised in old car publications and received multiple calls and even an occasional letter. (This was early in the history of attaching pictures to e-mails.) The car I was seeking – a 1956 Salmon and White Buick Special – was the exact make, model, color scheme and option package of the car my parents purchased as their first new car. People would call and tell me they had my car – a 1958 Buick or a 1956 Oldsmobile. I even had a person send me pictures – of a 1956 Pontiac that he was hoping I would buy. I politely mailed them back.
Close but wrong so many times . . . . . . I knew what I wanted. While I was born after my parents had purchased the car, I remember it fondly from my youth. One day a call came that caught my attention. The person had the exact car I had been searching for. And shockingly after talking with people across the U.S. and Canada, the car was located 30 minutes from my home. I drove the car late on the day of the call and purchased the car the next day, but only after I had an expert in old cars look it over. It was worth the wait. (E-mail me and I will send you a picture.) I owned the car for 16+ years.
(The facilitator of the above-referenced group, Jim Hartfiel – Chief Networking Officer and Founder – Winsights Network, suggested I write this Blog based on our conversation. Focusing on what you want, getting specific, ‘ruling in the good stuff’ and patiently yet methodically going after it are key themes for him and have resulted in his success as well as the successes of many others in his leadership groups.)
Searches Take Time
No retained executive search should take 14 months. I can’t imagine a client that would have this sort of patience or lead time. We have never received a call about a search with a long or open-ended timeframe. The calls we receive commonly have a sense of urgency.
Many openings we are retained to fill are planned. Other openings result from unplanned turnover. We know that finding the right person quickly would, of course, be an advantage to all parties. That said, ‘close’ is not a success.
Never Settle
I didn’t want any other car – my personal car quest was indeed ‘personal’. I had pictures and old 8-milimeter movies that showed the car. Getting close – buying a vehicle that did not match what was needed by me – would have been an ultimate failure.
In search, we can’t and don’t let a client settle. There are a set of requirements that our clients need to address. No one calls us and says find us anybody that is close. There are specific attributes that are needed and clear definitions from the client of what success will look like. This goes beyond the simple academic and experiential titles. It is the way in which the successful candidate will come in and interact. It is in the way a successful candidate will achieve their objectives.
Multiple Views
I knew what I wanted in my car search but still had to get an outside opinion. Clients need to do the same thing. An interview with the hiring leader is one form of vetting a candidate, but so much more is needed. Seeing a candidate in different settings and through different interactions is key. How do they write? How do they present? How do they interact with people in different functions? No client hires a key leader after one interview, nor should they.
Assessments are often part of the vetting process. While some basic assessments can result in an up or down decision, most lay out a candidate’s attributes. We look at those themes and compare them to the original set of position specifications. We also look at the assessment results and compare them to all of the other data points we have gathered through our multiple interactions with the candidate.
References are another interesting view. We talk with past supervisors, direct reports and peers. Each reference has its own unique perspective. Taken together, however – are these diverse perspectives telling the same story? We look for common themes.
The End of the Car Story
My parents were coming to supper at my home the day I bought the car. They had no idea I had been looking. I parked the car in my driveway. When my parents arrived, they were completely surprised. My father asked me for the keys. My parents put me in the back seat and took me for a ride around the block – just as they had many decades in the past.
It was magical!