Q. How does gaining
that clarity help an
executive fill a role?
It just makes you
cogent about what you’re
discussing and projecting
out to the marketplace. If
you thought, ‘It’s just like
everything else,’ once you
document and you really
think about something,
then you’re able to better
articulate that to individuals with whom you’re
meeting.
It also really forces you
to really sit down and say,
‘What is really most important
here, and what are we really trying to accomplish?’ Lastly, whatever we’re trying to accomplish,
‘How does that help form the
kind of person we’re seeking?’
You can also use those documents as a marketing tool to
potential candidates. If someone is interested in the opportunity, then you can send it to that
person and say, ‘Here is a
description of the company.
Here’s a description of the business that we’re discussing.
Here’s a description of the role.
Here are the criteria that we
think are critical for this person’s success.’
Q. How do you approach a
potential candidate?
I would get as much information about them as possible so
that you’re armed. You may not
project that information to
them immediately, but you’re
armed with the information to
kind of shape the conversation
you have initially with them.
I would call them up directly
and say, ‘I have heard outstanding things about you. I know
you have had an outstanding
career at X company, but we
have something pretty special
here. I’m the CEO of this company. I would love to just get to
know you.’
Get them into a conversation
or a meeting, and take it from
there.
Q. Once you get their
attention, how do you gauge
chemistry between potential
hires and existing staff?
One is to do the interview
and have some behavioral
questions to ask that would
indicate what kinds of cultures
in which the person has been
most successful: ‘Give me an
example of where you ended
up being completely wrong on
a decision, and what you communicated to your staff regarding that decision.’ Do those cultures match up with who you
are as a culture?
Two is to do extensive referencing. Ask the people with
whom you’re referencing to not
just describe the person but to
describe the culture in which
they were operating without
giving them any leads. Have the
person describe the culture and
ask probing questions about
that culture. See if you see any
matches or some hot buttons.
The third is to do a psychological assessment.
None of these things are the
deciding factor alone. All combined, do you see any trends
either on the positive that
match up, or do you see any
hot spots that could be problematic that might not surface
necessarily in an interview.
HOW TO REACH: Korn/Ferry International, Southern California office, (310) 552-1834 or
www.kornferry.com
