Just last week I was on another strategy call with a group of shareholders. The company is in the middle of repositioning. We talked about performance pressure, the new structure and the new leadership layer.
Officially, we were looking for a COO. The job profile was neatly written. The responsibilities clearly described.
And yet I haven’t launched the search.
Why not?
Because between the lines there were three different expectations.
One shareholder wanted operational stability. Another a culture changer.
A third saw the role more as a two-year interim solution.
Differences like these are normal, especially in a transformation. But left unresolved, they surface in the candidate interviews, and in the worst case the new hire has to fight them out in the day job later, or the change fails.
What strikes me again and again is that top candidates don’t just listen to what’s said. They pick up every nuance, every priority, every unspoken power structure. And if those don’t add up, you get caution, not commitment.
So here’s what we always do before going to market:
we don’t just help our clients clarify the assignment and the tasks; we help them clarify the hierarchy of expectations.
- What is truly critical to success in the first 180 days?
- How will the person be measured?
- Who decides when there’s a conflict?
These conversations aren’t always comfortable at first. But they create the alignment that later decides between success and failure.
In a transformation, it isn’t the company with the nicest profile that wins, but the one with the greatest clarity.
TALENTspy, your partner for executive search in business-critical situations,
for mandates in which the appointment has to be part of the solution.
