After more than 30 years of interviewing and hiring leaders and managers, one axiom has served me well and provided a basis for sustaining business operations success for years into the future. The axiom I refer to is “When hiring, think two positions up”! I know, I know. I ended a sentence with a preposition. However if you will forgive the faux pas for a few moments, I will turn my erroneous preposition into a practical proposition.
Business policies and personal hiring preferences will vary from one business to another and from one hiring manager to another. At the same time, there seems to be no end to the options for commercially available interviewing training programs, talent acquisition software, and candidate evaluation tools and techniques. I have used many of these through the years and have my favorites. However, despite the fancy hiring models, gadgetry, and testing tools; I still evaluate candidates for employment with emphasis on the candidate’s potential to be successful in both the immediate position and any of the positions that would represent a logical progression from the open position. Let’s look at an example of this approach then consider the advantages and value of blending this thinking into your hiring practices.
The Senior Vice President of Operations has an opening for a Regional Director of Operations in a processing center located remotely from the Home Office. The Regional Director of Operations is one of six Regional Directors of Operations positions, three of which are located in the Western Region, and three in the Eastern Region. Each of the East and West regions has a Vice President of Operations reporting to the Senior Vice President of Operations. Company policy requires the Senior Vice President of Operations and the regional Vice President of Operations participate in the selection process since this position is considered a junior partnership level candidacy position.
Assuming the role of the Senior Vice President of Operations in the candidate evaluation process, you will likely have only the short list of candidate finalists referred to you for evaluation. As you prepare for these interviews in the customary manner, consider whether your evaluative processes will give you insight to the candidate’s future potential and ability to succeed either of the Regional Vice Presidents or yourself. Of course your evaluation will assure the candidate representing the best fit and opportunity for success will be the primary component of your evaluation process. However, thinking two positions up throughout the evaluation process represents a mutually beneficial approach. You can be assured the candidate is evaluating your company with an eye toward future advancement opportunities.
Three distinct advantages come from a hiring approach that includes thinking two positions up. Employee retention, leadership succession, and business continuity are all improved through two positions up thinking. As I mentioned above, the candidate for employment is thinking about the longer term advancement opportunities and so should you. Openly discuss this philosophy and evaluation tactic with the candidate.
Interviewer: Our company culture is supported by values and strategies emphasizing retention and leadership succession. What would you do in an environment like this to prepare yourself for future opportunities in our organization?
Candidate: It is reassuring to learn that retention and leadership succession are important to this company since there is a mutual desire for advancement and long term viability. I credit my past ability to move progressively through positions of increasing responsibility to activities that keep me sharp intellectually, and up-to-date from an industry standpoint. These activities have included mentoring with senior level leaders, reviewing industry related literature, attending industry related seminars, networking within my industry, and continuous learning. How do those activities coincide with your company’s expectations for those preparing for leadership succession opportunities?
By selecting the best candidate for the position, and thinking two positions up, you have positioned your leadership succession program for greater success. Your key leaders will not likely be around twenty years from now, however you owe it to your shareholders, employees, and customers to assure your company will be viable for years to come. This is a serious matter and not one to be treated with cavalier procrastination. Companies with the strongest cultural character will define and commit to a philosophy, strategic initiatives, structures, and tactics supporting this concept along with an abiding appreciation for leaders that groom their own successors. Reward your leaders for their ability to position their direct reports to run their divisions’ independent from close senior leadership support. Accomplishing this takes time, effort, and devotion so reward the accomplishment.
Accomplishing leadership succession and operational independence also positions your business organization to gracefully absorb the unexpected loss of key executives. For some of you, this may require a paradigm shift in organizational culture and personal reevaluation of how you fulfill your leadership role in the organization. You and your colleagues may have to redefine your value to the organization to not only focus on the here-and-now, but your obligation to the future success of the business organization.
Retention and leadership succession provide a third business organizational benefit of business continuity which also begins with hiring for two positions up. When I mention business continuity, I mean the long term viability of the business, versus disaster event strategic planning. Your customers and vendors will have more confidence in your business organization when they see a pattern of succession and familiarity for those in your business organization they know and respect. Your business organization is vested in its reputation for consistency in building relationships and dealing with vendors and customers. You earn credibility and maintain confidence with your vendors and customers through a sense of continuity in these relationships.
Hiring for two positions up represents a long term competitive and strategic advantage for leadership retention. This advantage is further strengthened by blending the approach with a solid leadership succession strategy, and long term business continuity plan. I challenge you and your organization. If you are not already hiring for two positions up, give it a try for twenty four months. Develop a methodology to measure your retention, your readiness for succession, and your customer and vendor perceptions at the outset, and after twenty four months. Establish a fair reward mechanism to cascade this approach throughout the organization. Measure your results at the end of twenty four months to see if your business organization is stronger in its relationships with vendors and customers, stronger in retention, stronger in leadership succession, more operationally independent and resilient. Following your twenty four month review, celebrate your success sharing your results with your staff and stakeholders. Fine tune your program as you see fit for additional strength and viability.
Treat the axiom and concepts around hiring for two positions up just as you would any solid financial investment opportunity and get going on it now!