A while ago I was reading a very interesting article around how many organisation are moving from a federated model into a single entity model which has had an impact on how they go about their recruitment.
As a recruitment professional focusing on executive level recruitment back in the day I had the privilege of consulting with Boards, Presidents and CEOs of these organisations when it comes to finding the best talent for their office. I helped an small NFP organisation appoint a CEO who was in the process of moving from a federated model into a single entity. From this, I learnt a few interesting things that I wanted to share.
Be Transparent with the members and staff
This is extremely important to get right from the beginning. Be upfront with your staff and clients and let them know what you are doing. In the case where you might have state executive officers who express interest in the national CEO role, be honest with them and at the same time give them the opportunity to apply and put their case forward. If for whatever reason an internal applicant is unsuccessful, it is important to give them constructive feedback as to why they were unsuccessful. It also is important to give suggestions to the internal candidate as to what they could do to improve their chances of being considered for the role in the future. This then helps them feel that they have been given the opportunity to put their hand up but also advice to help them for next time. This gives them the sense that they are being looked after by their organisation.
Be transparent to the candidates
Through any change an organisation goes through, there will be hurdles and challenges that a new CEO will need to be aware of. It is important to be transparent about this right from the beginning. This could be change in office culture, internal process changes when moving from a federated model to a single entity model as well as re-branding and if necessary new system changes. It is important that the incoming candidate is aware of these before starting in the role to avoid any surprises.
Know what you are looking for before you start looking
Looking for a CEO for your organisation is a lengthy process and in my experience from start to offer stage it can take between 3-6 months to find the right candidate. It is important for the board to know what they are looking for before they start looking as it will give a strong impression to candidates from the beginning and will make the process run a lot smoother.
Having said this I understand that at times the role can change through the recruitment process and this can sometimes be unavoidable. One thing I really enjoyed doing is actually sitting down with the board and finding out exactly what they need. Do they want someone to simply manage the organisation or do they want someone to drive positive change and grow the client base? This can take some time at the beginning however makes a big difference in time down the line and also helps secure a much better candidate. Candidates at an executive level really respond favorably to organisation who know what they want from the beginning and aren't changing their minds throughout the process.
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