The CausePlanet
team invited me to respond to the Page to Practice™ book summary of “Match: A
Systematic Sane Process for Hiring the Right Person Every Time” by Dan Ehrling.
I would agree with Erling that human capital is the single most important
factor in accelerating a nonprofit organization’s mission performance. His book
outlines accepted and tested best practices in identifying, hiring and
retaining talent. Nonprofits should not underestimate the competitive
environment for the very best employees or the costs of making the wrong hire. Nonprofit
CEOs who focus on hiring processes and provide leadership for these best
practices will see gains in organizational efficiency and impact through a more
motivated and skilled staff.
However, to many
executive directors and CEOs of smaller nonprofits, this approach to hiring may
sound like a process that is only suited for large organizations. Actually, the
inverse is true. The smaller the organization, the more critical it is to
consistently build focus and discipline around hiring processes. The cost and
impact of making the wrong choice is much greater when the organization is
smaller.
While having a disciplined
and consistent comprehensive process for hiring is important, there are three
aspects that are critical and often overlooked. When talking with organizations
about hires that did not work or when interviewing individuals who have exited
positions that did not fit, it is usually one of the following three aspects of
the search process that was neglected:
- The Foundation: mission, strategic direction and organizational
alignment
- Choice: sourcing to build an applicant pool
- Results: starting with the end in mind
The
Foundation: mission, strategic direction and organizational alignment
Making the right
hire begins with an understanding of the mission, as well as clarity about
where this organization is in it lifecycle and its intended strategic
direction. During work on over twenty searches over the last six years, boards
and/or staff usually articulate a need for changes in how the organization
functions, key success indicators and outcomes. It’s only by discussing the
mission, whom a nonprofit hopes to serve, the outcomes to be achieved and how
the next stage of the organization’s development differs from the last that the
desired change becomes concrete, a tangible set of skills and attributes. These
discussions about the foundational elements of the nonprofit also test the
alignment and support for this future direction and enhance performance on the
mission. Are the board, staff and key stakeholders all supporting the same
direction, strategic vision and next steps for this organization? If not, how
will these differences be addressed prior to filling an important position? Clarity
regarding these most fundamental elements is critically important before
proceeding with a search.
Choice: sourcing
to build an applicant pool
Frequently, we
make the wrong hire when we feel pressured to fill a position and settle on a
candidate who lacks important skills or attributes. It’s easy to talk yourself
or a team into picking the best from a group of applicants who do not fit the
position.
Dan Erling talks
about strategies for expanding the pool with diversified advertising
strategies. Researching the best websites, association list serves and social
media strategies for advertising a job can broaden the pool of applicants. However,
you are only reaching people who want to find a job or change jobs. In all
likelihood, the most qualified candidates are not looking and will not apply
for the position you posted.
To reach this
highly qualified cohort, sourcing is required. Sourcing is an action plan for
reaching those individuals who may be ideal candidates for the job or know
where to find those candidates. Review your contacts and identify at least 20
people who are outstanding at the job you are seeking to fill or know people
who have mastered the skills and attributes your position requires. Send each
of these individuals the position description for the job and schedule a time
to talk. Solicit feedback on the job, sources for candidates, and names of
specific individuals and ask them to forward the position description to their
key contacts. Follow up on suggestions and continue to network. This strategy
will lead to individuals who are not in the job market and may never have heard
of this opportunity without these networking efforts.
Results: starting
with the end in mind
How will you
measure the success of this position? What would a superstar accomplish in this
job during the first 6 months, by the end of year one or two? What are the most
important outcomes to accomplish first? What rate of change does the
organization expect and/or require?
It is amazing
how often I talk with someone new to their job (and regularly these are CEOs) who
have no quantified performance outcomes. Frequently they are spending their
first year on the job defining the job! How often do we set up a new hire for
failure by failing to define success?
Part of the task
when writing a position description is to prioritize the outcomes for year one
and quantify the performance. If the team (board and/or staff) working on the
position description cannot agree on either the outcomes or the measures, keep
working. Failure to agree on this most fundamental statement of what the job
will do for the organization means there is a lack of alignment regarding the
role. Until that alignment is achieved, it’s unlikely anyone can succeed in the
job. Do not make assumptions regarding outcomes; quantify the results your
organization needs!
by Raylene Decatur
