Are You Hiring A Workhorse Or A Thoroughbred?

We are working on a Head of People search right now. Human Resources is not our primary focus at Shine Talent, but often clients ask us to work on other executive hires after we have successfully completed a head of sales or marketing engagement. As we launch this executive search, we are working with the CEO to decide if this new hire should be a VP-Level or a C-Level.

Leveling is a common discussion and something we have written about before related to sales and marketing. To dive a little deeper though, I believe leveling is really about horsepower, the life stage of your business, and what you, the CEO, are willing to hand over. Hiring too much horsepower can be detrimental to your business and can wreak havoc on culture, business operations, and finances. Executive-level hires are expensive and when people reach the C-level (the real C-level, not an inflated title) they want to race like a thoroughbred. What this means is they want to run hard, they want to run fast and they want to win. They have their own ideas and they want to execute against them. As the CEO of a company that is on a fast growth trajectory, this may sound alluring but before signing off on a C-level hire, I encourage you to think about a few things:

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• Control. Specifically, how much you want and how much you are comfortable giving up. With a true C-level hire, you need to be ready to give up control of the areas you are asking them to oversee. Micromanaging a C-level hire is a waste of your time and will lead to them to leaving the company. If you feel you are ready to truly hand over the keys, spend significant time during the recruiting process on not only skills and experience but also vision and culture alignment.
• Outcomes: What specific outcomes are you looking for both short-term and long-term? Getting specific on this, not just on a high level, will help you determine how much horsepower you need. Paying for an executive-level hire when many of their skills won’t be used is a waste for both parties.
• Think two years out. With this hire, you are solving to hit your company goals over the next two years. Consider the experience needed to do this and map those experiences to the level. Don’t go beyond two years in your head with this hire as there are just too many unknowns. Remember as you are determining this, under-hiring can be as detrimental as over-hiring.

Nailing down the right level before hiring an executive is important and will result in the right hire for your business needs. Too often we see ambitious CEOs wooed by an executive that has had success before but their company just may not be ready for that much horsepower. Understanding where you are, what you are willing to give up control of, and how much you can invest in both talent and growth will help you determine the right level. Remember, a title is not always reflective of a level and there is a big difference between a workhorse and a thoroughbred.