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Lessons from the White House. Can anyone be the wrong recruit after ten days in post?

08 August 2017

Let’s be honest. Ten days is no time at all. It makes Brian Clough’s tenure at Leeds seem positively epic in comparison.

But I am certain that most of us have known after ten days that we are either in the wrong job or that we have appointed the wrong person (Anthony Scaramucci, White House Communications Director, was fired by President Donald Trump after 10 days). Realistically, maybe even a week is long enough to get that gut feel. There is much to be said for managing decisively and for backing your judgment with action, but many a cautionary tale around being too hasty. Rarely in my experience however,  do things improve on their own, and once you’ve made a decision about someone it’s very hard for them to change that opinion. Instead, everything they do seems to be more evidence to support your prior judgment.

Of course, some staff take time to settle and to really find their feet, but in senior appointments, where chemistry and ‘fit’ are so crucial, that gut feel is particularly important.

This is why I believe it’s important to think outside the box when recruiting for senior appointments. You have to think less about the person you are looking for, and more about their skills or characteristics you value. Worry less about them looking the way you do (recruiting in your own image is a real challenge we face in our sector), but spend time understanding the challenges your business faces and start to think of the solutions. Maybe even tell the candidate what concerns you and ask them to present how they would deal with your issues.

The more I see this recruitment process, the more I realise that it is not a tick box exercise. Employers spend time with their workers, they have to like them and respect them or it just won’t work or last. Great teams are exactly that – teams. Collections of individuals who can work together for the common goal. We don’t have to look alike, but we all have to contribute. When you are hiring, take time to think about the gaps you have, the challenges you face and put the ball in the candidate’s court. What would they do in that situation? 

In recruitment perhaps more than anything else: Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

David Coombes, Founder and Managing Director of Logistics Job Shop

Follow David on Twitter @DavidCoombesSfL

 
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