Posted by Tim McIntyre on Sat, Nov 19, 2011 @ 12:47 PM
Recently a member of my team chatted with Eric Ries for insights into startup hiring practices. As an executive recruiter, I found it fascinating to hear his perspective.
If you didn't already know, Eric is the creator of the Lean Startup methodology and author of The Lean Startup. He previously co-founded and served as chief technology officer of IMVU. He serves on the advisory board of a number of technology startups and has worked as a consultant to startups, companies, and venture capital firms. In 2010, he became an entrepreneur-in-residence at Harvard Business School.
Q: Can founders correctly assess a potential CEO hire?
A: I think it’s very hard. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it done right. It’s always a leap of faith. That’s why it’s a dangerous decision. People who are good at interviewing for CEO jobs are good at making you believe what you want to believe. It’s an important skill, that straight-up political mind control. And you want that skill. But it’s extremely difficult to do that screening, and I know so many founders who feel betrayed by how it turned out.
Q: Should a startup hire a CEO?
A: It’s never wrong to hire a CEO, as long as they are good at entrepreneurial management, not just the general management you learn in an MBA program. You need a CEO for when the company scales, a CEO who can manage entrepreneurs as well as do the ordinary management tasks.
Q: What's the worst C-level hire scenario you've seen in a portfolio company or startup?
A: The worst I have seen was the hiring of a very traditional, professional manager at too early a stage. It was just horrible to watch. The whole company became incredibly disciplined and incredibly mechanical. They became focused on achieving a well-written business plan. I call it “achieving failure,” because they ruthlessly executed a bad plan.
Q:What was the most successful?
A: ... really special COO was brought in to complement a founder CEO, and it really worked. Part of the reason it worked was they had tremendous mutual respect, and they had a super clear division of labor, what each was responsible for and each was good at. To be fair, the founder CEO had so much leverage that he could not be replaced. So it was never a question of whether the COO was gunning for his job.
Q: How is today’s hiring climate compared to the dot-com boom?
A: Right now we have a huge chasm between the startup economy and the real economy. At a time when real economy unemployment is really high, the startup economy is booming. Competition for talent is starting to get really intense. But I do think there are some differences. The kinds of people there’s crazy competition for are the doers, rather than the talkers. There’s a real recognition that there’s a need for builders.
Q: What criteria matter most when hiring, for C-level talent acquisition?
A: I always look for agility first. You want people who are comfortable in a chaotic environment, who can match the tools they have to the context they find themselves in. Every executive I have ever hired has had a set of best practices that they have always used in the past. And I always ask them about a situation where those practices should not be used. And most can’t answer that. That’s a real warning sign to me.
Posted by Tim McIntyre on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 @ 08:59 AM
Months after its inception, the "original American startup" was failing: its founders had launched an untested, cash strapped venture with virtually no early adopters and certainly no MVP (minimum viable product).
Broken, but not shattered, the enterprise survived all this – how? Some might suggest through entrepreneurial talent of the first water – followed by strong leadership from the country’s first chief executive. 
The leap from hotbed of ideas to successful and growing enterprise is daunting, but contrary to convential wisdom (idea is wrong, or too early, or underfunded - the commonly cited reasons you see in the tech press) many startups fail because they don’t know how to bring in key contributors, at just the right time. In a way, this is how our fledgling nation was salvaged, through a specific outreach (executive recruiting) for the right talent, at the opportune moment.
Even if a startup's founders do indeed act on time, too often they make the easy mistake of hiring the wrong leader for their team, say venture capitalists in an exclusive poll we conducted recently, which we'll be writing about in a forthcoming Ebook.
Our survey of 2,300 vcs revealed some surprising data points. Stay tuned for more details.
Based on these results, and direct interviews with VC's, we'll present five crucial steps your startup must take to ensure it makes the leap from garage to IPO intact and ready to grow.
Posted by Tim McIntyre on Thu, Feb 24, 2011 @ 08:24 AM
Executive Human capital, ahh. Everyone loves to talk about "gender diversity" and boardroom issues, surveys, why women leaders are leaving the workforce and talent acquisition, and all sorts of discourse, but in reality, very few are doing anything about really Targeting and Recruiting them.
For example, our search firm has published (an almost) quarterly survey sent to thousands and thousands of corporate personnel, and while there is strong sentiment and responses, and continuous downloading of ebooks and other materiels, when conversing with the head of diversity, or senior HR folks or heads of lines of businesses, clearly, these are academic pursuits for most,
getting up to speed on the latest lingo for that upcoming meeting, or preparing to foist off on unsuspecting colleagues, bosses or watchful eyes the latest spin on "breaking the glass ceiling".
In fact, the conversations I've had with leading organizations prove that almost all of them are strictly giving lip service to recruitment of female leaders and executives. It seems to me, that if you are serious about finding talented executives, you simply budget for it, and get it done. Even if there's a shortage of skilled engineering or more technical talent, then you go in on the 'succession plan' modis operandi, and begin to recruit the most promising middle management folks you can and see if they'll bloom through mentorship. Is anybody other than JNJ or TIAA-CREF doing this?
Sites like theglasshammer.com list openings for a select few sponsors and prattle about gender diversity (with the best of intentions) but if those companies don't pony up the recruiting funds and get engaged, then really, how serious are they? Love to hear your comments. Thanks for reading. BTW, we always adhere to the philosophy "best person wins the job", and as recruiters its about finding a broader array of talent to level the playing field.
Posted by Tim McIntyre on Wed, Feb 02, 2011 @ 12:53 PM
Much has been made about the current state of the American - and, in fact, the global - economy. Unemployment is up, the equity markets are fragile, and the general mood is one of worry and pessimism. Many companies are in the process of reinventing themselves in order to stay fresh and vital in the changing marketplace. If your company is in need of some serious renovation, then new personnel is a great place to start.
Hiring new employees - especially executive-level employees - will completely revitalize your company. However, the process should not be taken lightly; that's why it's important to take a look at the executive recruiting firms in your area to determine which one is the best fit for your needs. In many ways, the economic downturn has made executive recruiting firms more important than ever before.
The best executive recruiting firms will essentially do all the work for you when it comes to finding and hiring new executives. They will comb through their extensive network of industry contacts, reach out to individuals who may be currently working for a competitor, review resumes, conduct interviews, and more - all with the utmost tact and decorum. In the end, you are presented with a shortlist of the most exciting, dynamic candidates that you industry has to offer - and all you have to do is make the final decision as to who should be hired.
Professional recruiters will be able to find the best prospects in a more precise and targeted manner than you could on your own. They'll devote themselves to understanding your companies needs and the responsibilities associated with the position, as well as the cultural climate of your company. That means that executive recruiting firms consider more than mere words on a resume when it comes to assembling your shortlist; they'll also look at personality, values, goals and other related qualities to ensure a great match.
If you need a way to inject some fresh perspective into your company, consider a professional recruiter. They'll help you find the executive you need. Checkout our
E-books on Gender Diversity Executive Recruiting (free).
Posted by Tim McIntyre on Mon, Jan 31, 2011 @ 03:53 PM
Companies looking for employee prospects to fill top-level management positions have a better chance of getting the kind of person that they want if they take advantage of executive search consulting, aka executive recruiting.
Executive Search Consulting Defined
The first thing that you need to know about executive search consulting or executive recruiting is that it is a type of professional service that is made available to organizations and companies hoping to take on employees 
or people who must fill in crucial spots for their development. Of course, it is always the client's company that shoulders the fees for the recruitment, and not the hired prospects themselves. The firms that provide executive recruiting services are the ones who will identify and qualify a candidate, before they present these to the client companies or organizations.
Executive search recruiting and consulting is not as easy as it looks. This is because it is not just a simple matter of finding prospective employees; it involves a process where candidates are chosen to match verbal or written specifications of the job that needs to be filled. This action of assessing job candidates is the key to executive recruiting, because it is precisely why such a search firm is hired in the first place. Because companies hiring retained search firms for executive search recruiting want to save time and money in getting their own employees, these firms should always be up to par when it comes to looking into the potentiality of a candidate, and "fit" for the client organization's culture.
The Ways of Executive Search Consulting
The most common way for retained search firms to approach executive search consulting or executive search recruiting is through telephone calls. Usually they come up with this list of persons to call from a network that may already be within the firm. This is because search firms who only want to offer services of the best quality would really work at developing and updating their contact networks regularly, so they will have a ready place to turn to when a company hires them to do executive recruiting.
Conducting some research is another way for these search firms doing executive recruiting to look for possible job candidates. They do this through calling up targeted people from competitors who fits the profile need for the job. A number of the referrals for this kind of research come from people who might also be suited for the position, but who opt to bow out from being a prospect at that given time for a variety of reasons.
So if you have decided to hire an executive recruiting firm to conduct executive search consulting or executive search recruiting for your company, then you can be assured that you will get what you are paying for. The process by which they come up with prospects for your vacancy are exhaustive and are likely to yield good results, you can be sure that a highly qualified person can be found to fill the position that is crucial to the development of your company. For free, insightful talent acquisition tips click on the graphic below.
Posted by Tim McIntyre on Fri, Jan 28, 2011 @ 09:45 AM
Nowadays, there are so many executive recruiting firms that it can be difficult to choose among them. You want to make sure you're working with a firm that will ensure success in your company's search for a new executive, but apart from doing a simple search to find all of the executive recruiting firms in your area, how can you possibly narrow it down? The answer lies in paying close attention to the recruiter you'll be working with on an individual basis. Taking the time to learn a few of the essential
qualities that any great recruiter should possess is another way to determine what you should be looking for in an executive recruiter. So what are these qualities? Your recruiter should have:
- A strong understanding of your industry. Experience in the industry that they specialize in. You can't afford to have them spend months immersing themselves in the business and gaining specific knowledge of its inner workings.
- Exceptional listening skills. This is important in an executive recruiter for two reasons: First, you want your recruiter to be able to listen carefully to you when you describe your company's goals and ambitions, as well as your requirements for executive-level candidates. And second, you'll want to feel secure in knowing that your recruiter is carefully screening those candidates in order to find the best individuals for your consideration.
- A tendency to be extroverted, and a sense of urgency. Of course, you don't want a recruiter who is overbearing or dominating, but a strong personality is a definite plus. Remember, executive recruiting firms make it their business to help you find the best candidates for your company's higher-level positions - and your recruiter needs to be able to find and approach people on your behalf without a moment's hesitation.
- Flexibility: Will the firm conduct a bona fide exclusive search that is contingency based, under certain circumstances?
Look for an executive recruiter who displays these traits and your chances of success are likely to increase.
Posted by Tim McIntyre on Wed, Jan 26, 2011 @ 09:14 AM
Finding highly skilled potential candidates for your sales and marketing team has become quite challenging nowadays. If your company is planning to hire the very best among them, then you should consider the services of an executive recruiting firm for this. You will find that they could provide you with services that are worth more than the money that you paid in hiring them.
This is because their services would enhance your employment process, lessen the time it will take in finding and hiring a prospect, and prevent of the possibility of hiring the wrong person.
Using Executive Recruiting Services
There is also a need for your company to contract the services of executive recruiting firms that have a talent acquisition specialization in sales and marketing, if you want to get the best candidates for your job openings. If you don’t do this, then you might just be paying money for a service that will not get you the desired results that you want. Because a great number of talented people are already gainfully employed in the sales and marketing field, having an executive recruiting firm at your service is essentially the way to get to them.
You have to realize that it will take much of your time, money, and effort to run your business as well as find time to look for and extract the potential sales and marketing employees that you want from other companies and even from the competition as well. So this is where the retained executive search firm Retained Search Services that you hired will really work for you. This is because the headhunters working for this kind of firm will do whatever it takes to get the kind of talent that is needed. You may not be able to “poach” employees on your own from other firms, they can. You will be thankful for this service of the executive recruiting firm that you have hired.
Worth the Cost
Although hiring the services of executive recruiting firms is quite costly with them running from 25 to 35 percent of an employee’s total salary in the first year of his employment, you will see that the money is well spent. This is because there is a big difference between hiring a first rate potential candidate and a middle rate one. The impact that a highly talented employee can bring to your business is worth more than the amount that you paid to the executive recruiting firm. So if you want the very best, then you must remember that quality also comes with a price tag that you have to pay. You have to know that you will get this back by the revenue that your new employee could bring in, considering the talents that she has added to your sales and marketing team. You will see that these new employees will be paying for their hiring costs many times over in the coming years.
Posted by Tim McIntyre on Sun, Jan 23, 2011 @ 09:11 PM
One of the most interesting recent trends in recruiting is the use of online job boards to help companies find prospective employees. Online job postings are par for the course when it comes to entry-level positions, but now many are finding them equally useful for higher-level executive jobs
as well. From a post on the company website to major job boards such as Monster and Jobfox or CareerBuilder, the power of the job board in recruiting is difficult to deny. But what does this trend mean for executive recruiting firms? Are they quickly becoming obsolete, or are they as valuable as they've ever been? If you're looking for a new executive, which one should you use?
The answer used to be simple: The wise employer used both, but now as recruiters wade cautiously back into hiring mode, they're throwing out their old playbooks. Rather than sift through mounds of online applications, they are going out to hunt for candidates themselves. Job boards can be an excellent resource for finding new talent, as well as industry veterans who may be looking for a change of scenery. However, if the job boards aren't used carefully, they could lead to a flood of phone calls and emails that you would prefer to avoid. But how can you avoid misusing the job boards? The best way to do so is to rely on executive recruiting firms! Professional recruiters are carefully trained in maximizing the use of employment websites. They can help you get the results you need with a minimum of hassle, and are especially enabling in gender diversity search.
Job boards should be viewed as a supplementary tool that can yield powerful results in the hands of a skilled recruiter - not as a replacement for executive recruiting firms. For talent aquisition tips from a trusted, targeted executive recruiter, here's a link to download, gratis.
Posted by Tim McIntyre on Thu, Jan 20, 2011 @ 08:59 AM
If you're going to choose a headhunter, it's important to know that not all are created equal. Executive recruiting firms trying to fill top tier positions often have their own internal people doing this job. A good headhunter must be somebody who can best satisfy your needs and requirements. So don’t go into the selection process blindly. Be aware of the kinds of qualities you must base your selection on.
The Search Process
How are you actually going to find the right kind of candidate for the vacancy? That’s the kind of question that you need to ask your headhunter. The internet has allowed for new opportunities we never had before. A headhunter might just haul up a whole collection of CVs from the various internet databases, and say “Here you go”. Alright, it’s not something that is unprofessional or inefficient, but there is a whole list of candidates out there who are not actually looking for work but do have a lot of potential.
A good headhunter is somebody who does not rely of these databases, but relies on his/her own network to source the best candidates. They will then interview the candidates and match them for the kind of skill sets, knowledge base, and experience amongst various other things. The best ones they will then present to the client – you.
Who is the Headhunter?
Sounds like a simple question, right? After all, the executive recruiting firm you hire is going to be who is going to hunt for the head for you, right? Not quite. Many times, the person who you hire on the basis of his/her sales pitch, experience, and qualification will not be doing the headhunting. The person will delegate the job to an office based researcher.
The ‘Role’ Advertisement
Many headhunters resort to an expensive media advertisement campaign in order to advertise the ‘role’ that is vacant in a particular company. The point is that such expensive advertisements are often not needed. Not to mention any advertising campaigns like that you will be indirectly paying for. A good headhunter and executive recruitment firm will have a well built extensive network that he/she will use to source candidates. Choose somebody who does not rely too much on advertisements placed in the various forms of media.
The Fees Charged
Fees can be charged in various formats. They could be a percentage of the ‘On Target Earnings’ and the expenses incurred by the headhunter. They could also include the advertising budget. As, a client, you must select only those headhunters that are very clear about the kind of fees that they are going to charge. If that is not the case, then you might be in for a surprise or two when the invoice is delivered to you.
The Time Frame
A good headhunter does not offer abstract answers to the question “How long is the candidate search going to take?” He/she has a definite answer and doesn't say “it depends on…”
These are just a few of the parameters that will help you choose a headhunter. There are many others, but these will help you get underway.
Posted by Tim McIntyre on Wed, Jan 12, 2011 @ 12:33 PM
Executive recruiting doesn't neccesarily have to make the distinction between leadership and management, but what happens with each is quite interesting, and the distinctions can be debated: Here are a couple viewpoints crowdsourced from the blogosphere.
1. The manager administers; the leader innovates.
2. The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.
3. The manager maintains; the leader develops.
4. The manager accepts reality; the leader investigates it.
5. The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.
6. The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.
7. The manager has a short-term view; the leader has a long-range perspective.
8. The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.
9. The manager has her eye always on the bottom line; the leader has her eye on the horizon.
10. The manager imitates; the leader originates.
11. The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.
12. The manager is a classic good soldier; the leader is her own person.
13. The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.
Another perspective....
1. Leaders optimize the upside; Managers minimize the downside.
2. Leaders envision possibilities; Managers calculate probabilities.
3. Leaders focus on the ends; Managers focus on the means.
4. Leaders focus on the what; Managers focus on the how.
5. Leaders prepare beyond the limits; Managers focus execution within limits.
6. Leaders generate energy; Managers preserve energy.
7. Leaders seize opportunities; Managers avert threats.
8. Leaders are the first ones onto the battlefield; Managers are the last ones off.
9. Leaders amplify strengths; Managers reduce weaknesses.
10. Leaders provide vision; Managers provide execution.
11. Leaders do the right things; Managers do things right.
12. Leaders plant; Managers weed.
13. Leaders create the Will, Managers maintain the Rhythm.
Synergies between the leaders and managers create more positive results, and executive recruiting, done well, is a major catalyst for the success of both together.