Find high-level executives from outside

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袁大容的自然管理

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Find high-level executives from outside For any company, it is obviously not a good thing if senior executives perform poorly. There is usually no problem selecting high-level executives from within the company, as they are usually well aware of the candidates. However, there is a significant failure rate when hiring from outside. Interestingly, the personal ability of external senior executives is not the main reason for success or failure, whether they ultimately succeed or fail.

Based on experience, the following three basic principles have been summarized, which, if followed, can significantly increase the chances of success in finding high-level executives from outside.

Principle One: Do not look for a god. Many companies believe that as long as they find highly capable senior executives, all problems, or at least most of them, can be solved, and the company's goals can be achieved smoothly under their leadership. They may not think they are looking for a god, but in fact, they are.

Some people say that Morris Chang, Simon Hsu, and Terry Gou are all god-level figures, but they were only recognized as such after they became successful. When selecting senior executives, even if a god stands in front of them, they may not be able to discern it. Moreover, how many companies can afford to hire them? Besides, they all established companies based on their own ideas. How many companies can accommodate them?

God-level people are obviously very rare. If companies insist on looking for gods, there are two most likely results: they will never find them, or they will be deceived by people who are good at disguising themselves as gods. Even if the latter does not deliberately pretend to be a god, the company may want to believe that the person is a god, and then be disappointed after hiring them for a period of time. The latter possibility is higher.

There was a company that wanted to find a god and searched for several months through a headhunting company but still did not find anyone they liked. In the end, the contract expired, and they spent millions of dollars without any gain. Another company found a person who was recommended by an acquaintance, and she had experience, education, and appearance like a god. After paying her a salary of several tens of millions of dollars for several years, the company's profits did not improve, and they realized that she was not the god-level figure they had originally imagined.

Principle Two: The company should have a clear idea first, and then look for high-level executives from outside. If the company itself does not know how to solve problems or achieve its goals, there is a high risk in hiring a new senior executive from outside. For example, if they want to climb Mount Everest but do not know how to do it, even if they hire someone who has successfully climbed Mount Everest to guide them, the chances of failure are still high because they may not have enough physical strength, willpower, or even money, let alone if the person they hired has never climbed Mount Everest before.

The less the top management of the company knows about how to solve problems or achieve goals, the more difficult it is to judge which senior executive candidate has the ability to solve those problems or achieve those goals.

There was a company whose top management wanted to change its business model, but the existing senior executives either lacked experience or were resistant to change. Therefore, they looked for a new senior executive with experience in corporate transformation from outside. Since the top management only knew the new model they wanted, but not how to implement it, they failed to give clear instructions to the new senior executive. As a result, the new executive did not achieve the desired results, and the company suffered losses.

Principle 3: Cultural Fit is Key

The third and final principle is that cultural fit is crucial. Even if a candidate has the necessary skills and experience, if they don't fit in with the company culture, they may not be able to work effectively with the existing team and may not be able to implement necessary changes.

When evaluating a candidate's cultural fit, it's important to consider factors such as their values, working style, communication style, and personality. It's also important to consider the company's culture and how the candidate's strengths and weaknesses align with that culture.

One way to evaluate cultural fit is to involve current employees in the interview process. This can give both the candidate and the employees a chance to see if there is a good fit. It can also give employees a sense of ownership in the hiring process and increase their investment in the success of the new hire.

Conclusion

In conclusion, hiring a high-level executive from outside the company can be a risky endeavor, but it can also bring new ideas, skills, and perspectives to the company. By following these three principles of not seeking a "god-like" candidate, having a clear idea of what the company needs, and evaluating cultural fit, the chances of success can be greatly increased.