Avoid Scope Creep in Your Search for the Perfect Exec

As a business leader, you’re likely familiar with the concept of scope creep — the continuous, uncontrolled growth and rabbit-holing of what a project entails, otherwise known as the kitchen sink syndrome. Scope creep has the potential to unnecessarily increase complexity, delay deadlines, intensify workplace tension and frustration, and drive up costs. The more people involved and the longer the process drags out, the worse it gets.

Few people ever imagine scope creep infecting their search for top talent. Unfortunately, executive searches are just as susceptible to it as any other endeavor. As stakeholders in an organization collaborate to find suitable candidates to fill openings, their combined input and creativity often result in a growing list of qualifications and personality types that make it difficult, if not impossible, to find the right match. And the longer a position remains unfilled, the more time-consuming and costly the process becomes.

As the leading executive search firm for the outdoor industry, one of our roles is to prevent scope creep from infecting our clients’ search for top talent found both in and outside the industry. This is my advice on how to ensure that your executive search doesn’t become ensnared in scope creep and how to correct course if it does.

6 Tips for Preventing Scope Creep in Executive Search

The best way to deal with scope creep in an executive search is to prevent it from getting a foothold. While you can always adjust if scope creep takes hold, laying the foundation for a successful search always results in a more efficient process with better results. Here are six tips for preventing scope creep when searching for and recruiting top talent.

1. Get input and buy-in from all stakeholders.

A successful executive search is largely a product of alignment. All stakeholders need to agree about how the right candidate will positively impact the organization and what the organization is willing to do to attract that person. Make sure all stakeholders have agreed, in writing, to the lists of essential qualifications and “nice to haves” drafted by the search committee. These lists will serve as the guardrails preventing scope creep.

Remember, office politics and hidden agendas are likely to sabotage the search and must be addressed prior to commencing the search process.

2. Define your value as an employer/organization.

Be certain your search firm can tell your organization’s story. Your brand is critical to attracting the right individuals and selling the opportunity. Ask yourself why you joined this organization. Your answer to that question will almost certainly lead to the discovery of convincing selling points.

3. Evaluate your compensation package.

Another way scope creep finds its way into executive searches is when the organization offers a mid- or bottom-tier compensation package for a position requiring a top-tier candidate. When nobody bites, you may assume that your search partner is looking for the wrong candidate, and you start changing requirements and other search parameters.

A word to the wise: Accept the fact that you’re not going to attract top-tier candidates with mid- or bottom-tier compensation package. In a competitive job market, compensation is dynamic and market-driven. The most accurate source of this data will be provided by your search firm as they evaluate qualified individuals and their compensation.

4. Conduct your search with energy and enthusiasm — because without, your search will or die!

Without momentum, your search will fail to deliver on even the most reasonable of expectations. Candidate enthusiasm decreases with time. Failure to generate or capitalize on momentum can lead to delays in the executive search process. To gain momentum and take full advantage of it, and to avoid scope creep as a result, do the following:

• Assign a sponsor to drive and coordinate your executive search.
• Coordinate the efforts of everyone involved in the search and recruiting process — making sure to set clear expectations for each person’s role and weight in the various decisions that ultimate lead to making an offer.

5. Move quickly and decisively when the right candidate surfaces.

Sometimes, the first candidate is the best candidate. Don’t assume that you will find better candidates the longer you wait. When a candidate surfaces that meets your requirements, move quickly and decisively to select and onboard that individual. Any delay provides an opportunity for scope creep, not to mention the threat of competing employers snatching up the candidate. Delay also conveys a lack of interest to the candidate.

6. Hire the right executive search firm.

This is where chemistry and trust must intersect. At Highline Outdoor Group, we help every client optimize their hiring process, leading to a successful search — even in condensed timelines. More specifically, we can help you avoid scope creep in the following ways:

• Assist in creating your executive search scope of work, including a clear and comprehensive list of candidate requirements and “nice to haves.” A great executive search firm provides guidance creating a scope of work for the search and will suggest that you clarify your expectations before the search commences.
• Assist in identifying and obtaining buy-in from all stakeholders.
• Consult in developing a competitive compensation package.
• Collaborate in the development of an effective, efficient executive search process that is right for your organization, industry, the position, and the candidates you are trying to attract.
• Ensure that the executive search process stays on track, building and seizing upon momentum.

Correcting Course When a Search Succumbs to Scope Creep

Tweaking an executive search during the process is normal. After all, this is a complex process with many moving parts. However, if your list of essential requirements begins to change, you need to correct course.

Almost always, the problem can be traced back to not having your candidate requirements nailed down, or not having buy-in from all stakeholders. But don’t assume anything until you have considered other possible factors, such as poor communication or coordination, a flawed search process — including a comprehensive scope of work — or possibly something else entirely.

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About the Author: Tony O’Neill is the Founder and President of Highline Outdoor Group — the executive search firm of choice by the most respected outdoor industry, active lifestyle, and sporting goods companies across the globe.