Spinning Your Tires with Executive Hires? Get A Proven Process.

In the business world, there’s a common idiom: “Fast, cheap, and good: pick two.” The idea behind this saying is that if you want two of these options in any project, the third becomes impossible to attain. Want something done immediately on the cheap? It’s not going to be that great. Want great work done with speed? You’re going to have to pay for that. Looking for stellar work at a low price? That’s going to take some time.

Apply this to nearly any kind of work, and this still rings true. However, in the world of executive searches it really fails to translate. In our world, we replace the “fast, cheap, and good” pyramid with our own: “Qualified, Available, and Interested,” commonly referred to as QAI. Together, these three qualities come together in the right candidate—but every single executive hire is so ripe for risk, you can’t just pick two. You need all three.

Executive Searches Are All About Process

I have a confession to make. I hate the acronyms and catchphrases we use in the executive search industry. Sure, they’re convenient and cute, but I can’t help but roll my eyes anytime I read it or hear it uttered during a meeting. They’re reductive, they’re elementary, and it’s the same BS marketing that everyone in this field spits out when pitching or working with a client. Here’s the problem, though: they represent some really important stuff, especially the ones we use in executive searches. Clichés exist because they reflect commonalities, and they’re usually specific to the market in which they’re used. But they also can express the importance of a process, which is exactly the case with QAI.

Executive searches thrive when we adhere to a strict and thorough process; when they fail it’s usually because steps get skipped or the search team rushes to fill a position. This isn’t about hiring just anybody, it’s about hiring the right person. You’re looking for an executive that can lead your team into the future, who has the tools and talents to go above and beyond. This means sifting through sometimes hundreds of potential candidates to find that truly exceptional pairing for your company vision and values. So, if you’re going about the process in a haphazard way, you’re opening yourself up to tremendous risk by fixating on someone for all the wrong reasons, or, even worse, to completely miss out on the strongest candidates. At Highline, the process always reigns supreme.

Why You Need a QAI Candidate

When we talk about QAI, Mike often says, “If you don’t have all three, you’ve got nothing.” It might sound extreme, but damn if isn’t true. This is binary, it’s either a yes or a no. We have to be absolutely sure that a candidate is qualified for the position at your company, that they’re available to jump in with both feet, and that their interest isn’t just in window shopping, but in finding a new home at your business. Here’s how we at Highline determine if the candidates we send your way have all three of these indispensable characteristics.

Qualified

This one might seem straightforward, but there are definitely nuances to determining if someone is qualified for a position. You want a head of marketing? Well, that can mean a lot of things to different people. Are you looking for someone to run your advertising campaigns, or do you really want a brand manager? The point is that you need to define the expectations for these roles so that we can be sure any candidate we engage with is aligned with your needs.

Available

This attribute is less about when they can start at your company, and more about what non-professional hurdles could impact the decision to make a career change. What’s going on in their current career? What about their personal life? Someone might be the perfect professional fit for your position, but if they have a kid in high school, they probably won’t be ready to relocate anytime soon.

Interested

Similarly to available, finding out if the candidate is actually interested in a career change is critical. Too often we see great candidates who are qualified and available, but really only kicking the tires of potential positions. Again, we have to probe deeper than simply asking “Do you think you’d want this job?” We need to find out about their motivations for joining your company. Otherwise, we’re just showing the new barn to a horse.

I realize that it seems like having all three of these is a lot to ask, but the fact is that if you don’t commit yourself to this process you’re dead in the water. Executive searches require close attention to minute details, ones that are easy to overlook or dismiss. That’s why partnering with an executive search expert like Highline is so crucial. If you’d like to see what incorporating our proven process looks like, check out our executive search checklist below to soup up your next search and secure your top candidate with confidence.

—Tony O’Neill, President

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About the Author: Tony O’Neill is the Founder and President of Highline Outdoor Group — the purpose-driven executive search firm for forward- thinking outdoor industry and sporting goods companies and brands.

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