Hooked on Leadership Role Specs - Issue 14

"It's so much easier to suggest solutions when you don't know too much about the problem." ― Malcolm Forbes 

As a founder, you are no stranger to navigating issues and solving problems. In fact, it's what you do best. But when it comes to hiring a new leader, the thought of sitting down and giving as much thought to a role spec as you would a product spec can sometimes feel unnecessary or like overkill at an early-stage startup. But why is that? You wouldn't build a product without thoughtful consideration of the problem you are trying to solve. Why cut corners when building the right team?

What's going on?  
Hiring is hard. There is no silver bullet solution leading to a meaningful outcome when building a high-performing team. Literally, everything matters. But role specs sit in a class all their own. These "human product roadmaps" are often never fully realized in the most advantageous way. Many leaders tell themselves, "I'll know it when I see it," but will you actually? Recruiting by braille only circumvents the vital process required to fully understand why you are hiring in the first place and what the consequences would be if you didn't (or, more commonly, if you hired the wrong person). These more profound and meaningful questions are the foundation for building out a role spec and aligning your early team so everyone agrees and stays in lockstep throughout the interview process. This, in turn, unlocks critical information for how you source, conduct talent outreach, and eventually communicate with the candidate as they assess your team, the problem, and how they can solve it — the magic of two-way fit.  

Why does it matter? 
Not convinced this matters? Consider the impact lack of role clarity can have during a 1:1 interview session in the absence of this. Those involved in the hiring process will fill in their own blanks and possibly undermine the goal of the process. Without even realizing it, everyone might be solving for different or competing things or speaking to a value prop that isn't competitive or cohesive. When this happens, the outcome can be devastating. It can be the difference between finding talent that can accelerate your business, ensuring your startup hits quarterly goals, and having to extend your search for additional weeks or even months. Crafting a role spec for your startup is more than just compiling a list of qualifications and nice-to-haves. It's a strategic roadmap, guiding you to consider every element necessary for finding the best leader. Taking shortcuts in this process causes friction within your team, slows the business, and produces underwhelming candidates. When you don't do this important upfront work, the interview process becomes a way to indirectly spec the role, which leads to an arduous time suck. This haphazard approach can ultimately damage your startup's reputation and negatively impact the candidate experience.

What do others think? 

"Everything comes down to people. Whatever we build at Spotnana that delivers value in the world is built by the people we hire. Hiring is the most important decision I make every day, and skills are only one aspect of what I'm looking for. It's essential that the people we hire help us build a culture where we rally behind the best ideas and execute well against our goals. A good spec helps save time, but even more important, it builds the skills needed to make great hiring decisions at all levels of the organization." Sarosh Waghmar, Founder and CEO, Spotnana 

What do we think? 
Don't recruit blindly. Recruit with intention and transparency. Remember, people are your product. The quality bar you ultimately hire ties directly into the quality of everything else: your culture, the product you build, your ability to sell, your relationship with your customers, and ultimately your brand. Thorough specs are critical. They aren't just a roadmap for success — they hone sourcing efforts, feed into talent marketing, aid in candidate evaluation, inform interview/feedback/decision guides, onboarding, and even year-one performance management. Taking the time to thoughtfully build this now will save you time in the longer run and feed into creating your go-to-market job description. We've included the beginning steps below.  

What do YOU think? 

Take Action 
Begin your talent spec:

• Define the problem: Just as you would when creating a product spec, start by defining the problem you're trying to solve with this new leadership hire. Triangulate around the specific challenge — what needs to be solved in the business? Team, Product, Operations, GTM, Customer? 

• Identify the goals & outcomes: What measurable impact do you want this new leader to have on the business? Define the milestones. We recommend crafting SMART goals for at least six months — 8-12 months is ideal.  

• Identify the ramifications of not hiring: What is the business impact (missed opportunities surrounding growth, innovation, expansion delays, other costs)? What are the tradeoffs? 

• Pre-mortem: What is the impact of hiring the wrong person and creating talent debt? How does that impact customers, team, product, revenue, and fundraising? 

• What are the specific skills an individual must possess in order to succeed? Consider the difference between the required work knowledge and what can be learned. Can other people compensate for the shortcomings of an imperfect candidate?

• Behavioral attributes: What soft skills are necessary to get work done and thrive at your startup? 

• Historic achievements: What have they done that will enable them to succeed considering the unique constraints in your startup?   

• Motivations: What might be missing from their career trajectory? Who will they work with? Who can they learn from? Are they motivated to do the work you have to offer? 

Tools, Events, Insights 
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