Hooked on Search Partners, Part 3 - Issue 28
Part three in a three-part series on executive search partnership.
"Vision without execution is just hallucination." - Thomas Edison
If you’ve put all the pieces into motion to proactively build a great search relationship and qualify the best search partner, don’t let your tendencies, actions, and behaviors sabotage your ability to have a successful search process.
What's going on?
We've seen every version of a search process unfold. Some great, some good, and some downright ugly. And how you show up as a founder is heavily tied to whether your search is closed on average of 90 days or goes on to be something much, much longer. Signing a big search retainer doesn't make the other 20+ distractions competing for your attention disappear, nor does it mean you have breathing room to "window shop" talent over the next 6 months. But it's hard to check your tendencies or behaviors at the door — often undermining the integrity of the process without even knowing it. Nothing is worse than a founder who goes AWOL once a contract is signed or who turns the search process into an exercise of second-guessing every candidate presented. Your inability to trust the process has you micromanaging or sending back candidates with the message to "get someone better," but what is "better?" Your feedback lacks substance, and you've been too busy for those weekly partner status updates. Or maybe you've gone to the updates but couldn't make them a valuable use of time because you weren't prepared. These behaviors happen and are all equally damaging to the process — setting you, your search partner, and candidates up for failure.
Why does it matter?
Simply stated, if you don't trust your search partner or can't fully commit to the time and effort a search takes, do not kick off a search. Successful search outcomes depend on it. The contract you sign isn't just about the firm delivering something to you. It's equally important that you deliver your best self to the process, staying accountable to agreed-upon timelines, structure, and communication. This starts at the very beginning of the search during a focused role spec'ing exercise and does not end until you have a leader in seat. Sure, things happen, but that should be the exception, not the ongoing rule. While your search partner will act on your behalf to surface quality talent, broker great conversations, and ultimately support you end-to-end, your ongoing engagement is vital. Adopt the mantra: Always available. Prioritize your calendar for candidate interviews and show up to search status meetings with a prepared mind — ready to clearly articulate feedback so your search partner can calibrate their efforts. A great feedback loop is critical in keeping you and your search partner in lockstep but don't forget they are managing their own feedback loops with all candidates in play. If you push off status meetings or fail to turn around timely feedback, candidate experience is negatively impacted. Any lag time sends the message "I'm not interested" or "I don't have time," — ultimately increasing your risk of losing great candidates. Great partners will ensure you receive direct feedback from the candidates about their experience. Leverage this feedback to level up the impressions you make and tighten your process. If all things are mostly equal across opportunities, a great candidate experience will often be the tiebreaker that puts one startup ahead of another.
What do others think?
“In order to successfully hire the best executives, the quality and intention of every interaction is paramount — whether that's with a candidate or search partner. A great search partner will hold you accountable, shepherd the process, and prepare you, but landing an A+ hire requires a founder’s maniacal commitment to being thoughtful and as close to real-time in communication as possible. To hire top talent you must put in the time, be analytical and iterative, and show up prepared.” - Megan Power, Partner at Artisanal Talent
"Running a tight process is table stakes. The most successful outcomes I’ve been a part of generally had one thing in common — founders and CEO’s that prioritized relationship building and went above and beyond when it came to landing a game-changing hire. If you are attempting to recruit the top 1% in tech, be prepared to invest a significant amount of time with them whether that means clearing your day to meet in person, or frequent communication over text and email. Never underestimate the power of this approach when it comes to landing top-tier talent." - Kira Krauss, Partner at Artisanal Talent
What do we think?
Remember: This isn't about shopping for talent — it's about buying. Signing a search contract does not give you agency to pass the baton. Now is the time to lean in and complement the massive effort your search partner is putting into motion. Be an active participant and strategic asset to your process. You are undoubtedly feeling the weight of this leadership gap more than ever by the time you've reached a point of external search. Let this reminder be the fuel to ignite your commitment and focus to get a great leader on board. There's a lot on the line beyond a big search expense — your startup's talent brand and growth opportunity are at the top of the list. Beyond that, you can severely damage your reputation with the search firm and your board.
What do YOU think?
Take Action
Lead it : Simply put, if you can't commit to the time and effort to lead this search, DO NOT kick it off.
Process structure and alignment: Agree on timelines, communication channels (Slack, email, text, etc.), and other best practices before candidate engagement. Set the ground rules and then commit to the process. Do the work in advance and build in contingencies for slight adjustments — do not haphazardly make changes in flight.
Avoid Interview Creep: This happens by introducing more and more people into the process to confirm or deny your opinion because you know what signals a "no," but you lack conviction of getting "yes" signals. Identify the most critical people to be involved in the interview and commit to this process. We recommend a founder always go first, then a board member or co-founder (not the same day), then a second pass with the founder. The goal is to develop an opinion and build a relationship. This is not about a committee. Keep it tight.
Role spec refresh: All searches should kick-off with a role spec refresh to tighten the spec and ensure your partner represents you and your EVP with the highest level of impact out in the market.
Calibrate your spec: Partners can introduce you to off-the-market leaders who can help you calibrate what great looks like. This will, in turn, help build conviction.
Scorecards: Candidate scorecards are a great tool to dial in on evidence of "yes." You and your search firm can agree on what needs to be validated (skills, attributes, experiences) and then you go to work to uncover this evidence during the interview. This helps you clearly delineate a "yes" from a "no."
Pre-mortem: This is a list of all the things that get in the way of a signed offer in 90 days. Board misalignment, the candidate's current company getting acquired, compensation, relocation, counteroffer, or what happens if your top contender falls out of the process. Planning for all this on day one helps avoid a nasty post-mortem as one search partner shared.
External validation: Identify an expert who can do a "due diligence interview" for roles where you lack knowledge or deeper understanding.
Always available: This goes both ways. Just as a great search partner will make themselves available at every step of the process, a founder must adopt this practice for the entirety of the search.
Search Status updates: This time should run like a well-oiled machine. Make sure you are showing up to weekly status calls prepared with feedback and questions to make great use of the time. A great firm should be driving this process forward with a mission. As one search partner shared, any status update should be like looking into a search laboratory, and you have confidence that your partner is knee-deep on the case. A founder should never feel like they are steering or kicking the firm into shape.
Strategic search tactics: If your search partner tells you to drop what you are doing and fly to your final candidate to deliver an offer in person, do it. Great partners will help you navigate pre-closing and insights to yield an offer acceptance.
Tools, Events and Insights:
Seattle Tech Week —> Information, Events, Registration
Venture Labs Presents —> Launchable Generative Apps
What a great series you put together for founders and headhunters alike. It would be a very helpful read for early-stage founders preparing to build their teams. Nice Work.