I was thinking the other day about how often conversations about senior recruitment begin with the role itself: the responsibilities, reporting line, experience required and likely package.

All of those things matter, of course. However, I have often found that the more useful discussion begins somewhere else.

What is changing within the organisation?

What will the person coming into the role need to influence?

Where are the current leadership pressures?

What would a successful appointment actually look like after twelve months?

At senior level, recruitment is rarely simply a matter of matching a CV to a job description. It also requires an understanding of the context surrounding the role: the culture, internal relationships, stakeholder expectations and some of the challenges that may not appear in the formal brief.

This becomes particularly important when a role has evolved, the organisation is entering a different phase, or the new appointee will need to achieve something different from their predecessor.

Taking time to explore these issues can change the shape of a search. It may alter the experience being prioritised, broaden the potential candidate market or indicate that the organisation needs a rather different type of leader from the one originally envisaged.

In my experience, the quality of a senior appointment is often influenced long before any candidates are approached. It begins with the quality of the thinking behind the brief.

If senior hires are on you agena, don’t build your role description on tasks and previous hires alone.  If you follow the strategy above,  you will most likely see a difference in the quality of your senior team and, importantly, the alignment to your short and longer terms strategies.

Call us now to find out how we can help you shape your senior management team: 01675 464060

or email: diane@dsaexecutive.com