How much have you hired from outside your sector?
A leadership team becomes really powerful when there are complementary skills and experience.
I was hiring a senior marketing leader recently and the brief was all about the position challenging conventional thinking. Bringing fresh ideas.
The CEO was favouring a candidate with prior experience in their industry sector.
‘How much have you hired from outside your sector?’ I asked (knowing the answer was very little)
And how much will hiring more of what you already have challenge the status quo?
She took my advice and 6 months in, the senior leadership team are venturing outside their comfort zone
Like everything in business, there is a balance to strike – you can’t gamble on senior hires and make a wildly left-field choice.
But you can challenge your unconscious bias by meeting candidates on your shortlist that bring not just different experiences but a leadership style you don’t already have.
Here’s a recent podcast clip on the subject.
We all have unconscious biases, but how do you overcome yours?
About BartonRock: We are the executive search partner for scale ups and entrepreneurially driven companies within the retail and consumer sector.
We manage the careers of leaders whose know-how and commercial acumen within digital steers the strategic direction and future survival of companies.
Our assignments search for executives who understand how to implement and lead data-centric digital agendas.
For more information visit: www.bartonrock.com or contact guy@bartonrock.com or call +44 (0) 20 8092 6048.
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