Is your growth story attracting great executive talent?
Vision statements can be very polarising. I spoke with one senior executive recently who described her company as ‘full of unbridled ambition, but completely and utterly unattainable’. It was fair to say she wasn’t a fan.
With many of my clients being mid-sized companies with less recognisable brands, there is a temptation to tick the vision statement box and miss out on the much more important part:
The story that sits behind it.
Vision statements can get the wheels in motion but it’s a powerful storyline and how someone’s job fits into it that gets people engaged.
The belief and passion in where the company is going and what can be collectively achieved.
Here are some questions to contemplate when shaping your company’s story:
◾ How do you describe the culture and what evidence can you provide of the business walking the talk?
◾ How would someone observe your company values in action?
◾ How are executives empowered to create an impact and feel like they’re making a genuine difference to the business?
◾ How much are the founder and CEO emotionally invested?
The answers to these four questions can speak volumes and will directly impact buy-in to an executive hiring process.
And on a more operational level, answers to these questions further solidify the attractiveness of the company.
What specific problem does your company solve?
How do you differentiate from the competition? (one of the most compelling draws for a potential hire but the hardest to distill)
What is the growth journey?
Worry less about how catchy your vision statement is and be concerned more with creating a compelling and consistent growth story across the business.
Get that right and you’ll dramatically increase the pool of interested executive talent.
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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