personalities , and strengths together to act on the side of good !
You , too , need a team of absolute specialists — chess pieces — to achieve your ambitious goals . In our experience , the learning curve for well-rounded generalists ( checkers pieces ) is simply too long and too steep in today ’ s fast and complex world . This is why we encourage leaders to look for “ idiot savants ” ( i . e ., people who are extremely talented at one particular thing and possibly bad at others ). As Geoff Smart points out , “ You would not let your family-practice doctor perform open-heart surgery on you .” Teams need to be well-rounded , but their individual members don ’ t have to be . Leaders don ’ t always grasp this , which explains why the traditional “ feel-good ” interview hires have such a high failure rate . We have a tendency to hire people most like ourselves and end up with a company of look-alikes , instead of a company of diverse talent , backgrounds , and personalities that drive the fruitful debate , innovation , and differentiation that powers growth .
RECRUITING IS A GUERRILLA MARKETING FUNCTION
The people to consider first are those with whom you have already worked . Culture fit can be evaluated in interviews and tests , but nothing substitutes for your own real-time observations of someone over prolonged periods of time .
However , most growing firms will exhaust such lists fairly quickly , so you will need to employ clever tactics to attract a sufficient applicant pool of specialists who fit your culture . Research strongly suggests that you
According to Topgrading , the cost of a bad hire is 15 times his or her annual salary , so it ’ s important to get the recruiting and selection process right .
need a minimum of 20 applicants per position ( frontline to senior ) if you want to dramatically increase your odds of hiring A Players . Sadly , because of the stress that comes with growth , many leaders simply hire whoever comes along and can fog the mirror ( e . g ., “ You ’ re breathing , you ’ re hired !”). This is why marketing is such a critical function to scaling up a business . The marketing team must be as actively involved in recruiting a steady stream of potential employees as it is in attracting potential customers , yet most organizations fail miserably in this area . They think the perfect candidates will fall from the sky . The best candidates are probably working somewhere else and need a reason to consider your organization . And because budgets are always tight in growing firms , you must find clever marketing approaches to attract the specific kind of “ strange ” talent you ’ re seeking .
One classic recruiting campaign was launched by Google in its early years . A single billboard ( placed near Yahoo ’ s headquarters — “ Fish where there are fish ”), with no mention of the company , simply displayed a sophisticated math riddle . The mere intrigue of the billboard generated millions of dollars of free publicity as the technorati went nuts over the question of who placed the ad . This , in turn , exposed the ad to tens of thousands of potential hires .
The actual solution to the puzzle led to a series of websites with additional equations to solve . Eventually , Google identified itself as the author of the billboard and said , “ One thing we learned while building Google is that it ’ s easier to find what you ’ re looking for if it comes looking for you . What we ’ re looking for are the best engineers in the world . And here you are .”
It is easy to stand out if you use whatever approach fits your culture and show some originality .
MOM ’ S GOES FISHING
To find the ideal CFO candidate for MOM ’ s Organic Market , CEO Nash cast a line where those mostly likely to be interested in his company ’ s purpose hang out . He placed an ad for a CFO on Treehugger . com , a green-living and environmental news site . The ad asked questions chosen to help the company attract a financial pro who fit into the culture of MOM ’ s : Do you want to work for a David rather than a Goliath ? Are you an entrepreneur in a CPA ’ s body ? Would you rather come to work in jeans ? ( To read a copy of the full ad , go to Scalingup . com .)
Bingo ! MOM ’ s received 40 resumes in a week from a group of great candidates who clearly understood and appreciated the company ’ s purpose . Ultimately , Nash hired Kelly Moler , who had the requisite talent and shared the team ’ s green values . In her eight years at MOM ’ s , she helped the profitable company navigate the challenges of growing to $ 130 million in annual revenue amid competition from giant players like Whole Foods .
MOM ’ s has taken a similar approach to attract candidates in a variety of other positions , from grocery baggers to executive-level jobs . For instance , on the “ Join us ” page on its website , this is what a recent advertisement said .
You :
• are really interested in electric vehicles
• appreciate a good debate , even with your boss
• figure out how to fix it instead of who ’ s to blame
• paid for your own stuff when you were a teenager
• have pulled recyclables out of the trash
We :
• work to protect and restore the environment
• like real food
• aren ’ t afraid to make mistakes
• care more about your intelligence and values than your experience
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