How do you know you are hiring the very best?
Each company is unique: goals, business challenges, culture, leadership style, vocabulary, even the technology. You can create a position description containing minimum requirements to filter candidates. Even then, most top performers will be engaged in a role, performing well and have significant incentives to remain in their current position. Additionally, top performers will also resist the risk of changing to a new company, and new manager. So, knowing all of this, how will you know you have a great candidate who will perform well for you and your company?
If you have worked with stellar performers before, you can calibrate against your experience. What if you haven’t? What if you are leading your first start-up or leading a new division in your company? Will the same person who was successful for you before be able to perform well in your environment? How will you know? Is there a test you can perform to ensure success?
You need to calibrate candidates against a large pool of similar candidates to really know. Some people are very good at selling themselves in interviews, but they fail in actual performance. They are “empty suits” – all fluff, no substance. 
Examining skills and abilities is a common way to evaluate people. Many people are very good at executing – look at what they have done. The next step is to consider the fit with your company.
Can you articulate your vision for the company and how teams work together? Can you articulate your team’s communication style? Defining your unique challenges often outlines gaps in team capability, and is a good starting point to identify your needs and what to hire for. What is your mission? How are your mission and values demonstrated in the behaviors of the team?
Developing a clear picture up front of the “who” you want, will go a long way to finding someone who can execute well for you. After all, when hiring a C-Suite candidate you need someone who can lead and execute to take your company to the next level and beyond.
We specialize in providing you the right C-Suite talent the first time, in less than 90 days. Please call us to learn more about why we have many repeat clients, and why our candidates stay over 3 years in their roles.
