Case Study:
Why
Traditional job specs often list general credentials and traits, but rarely, if ever, tie back to core business goals (i.e. achieve 30%+ organic revenue growth and maintain customer NPS of +20). This gap between job specs and business goals can lead to improper hires, in addition to mismatched expectations for new hires on how they will be measured.
By aligning the interview process with the expected results each hire will need to achieve, we believe we can more effectively (and consistently) ensure a successful hire.
____________
Situation
The Founder needed to hire a CRO who could lead the sales team and achieve top-line revenue target growth of 50%+. Getting this hire right was critical, as the new CRO would be making 5-7 new hires over the next 12 months. If we didn’t get this hire right, our mistake would likely be magnified by additional mis-hires and lost money and time for the company.
____________
What
In working with the Founder and HR Leader, we developed a hiring scorecard for the new CRO and initial sales executive hires. These scorecards were developed at the beginning of the interview process, and candidates were graded based on their likely ability to achieve the “Results Expected” and demonstrate the “Capabilities Needed”.
____________
How
When setting individual goals or expected results, it’s important to first tie them to the goals of the company. From there, goals can flow through the organization. This enables each individual to clearly see how their activities contribute to the company’s overall success and allows for clear lines of accountability towards achieving those goals.
When setting any new hire’s expected results, it’s important that the results are easily measurable and can be directly influenced by that individual. Otherwise, the results will quickly lose meaning and it will become more likely that the new hire will be less equipped to succeed.
