By Chris Gandy
How often have you heard a CEO or Chairperson procrastinate about taking action on a poor performing employee or Board member by using an excuse like…
“Joy is a good person. Her heart is in the right place. She just loves our cause!”
As sector, we seem to be very skilled at attracting, recruiting and protecting “good” people like Joy. Now while this behaviour is very admirable from Joy’s perspective we are short-changing the Cause every time. Unfortunately, if our goal is to create an outstanding organisation which totally blitzes its social impact we are not going to need “good” people but the “right” people.
So what does Mr/Ms Right look like? Here are some signs to look for when recruiting or promoting internally.
Core Values – The “Right”people clearly show that they embody the organisation’s core values. They can articulate these values and are willing to promote and spread them with others.
Skills – Unless the organisation has the luxury of carrying extra staff for development purposes, never recruit someone on the basis of perceived potential. “Good” people often have loads of potential. The “Right” people have the necessary core competencies and skills to make a positive contribution from day one.
Fit – Here we are talking about both cultural and team alignment. “Right” people seamlessly embrace and often enhance the organisation’s culture. They don’t try to create their version of your culture. Similarly, they merge with the team chemistry. They are not divisive and foster harmony.
Strategic – The “Right” people can look beyond the here and now and keep an eye on the broader vision. They are strategic in their thinking.
Doer – Rather than just paint the picture, the “Right” people convert strategy into action – they execute.
People Skills – Unless it is a highly specialised role, the “Right” person will have strong leadership, team building and communication skills.
Cash – The “Right” people understand that while the Cause is paramount, they also know no Cash means no Cause. While they may not all be CPA’s, they have an intuitive feel for the organisation’s finances and its capacity to deliver.
As Jim Collins put it in his book Good to Great, a good leader must continually strive to …..
“Get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats”
If you would like a hand finding, attracting and retaining the “right” people for your organisation contact us now to see how we can help.
P.S. Remember, “Right” people are “good” people as well
About Chris: Chris Gandy is the founder and director of Cause and Effective – a provider of contingent resourcing and leadership search services to cause-based organisations.
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