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Hiring Top Performers in Leadership Roles

Every company will tell you that their most important asset is their people.  It’s one of those common business tropes that has become a bit of a cliché.  But it’s a popular phrase for a reason – it makes the world of difference to how your business is going to succeed.

While everyone pays lip service to that idea, not every company actually puts in place the right strategies to hire and retain top performers that are going to transform their organization.  It takes time, resources, and effort to get it right and when you have so much else on your plate, it’s easy to let this slip.

This is a big mistake.

The gap between top performers and average performers is vast and when you’re talking about the higher levels of leadership – it’s even more important.  

Here are some of the key reasons why hiring top performers in leadership and technical roles is so important:

  • They set the tone.  Whether you like it or not, the people you hire into leadership positions are going to have a disproportionate influence on the company culture of the organization.  It doesn’t matter how eloquent your company mission, values, and corporate presentations are – people follow people.  So, you want to ensure that your leaders are the sorts of people that can inspire through their competence, example, work ethic, and world view.  Everything that they stand for is going to trickle down throughout the company and impact how everyone else works.  Therefore, when you have a top performer in the role, it becomes a lead domino that has compounding value throughout the rest of the organization.
  • They execute the strategy.  When it comes to strategy, it all comes down to the execution.  At boardroom level you might come up with the perfect strategy on paper to take your company to the next level, but unless that is manifested in the real world – it doesn’t mean anything.  Leaders in your organization are the ones responsible for taking that strategy and executing on it.  As such, the higher the quality of your chosen leaders, the better your strategy is going to perform.  If you’ve got someone who is doing the bare minimum here, you will fail to achieve your company’s goals and objectives.  You want someone proactive, enthusiastic, and highly competent to drive things forward and make a difference.
  • They are the innovators.  Companies live and die based on innovation.  As business circumstances are constantly shifting, you have to adapt or you will be left behind.  Top performers are the kinds of people that are going to be the tip of the spear when it comes to pushing your company forward.  They are comfortable going out of their comfort zone and applying their mind to find new opportunities for your company to grow.  Average employees, on the other hand, are just going to do what they’re told and stick to the status quo because it’s safe.  You want a leader who is pushing the boundaries of what is possible and helping your organization adjust to the reality of the industry.
  • They are intricately connected to the processes.  When you talk to a high performer operating in a leadership position, you’ll get the sense that they have their finger on the pulse of the teams that they are leading.  Great leaders are connected to every piece of the organization and use this scope to ensure that everyone is aligned and pulling in the same direction.  An average performer tends to step back and remain somewhat aloof which can lead to inefficient communication and a disparate, siloed organization.  You don’t want this.  You want a leader that is happy to get their hands dirty and who understands the nuances of the teams that they are leading.  This is how you supercharge your operations and get the most out of your people.
  • They are dependable.  Top performers are the kinds of people that you can always rely on, no matter what is happening.  You want to work with people who are calm under pressure and who can deliver results even when things aren’t going to plan.  This is a rare skill and one that you can only really appreciate when you’ve worked with an average employee who crumbles under the pressure.  You want to hire someone that you can depend on time and time again.  It matters.  And it’s what separates the good from the great.
  • They build confidence.  When you work with a top performer, you can’t help but be inspired by their energy and what they bring to the table.  A great leader can build confidence around them and lead a company to heights that they never before could have imagined.  It’s about vision and a dedication to the mission – and you just don’t get that with an average employee.   

Those are a few of the core reasons why hiring top performers should be a high priority for you.  None of this is new, of course, but we need to be reminded of just how much of an impact these hiring decisions are.  They should not be taken lightly and you should be doing everything you can to find the right people that are going to help take your organization to the next level.

If you are looking for some assistance in this search, then let us help you.  We’re extremely passionate about finding the best possible technology executives that can come into your company and make a real difference.  We go above and beyond to identify those candidates that not only have the technical competence to do the job, but also the leadership skills that are needed to manage complexities on the ground.

Couple that with our obsession with cultural fit and you’ve got yourself an executive search firm that can deliver top performers that you’ll never know how you did without.  If this is of interest, get in touch today and let’s get started.  We’d love to hear your story and see how we can help.  

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