Jan 10, 2006
When should a company look "outside" for senior talent, on a permanent or interim basis, as opposed to promoting an internal candidate? Smart companies use a combination. John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems says, "Talent from the outside, in selective and strategic roles, can help to spark new ideas!"
An outsider's perspective and lack of internal political ties can even trump a lack of experience within the company. "A young company doesn't always know what it wants or needs," says ExecuNet's CEO, David Opton. "Someone new coming in can hit the ground running, freed up from all the political baloney. You hear the argument that an outsider doesn't know the company culture, but that isn't necessarily a negative when the status quo isn't working. Now companies are realizing they need to be smarter and not just pick the next person on the org chart."
Situations where it makes sense to hire an interim executive from outside the company can include:
- geographical expansion - hire someone local
- adding a new line of business - bring in someone familiar with the area
- specific staff projects or audits - get an outside perspective
- implementing a new business process - bring in someone who isn't ingrained in the existing process.
Even when talent does exist inside a company, an interim hire can make sense. An executive in an interim assignment can provide a buffer of time so the job is getting done while the company evaluates internal candidates and decides exactly what kind of person they need to fill a position.
The Ashton Tweed recruitment of interim and/or interim-to-hire provides the opportunity for a client organization to strategically select talent from outside of their organization while removing the risks associated with potentially making the wrong hire.
Email to friend
