Seth Godin has a nice post today on the irrelevancy of the MBA. Whether he meant it or not, Seth's post has a lot to do with executive recruiting. As evidence, check out the following quote:
Ask people who are thriving in today's economy to name five things that helped them succeed, and they'll probably come up with a list like this one ...
- Finding, hiring, and managing supergreat people
- Embracing change and moving quickly
- Understanding and excelling at business development and at making deals with other companies
- Prioritizing tasks in a job that changes every day
- Selling -- to people, to companies, and to markets
There are other skills that might show up on the list -- for example, balancing a life for the long term, working with venture capitalists and other sources of funds, being creative, and understanding the impact of new technologies -- but this is a good starting place.
Note the very first thing on the list. Now imagine what an advantage it would be to hire supergreat people who can do the other four things. Even if you are hiring a cost accountant, doesn't it make some sense for that person to know how to embrace change, make good deals, prioritize tasks, and sell their ideas to people, companies, and markets? I think so.
Question: To what extent does your company's sourcing and interview process for every function embrace Seth's philosophy?