Lessons Learned From A Failed Hire

Most of breakdowns happen on both sides

As we know, making the wrong executive hire can be costly on multiple levels: company morale, resources to replace the hire, productivity, time, and money. According to a study by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), the cost of a single bad hire can range up to 5x the hire’s annual salary*. The majority of our recent search requests have come from clients asking us to backfill a recently departed executive, or to replace an incumbent that is not working. To avoid this unfavorable situation, let us look at measures that can be taken to reduce the number of replacement hires at the executive level, and understand the key lessons learned.

First, why does this happen? From our perspective, most of breakdowns happen on both sides, and these are the most common reasons:

(Note: lack of competency is not one of the most common reasons cited)

Hiring is a lot is like dating or marriage; after a first failed marriage, statistics have shown that a second marriage has a higher possibility for divorce (Forest Institute of Professional Psychology**). So, what preventative measures can a company instill to ensure the success of the next executive hire?

1. Empowerment: Did you strive to empower the executive?
Obviously both sides need to pull their weight, but many times we find the company did not do everything in their power to provide the executive with all of the tools for success.

2. Misaligned Values: Did too many shared personal interests influence the hiring decision?
Although it is great to have shared personal interests & hobbies, rarely is this sufficient to sustain a long-term relationship. We have found that shared values and a common company mission are much more sustainable.

3. Clear Mission: Were the mission and deliverables defined and agreed upon?
The company needs to clearly communicate the mission of the organization, and both parties should agree upon defined and reasonable deliverables for the first 90/180/365 days. Once it is clearly stated, care should be taken to ensure the mission is shared and understood by any candidate that becomes a hired executive of the company.

4. Interview Process: Were there any warning signs that were ignored during the executive’s interview?
Often the urgency to fill the position can override the process, leading to the failure to recognize red flags in a candidate. We find that feedback from interviewers can be ignored for no other reason than haste. Always take time to conduct references thoroughly – ask the tough questions. It is better to wait for the perfect fit tomorrow, than to hire mediocrity today.

5. On-Boarding: Was there a consistent and thorough on-boarding process?
This is such a critical component to an efficient and productive start. We are surprised by the number of employers that have inconsistent on-boarding procedures. (How to make an employee’s first 90 days successful)

6. Environment & Expectations: Has morale been low, and, if so, why?
Companies want to change the world, at pace, but expectations are often not reasonable and measurable from the outset, which can lead to low morale among employees. Measuring results against expected outcomes helps ongoing alignment.

7. Exit Interviews: Do you know why previous executives left?
We find it surprising that many companies do not perform exit interviews upon receiving a letter of resignation. This tactic can help an organization determine blind spots, and make adjustments prior to hiring a new executive. It is important to have more than one person conduct an exit interview in order to discover any discrepancies in the outgoing executive’s rationale for leaving.

 
Failed executive hires do happen, and are part of the learning and growth process for any company. Identify the alignment of values and mission as early as possible in the interview process, be thorough in your process, and then support and empower new hires to your full ability. Take a mirror to your culture, on-boarding process and communication to ensure you are setting new executives up for success.