Hiring Talent: A Blend of Art and Science

When we think about leadership and leadership development, we rarely think about hiring and recruitment. Yet one of a great leader’s most important contributions is creating and sustaining the organisation for success, both now and in the future. Recruiting talent, for today and for tomorrow, is fundamental to this ambition. However, far too often, hiring is seen as a painful activity that takes time away from more important matters. But what could be more important than ensuring that a hotel has the right people? In my view, hiring well is both a science and an art. The scientific side is easier to learn, although it is not always an integral part of leadership development and training. It involves understanding and executing the elements of the recruitment process well. Some aspects can be successfully delegated, including candidate sourcing, documentation, initial screening and references. However, leaders must play a role in the selection and messaging elements of recruitment.   Leaders play a critical role in shaping the message communicated to prospective hires, which must be aligned with the leader’s vision for the organisation or department and consistent with the experience of current employees. Participating in candidate selection requires leaders to be skilled in interviewing and judgement. Learning to interview effectively, removing irrelevant bias and getting to the truth about a candidate is a skill that can be learned by anyone committed to mastering it. Exercising sound judgement is more of an art. It can be refined through experience, and great leaders must invest time and effort in developing, testing and improving their judgement across a range of factors, including hiring decisions. Perhaps because there are so many systems and routines involved in hiring, or perhaps because leaders do not see it as a skill that supports their personal success, many leaders do not invest the time or attention required to become great recruiters. I believe they are missing a trick here, resulting in talent being overlooked or, even worse, less brilliant people being hired into their teams and organisations. Below are some ideas to help energise leaders and reposition hiring excellence as one of their core leadership competencies:

• • • It takes courage and confidence to make a good hire. To refuse to compromise on quality and fit, regardless of how much pressure there is to fill the vacancy and get the work done. To be willing to hire someone who might one day surpass you. To take a well-managed risk by hiring someone who does not fit the mould and, most importantly, to nurture, challenge and guide them towards success.
    • It takes vision to know which people, attitudes, skills, behaviours and competencies will be needed in the future, and to attract these individuals to the organisation and retain them afterwards.
    • It takes integrity to be honest with a prospective employee about what is great about the organisation today and what needs work, so candidates can make an informed decision about joining the organisation and, once they are part of it, feel confident in that decision. They should not feel they have been sold something that is not entirely true.
    • It requires strong critical thinking to assess the information presented by a candidate, identify the important elements and make a decision about suitability for the immediate role, fit with the organisation and future potential.
    • It requires decisive action to make a timely hiring decision and move quickly to secure top talent, who have many other options to pursue and will be attracted not only by the role and the leadership, but also by their recruitment experience.
    • It takes a personal-development mindset to recognise that some attention and time will need to be invested in refining the science and art of hiring.
    • It takes strong communication skills and the ability to inspire others to attract the best talent to your organisation in what is an increasingly challenging talent market, especially when competing with high-profile organisations or higher-paying employers.
    • It takes flexibility to reshape roles and challenges to better meet the aspirations and talents of a prospective hire.
    • It requires management competence and capability to allow your leaders to hire without unnecessary interference, trust their judgement, coach rather than control, and support great decisions.
    • It takes sound judgement to get hiring right.

In summary, hiring well requires all the attributes of great leadership and enables leaders to leave a legacy greater than themselves.