29 Jun A day in the life of…
Chetna worked in a state of flurry that Monday morning. Her research for suitable candidates for a technology role had remained a challenge because the client was looking to fill a highly specialized position.
The client had confessed he had not been able to find a suitable candidate for the last 2 years.
Out of the shortlist, Chetna had chosen 3 profiles, and was sure that 2 would be potential hires. One of the rules of executive search is never to indulge in presumptions. Chetna remembered this when she identified the first potential candidate who had 13 out of his 15 years of work experience in the North of India. The location for this opportunity was in South India and in a B-town. `Let me try’ thought Chetna and when she connected with him she was thrilled to learn Akash was indeed looking for an opportunity in the South.
Though Akash was working away from his home town for the last 13 years, he always had his eyes open for a job to return to his family which was still in the South. For over a decade he had not been able to find a suitable job that was as good as the one he was holding. Much as he seemed to have the ability to take risks and achieve success in his job he came across as a very conservative person with respect to taking risks in his personal life. He gave Chetna some classic quotes like `life is the art of drawing without an eraser’ and perhaps `a bird in hand is worth two in the bush’. The major attraction in the opportunity was the location; however, he had concerns.
A God sent opportunity, he fully agreed but he was in a very satisfying job currently and in a way had gotten used to being away from family. Will I upset the Apple cart, he wondered! The fitment was perfect and Chetna knew that the client was sure to find him suitable for the role, but Akash should be convinced first.
‘Can we have a quick talk with Akash?’ asked Raman, Chetna’s boss.
Chetna’s first task that Monday morning was to get into a call with Akash along with Raman. This is do or die, thought Chetna. Akash had the domain expertise with proven technical skills. Location was a critical plus. Other than that Akash had no reason to make the change.
Chetna recalled reading about `emptying your bucket’.
All of us have a bucket that contains memories of our experiences, interactions or efforts at solving a problem. When you are faced with a situation that requires critical decision making, your memories first invoke negative thoughts highlighting constraints and barriers. A filled bucket does not allow for fresh ideas, critical thinking and creativity as prior experiences affect the way conclusions are reached. You can’t think critically or be innovative from the perspective of the memories in your bucket—because it’s filled with prior experiences that significantly impact your decision making.
When the call began Chetna’s only submission to Akash was to empty his bucket and look at the opportunity with a fresh perspective.
The position indeed had interesting and challenging opportunities and Akash couldn’t help feeling excited. The city where he would be based in was about 250 kms from his home town; much closer than the distance between North and South of India! `Too good to be true’ thought Akash. The current COVID situation will make it impossible to re-locate – Akash expressed doubts again. Raman told him that life is like a jigsaw puzzle. Let’s first get the frame done, namely, the meetings between the client and Akash, subsequent talks on compensation and other aspects. Once all these are decided, the rest of the pieces will fall in place. Akash was game.
Soon enough the client did a conference call with Akash and was very happy with his skills and experience. After couple of more rounds the client was ready with the offer. Akash put in his resignation while waiting for flights to resume. Once flights resumed partially, Akash flew to the nearest town to his home, self-quarantined for two weeks and got ready to enter his new world of work.
Few critical aspects that Chetna had considered to find the right fitment for the position were:
- Nothing was presumed based on past experience. Every assignment is a new search and not an extension of past research.
- Talent mapping was not restricted to location. Mapping was done across regions.
- Chetna’s search for a suitable candidate involved an effort to provide a candidate with a balance in life – the equilibrium that features satisfying work, a good family life and financial stability.
A week after he joined work, Akash’s wife called Chetna and thanked her immensely for facilitating Akash’s professional transition. `We have been waiting for this for years’ she said.
`And this is what satisfaction and success in an assignment means’ beamed Chetna to herself.
It is the ability to go beyond the brief and factor in the human element that is critical to the success of any search assignment. That is what sets apart a great researcher from a good one. Thanks for reading this article; this is just one of the many elements that contribute to finding the right person for critical roles that can make or break organisations.
This is an actual case study of a high-impact executive position that was closed by the TATE team recently. Names have been changed to protect privacy of the people involved. Send an email to the author if you are keen to learn more.
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