Transforming Leadership Teams with Proactive Recruiting Strategies

Hiring diverse leaders, including BIPOC and women, is an effective strategy to bring about transformation in your leadership team. However, the process is not as simple as it may seem. Hiring VP and C-suite talent presents numerous challenges, and without proper planning and execution, it can easily fail.

As a leader in the executive talent acquisition function, I have personally witnessed the benefits of proactive engagement practices that focus on engaging potential candidates before there is a new open position. At Zillow, we place great importance on three key areas: exceptional search execution, Talent Scouting (which is proactive talent engagement), and external succession planning (ESP).

By prioritizing Talent Scouting, we can build a robust talent pipeline that ensures we have a pool of qualified candidates ready to step in when new positions become available. This approach not only allows us to become better acquainted with potential candidates but also helps us assess their alignment with our organization's culture and values, leading to more successful hires.

Furthermore, our Talent Scouting practices contribute to increased employee retention. By establishing relationships with potential candidates early on, we cultivate loyalty and engagement, reducing the likelihood of employees seeking opportunities elsewhere.

In addition to improving the quality of our hires and increasing employee retention, Talent Scouting can also lead to cost savings. By minimizing the time and resources invested in recruiting and hiring through search firms, we can redirect those resources to other areas of our business.

Arguably the most significant advantage of Talent Scouting is gaining a competitive edge in today's job market. By creating connections that foster opportunistic hiring scenarios, we can position ourselves as an employer of choice and attract top talent in this competitive job market.

The effectiveness of these strategies is evident in the statistical data. According to a study by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), companies with proactive recruitment strategies have seen a 30% increase in BIPOC representation at the executive level over the past five years. These companies also report significant cost savings due to reduced reliance on search firms, allowing the redirection of resources to other business areas. In addition, these strategies give these companies a competitive edge in today's job market, enhancing their appeal to top talent.

Here's a breakdown of how to build a proactive engagement practice:

1.      Gain support and sponsorship from the executive leadership team: Leader support is a critical factor in determining the success of your proactive efforts.

2.      Gain commitment from leaders to hire talent: Create opportunistic roles to hire exceptional talent, such as EIR (Expert in Residence) roles or positions leading nascent business initiatives or units.

3.      Gain commitment from all stakeholders to make prospect engagement a priority.

4.      Commit to meeting talent where they are: Develop a remote hiring strategy to reach a wider pool of candidates.

5.      Determine what talent/skills are needed to deliver on the roadmap objectives.

6.      Establish key criteria for talent profiles. Define the essential criteria for the talent profiles required to achieve the roadmap objectives.

7.      Use key criteria to inform your diversity sourcing strategy: Map the market against the key criteria to develop a pipeline of prospects.

8.      Aim for 80% BIPOC & Women representation in your pipeline.

Using your Diverse Pipeline:

1.      Contact prospects: Talent Sourcers/Recruiters or company leaders reach out to prospects to set up "Get to Know" conversations that do not involve a specific role. These conversations allow leaders to conduct conversational assessments, expand networks, gather market intelligence, and calibrate against their current team.

2.      Multiple leaders meet prospects: Prospects meet with a minimum of two leaders to minimize bias in the assessment process.

3.      Collaboration to determine next steps: Recruiters, HR partners, and clients convene to discuss the feedback and decide whether prospects should move forward to additional conversations, be placed on a future engagement list, be removed from the pipeline, or proceed to active interviews for open roles that align with their qualifications. In some cases, exceptional talent may even prompt the creation of opportunistic roles specifically tailored for them.

4.      Fortify relationships with high-quality prospects: Prospects who receive positive feedback and demonstrate strong potential will meet with more leaders to further strengthen their relationships within the organization.

5.      Maintain a regular rhythm: It is crucial to repeat this process on a regular basis to sustain proactive relationship building with your talent pool.

Pro Tip:

The Importance of Involving More Leaders in your process.

·      Decreases bias-driven decisions: Involving multiple leaders reduces the likelihood of unilateral decisions influenced by bias.

·      Provides deeper insights into cultural fit: More leaders participating in the conversational assessment process allows for a better understanding of a prospect's potential success within the organizational culture.

·      Generates widespread support for exceptional prospects: Engaging multiple leaders creates a groundswell of support for highly qualified candidates.

·      Maximizes impact assessment: More people involved means more perspectives to evaluate where these leaders can make the most significant contributions within the organization.

·      Capitalizes on human chemistry: Human chemistry plays a significant role, and involving more leaders increases the chance of finding the right connection with a prospect, potentially giving you the edge needed to secure their candidacy.

By implementing proactive engagement practices that prioritize engagement with potential candidates and involving multiple leaders in the assessment process, your organization can transform its leadership team, attract top talent, and succeed in today's competitive job market.