How Hedgehogs Hire

In my last column, I explored Jim Collins' "hedgehog" principle, and how powerfully this can be used to attract great employees. After many dozens of CEO interviews, I'm convinced that leaders with well-defined hedgehogs deploy the most successful hiring models.

Recent job growth figures mean that more firms are competing for the same talent. This causes additional pressure on us to determine how we can minimize attrition of our best people.

I interviewed CEO's of successful small to medium-sized companies to find out how they are addressing this trend. They had to meet two criteria: First, they had to report consistent profitable growth for the last 3-5 years, and second, they had to demonstrate a serious passion for attracting and retaining good people.

Rod Walker, President and CEO of Knightsbridge Technology, a consulting firm based in Chicago, meets the criteria. According to Walker, "recruiting the best talent is my number one priority. As we experience 41% CAGR, we've been challenging ourselves to attract premium people quickly while maintaining our culture." It's no wonder that Knightsbridge boasts a 15% voluntary turnover rate, much lower than today's services industry average of 25%.

I also spoke with Janet Amirault, President of Software Consortium in Towson, MD. This firm provides strategic IT consulting services to clients such as Black& Decker, Sylvan Learning, and Marriott Corporation. They have delivered 15+% annual growth in the last 9 out of 10 years. Of the two good performers who resigned in the last year, both became corporate clients.

These leaders shared common strategies:

1. Design the position first, then recruit. Amirault suggests, "Document the key knowledge, skills and behaviors that you need for every position." In my experience, many firms still rely on job descriptions to attract good people and skip this critical step. Some positions will always require certain credentials and education. What's often missing are the key behaviors you'll need to rapidly align this person with your company's culture, processes, and values.

You'll also need to review your interview questions. For example, if you want to ensure this person has a commitment to lifelong learning (a behavior), how would you know? Amirault recommends that you "Ask very specific questions, such as 'what were the last two courses you enrolled in while you worked at ABC Company?"

2. Implement multiple candidate data collection methods. Consider personality surveys (such as PDP/Dynapro and Myers-Briggs) and external background checks (such as Kroll America). Most of these programs require less than 30 minutes of your time and may cumulatively cost less than $500. The investment is a fraction of the cost of one bad hire, which ranges from $100K in IT to millions for mortgage brokers.

3. Beef up your systems and enabling technology. According to John Walsh, President of Del Mar Database in San Diego, "Growing your own leaders can be a very effective strategy, but it requires very good business processes and technology. Internally promoted teams need better tools because of their lack of experience." The Mortgage Bankers Association projects a 47% IT capital budget increase in 2004--two thirds of which is slated to streamline processes for loan origination professionals.

4. Increase your commitment to consistently providing professional development. Knightsbridge invests over $1M annually in training and pays special attention to new hire and junior consultant development. That's nearly 3% of revenues. Software Consortium have shifted a solid percentage of their training budget from standard technical skills to leadership and sales disciplines.

These great examples prove that if you treat your hiring system like gold, and your hedgehog is strong, you just may 'outfox' your competitors!

Lisa Nirell is President of Nirell & Associates in Del Mar, CA. (http://www.nirell.com). She helps services leaders who create outstanding client experiences by attracting great employees. She recently completed a 10-month study of top performing services CEOs. For a free subscription to NirellNews and a Special Report on this study, call 858-481-8787, visit http://www.nirell.com, or email marketing@nirell.com. Please mention "ezinearticles.com" in your response and you may qualify for a free audio CD ($37 value) on profitable growth strategies.

---

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLES

---

How To Win the Job-Hunting Game
When I got over the initial shock of being urged to "seek alternative employment" I found myself, like so many others, out beating the bushes looking for a job. I found that I was just another one of the sheep following the same traditional job-hunting procedures as everyone else.

---

Resume Writing Tips
Make sure that your resume is up to date with your latest job experience and educational accomplishments. Have a friend or relative evaluate your resume to see if it is clear, consistent, and fairly represents your skills and experience.

---

Speak Up: Your Job Is At Stake!
How good are you at standing up for yourself?Do you run the other way when done an injustice or when someone steps on your proverbial toes?How do you react?Now's the time to speak up and stand your ground! If you've never done this, you need to master this skill.How many of you watched the "The Apprentice?" While the show is not the ultimate mirror of corporate life or a guide on how to be promoted, my clients have cited specific show episodes to highlight weaknesses they'd like to improve.

---

Have You Given Up On Yourself?
Have you given up on yourself? Have you decided to take the easy road and coast for the rest of your life? Have you come to the decision that you have done all you could possibly be expected to do in your life now it is someone else's turn? As you get older you may not be able to run as fast, swim as far, hit the ball as hard or even concentrate as long as you used to but is that the reason to give up? Surely your aim should be to be the best you can at whatever age you are."Navratilova wants to be as good a player as she can possibly be at the age of 47, just as she wanted to be the best she could possibly be at 19, at 25, at 35".

---

Wake Up and Learn Something New
The US Government has just released last month's job creation figures. It was the lowest number in two years.

---

Sample Cover Letters ... The Hidden Pitfalls
You can benefit from sample cover letters as they can help you learn about the constructs of a high quality cover letter.However, there are some dangers in doing this .

---

How Long Does It Take To Write A Resume?
Many people can easily write a resume in just a couple of hours. They can do this by following a resume sample and just writing their information in place of the sample.

---

Have Enough Money to Change Careers - Five Key Steps
At every talk I give, I ask the audience to tell me the reasons why people don't change careers. The most common answer given each time is "lack of money.

---

Networking is the Key to Star Performance in Everything You Do.
Many people's idea of networking relates to the 'size of their Christmas Card List, rather than the quality of their relationship with each person on that list. Similarly those people network, but few reap the rewards of zeroing in on their potential.

---

Travel Writer Jobs, What Are They And How To Find Them
Travel writing jobs are few and far between. Getting into this field is hard to do and requires a lot of training and experience.

---

Why You Should Never Complain About Former Bosses
You're at a job interview. You're doing great, answering questions left and right.

---

Are You Living Your Career Dreams?
Inherent within the human spirit is a desire for fulfillment, a longing to carry out our creative aspirations by reaching new heights of accomplishment. Yet often the yearning for fulfillment can be suppressed by fear and apprehension.

---

A Career in Image Consulting
You might have seen them while watching TV shows such as Extreme Makeover, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, or What Not to Wear. Or you might have heard that Martha Stewart needed them to give her advice on how to look sympathetic to a jury.

---

Finding Success In Todays Job Market
This year we are experiencing the most dynamic and rapidly changing economy in all of history except for next year, and the year after, and the rest of our working lives. The days of being able to get a college education, then get a good job for life, which will give you financial security and retirement are gone forever.

---

Why One Word Answers are Bad News at Job Interviews
It takes a lot of time and effort to get invited to a job interview. Don't blow your chances by being misunderstood by the interviewer.

---

Booster & Drainers
Like huge anchors on cruise ships, other people can hold you down. Not intentionally, but their negativity impacts you.

---

Mystery Shopping - An Excellent Part Time Job Or Additional Income Source
Though the name itself may seem a bit mysterious, the concept of mystery shopping is actually straightforward. Also referred to as secret shopping, performance evaluations, service checks and frontline evaluations to name a few, mystery shopping allows companies to obtain a "snapshot in time" by trained researchers who know in advance what they are to evaluate.

---

Is Your Resume Doing ITS Job?
Is it opening doors to new opportunities? Does it compel the reader to think, "Hey! This applicant can ?put that one on top of the 'call in for an interview' pile!" Does it showcase what you have accomplished for past employers as well as what you can accomplish for the potential employer?Your resume is your personal marketing tool that must immediately convey to the reader that you CAN and WILL be a positive driving force to further their organization's mission. They have a need to QUICKLY get thru all the resumes received in response to their job posting so you've got to QUICKLY grab their attention.

---

Words. Words. Words.
They're only words. Some believe the school-yard taunt: "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.

---

Top Career Advice ... More Choices and A Better Way of Life
Why Career Advice Is So ImportantChoosing a career presents a nerve-racking decision, as it can have a life-long impact on you. Do not fret, as you can gain a clearer outlook into your future by thorough career planning.

---