The other day a VC friend gleefully mentioned how a senior leader they had recently hired at one of their portfolio companies was doing wonders for the organisation.
The reason for his excitement was that this leader was a non-conventional hire by their standards.
They had extended him an offer reluctantly, ignoring some obvious gaps in his CV because they could not find the 'perfect' match to their JD.
Essentially, they had placed a bet on him which was now working out extremely well.
On digging further it turned out that the basis for their bet on this person was three-fold:
1. A few personal and professional attributes that were not being fully utilised in his current job but could be of value in the role under consideration
2. Strong cultural fit for the individual within the organization
3. Reasonably good track record of thriving in new situations
Based on my own experience, I could fully relate to this explanation.
In a fast changing world where talent is increasingly scarce, we need to change our lens when hiring:
1. Potential over Experience: look for what the person CAN do vs. what they HAVE done in the past
2. Environment over Individual: ask how we and our work culture can uniquely enable an individual to do their best
3. Diversity over Depth: prioritise curiosity, experimentation, and ability to thrive under different circumstances over tenure and stability in the same role.
#career #hiring #job