Legendary management guru Peter Drucker once said that hospitals are the most complex and challenging of all business enterprises to manage successfully. As these complexities multiply, the challenges confronting executives are increasingly more intense and diverse. This brutally challenging environment requires Next Level Leaders with the skills and personality to successfully meet the challenges.
Talented leaders are in short supply. So how does an organization compete in a competitive talent marketplace? Many boards and CEOs frequently turn to executive recruiters. However, not all recruiters are equal and many firms, running on their national brand and years of relationships, have not adapted their business models to this more challenging environment.
Only Next-Level Recruiters can consistently deliver extraordinary results. To ensure your organization is engaging a Next Level search firm, establish new standards of performance:
1. Develop Comprehensive Profile of the Organization and Its Culture – Next-Level Recruiters develop in-depth profiles of the organization, its cultural DNA, the position, and performance expectations. Next-Level Recruiters produce detailed analysis that will ensure their candidates know and understand all of the issues. In C-Suite searches, this is not a one-day undertaking.
2. Placement Guarantee – The new minimum for C-Suite placement guarantees is thirty-six (36) months. At the core of any meaningful placement guarantee is a search consultant’s willingness to be accountable for a candidate’s tenure and performance.
3. Tie the Fee to Your Satisfaction – Tie the professional fee to performance. If the first round of candidates does not meet your expectations, Next-Level Recruiters are willing to provide a fee discount unless you changed your mind concerning the qualifications, skills or scope of responsibility. The search consultant’s inability to meet your needs will increase your expenses. Next Level Recruiters embrace accountability for their performance.
4. Link the Professional Fee to Performance – Many retained search consultants use a fee based on three equal installments, spaced at 30-day intervals. Next-Level Recruiters provide a project timeline, with a deadline for delivery of the candidate panel. Tie the payment of the Professional Fee to performance.
Relationships are important but not at the expense of performance, value, accountability and results. Healthcare organizations are facing extraordinary challenges to improve quality and deal with cuts in reimbursement. Next-Level Recruiters are driven to innovate, to be accountable for their work as well as the tenure and performance of their candidates. JGS