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You depend on the leaders of your organisation to set strategic direction, coordinate with other leaders, and ultimately drive the business forward. When one of those leadership positions becomes vacant, your organisation loses direction and potential.
It's important to fill those leadership vacancies as quickly as possible while still keeping your priorities in order.
So, how do you do it?
Plan for the Long Term
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First, you should approach this problem with a long-term mindset. It's tempting to rush, so you can fill the leadership vacancy as quickly as possible, close the gap, and move on. But if you end up filling this vacancy with someone who isn't qualified or isn't a good fit for the organization, you'll end up back at square one before you know it.
Instead, lay out the groundwork for your decision and the steps of the process that's adapted for the long term. This may require an additional investment of time or money on your part, especially initially, but it's worth that investment if it means setting your company up for success in the years and decades to come. Stay in close communication with other leaders to make sure you have the organization's goals in mind.
Hire Temporary Help
Depending on the nature of the leadership vacancy, an extended vacancy could be extremely problematic. That's why it's often a good idea to hire some temporary help so you can close that gap and inch a bit closer to your desired final product.
For example, with an interim CMO, you can appoint someone who has all the knowledge, experiences, and qualifications necessary to lead a marketing team without necessarily committing to them as a permanent replacement.They can help identify the biggest fires to put out, provide guidance and direction in the absence of a more permanent leader, and provide general support as your marketing department scrambles to find the right fit.
Of course, even when hiring temporary help, it's important to do your due diligence. You should be very familiar with each candidate's qualifications, strengths, and weaknesses before hiring them.
Write a Compelling Job Description
You're going to have a much easier time filling the leadership vacancy if you have a compelling job description on the books. This job description is going to be featured across all your marketing channels, and it's likely going to be responsible for forming first impressions of candidates. Write something that is accurate, yet persuasive and alluring to potential candidates. You'll need to strike a balance between technical precision and creative presentation.
Make Your Company More Attractive
Similarly, you can work to make your company more attractive to leaders who might be a good fit for your organization. If your company is attractive enough, you'll attract far more qualified applicants, and you'll attract them in greater numbers.
These are some of the best places to start with:
· Pay. Your first instinct might be to offer more money, and it's typically a good one, assuming your organization can afford it. Experienced and talented candidates gravitate to positions that pay them for that experience and talent.
· Benefits. If you can't support leadership candidates with strictly better pay, you might be able to augment your offer with the inclusion of better benefits. Ordinary benefits like health insurance are important, but you can sweeten the pot with flexible scheduling, gym memberships, and more.
· Culture. You also need to think about your company’s culture. There are no real rules for how your company operates culturally, but you should put together an environment that's naturally appealing to the types of candidates you want to attract.
Improve Your Internal Recruiting and Hiring Processes
You can also improve internally, mastering your recruiting and hiring processes.
· Know who you’re looking for. You'll have a much easier time implementing all these strategies if you know exactly what types of candidates you're looking for. This way, you can customize your offers and advertisements for these specific individuals.
· Tap into the right channels. There are lots of hiring and recruiting channels you can use, so make sure you have a presence across all of them.
· Balance urgency and importance. The Eisenhower Matrix urges professionals to consider both the importance and the urgency of potential priorities. Try to balance these priorities as you resolve the issues with your current leadership vacancy.
· Strike a better deal with promising candidates. When you find excellent candidates, be willing to make concessions. It may be worth a few compromises if it means getting an excellent leader in place.
Filling a leadership vacancy isn't easy, especially if you've recently lost a leader who is exceptionally skilled at their job. However, with the right strategies and procedural changes, you can make your organization much better poised to find a good candidate – and thrive in the meantime.
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