Luring leadership

©iStockphoto.com/nullplusFor many years, I have consulted with landscape business owners nationwide who have seen their companies grow and thrive to a point where they need to hire externally for a key management position. Usually, the owner would like nothing better than to transfer the responsibility to a long-term associate or a family member. But typically, no individual currently exists for that role, or the selected family member has not demonstrated the interest or ability to assume such an advanced role.

But faced with the realities of managing a business (and his own sanity), the owner has no choice but to turn to the outside to fill a key role and hopefully attract a peak performer.

For any business, this is a moment of truth, and if not handled well, it could result in lost time, sagging employee morale and potentially lost customer confidence – not to mention the risk to the long-term viability of the business. Therefore, owners better get it right the first time and truly understand the type of individual they want and how the person will fit into the overall organization. The following are a few effective ideas specifically for landscape business owners, large and small, to consider when developing their recruiting and hiring strategy for this type of event.


1. Get everyone on the same page.
Once the decision is made to hire from the outside for a key manager, the business owner or senior hiring authority needs to inform the leadership team of the course of action and the reasoning in order to gain full support. If a family member had a perceived notion she would assume this key leadership role, a separate discussion with that affected family member should take place before recruiting starts to avoid problems once the selected candidate is employed.

2. Plan your pre-interview.
Because of the sensitivities involved in hiring for a key leadership role, I recommend somewhat non-traditional methods and steps to the interview process. Consider that most interviewees, especially for more senior roles, prepare their strategy in advance for what, inevitably, is a predictable set of interview steps. Candidates can prepare an excellent resume – and should. The company can and should prepare by rethinking the job and redefining the position, including the critical skills and ideal person necessary to perform the job within the business.

If the business owner scripts a few pre-interview “plays,” the evaluation of candidates actually begins long before the hiring game officially starts. He should develop a specific strategy for which there can be little preparation in advance of the interview. A less-predictable interview allows the hiring authority to evaluate more accurately how the candidate will actually perform and behave on the job. They are about to enter into a long-term relationship with the person they hire and most likely share the most sensitive and confidential aspects of their business and personal lives. Thinking about a long-term relationship is very different from thinking about trick questions and body language during the interview. The hiring authority’s ultimate mission is not to trip up the candidate, but to make the best possible match.

3. Get the candidate to do something prior to the interview.
Have the candidate independently visit your staging areas, a client property, an installation in progress, retail/re-wholesale outlet, etc. The peak performers will always provide feedback during the interview that will allow the hiring authority to assess their evaluative techniques, insightfulness, accuracy, etc. A few candidates may actually prepare written reports for presentation during the interview.

4. Read candidate background materials in teams.
For a key level job, the hiring authority should assemble two to three members of the leadership team and/or trusted individuals to scan candidates’ resumes. Assuming these individuals work well together, they will be more accurate and insightful about potential employees than merely an individual would be. Gaps in employment, suspect certifications from trade associations and inflated accomplishments would all be most likely questioned by more than one set of eyes.

5. Know what to ask.
A certain amount of time investment is needed on the part of the hiring authority to accurately determine what type and what level of information they will need during the interview to make a hire/no-hire decision. For example, by categorizing the various behavioral and experiential questions, specific to the business interests, it should make the process more effective.

It is also to important think in a new way about the interview process. Remember: Interviews test how well someone interviews, not how well they will do on the job. A good con artist can fool you every time. Interviews in which you induce stress do not work.

6. Do something else.
Once the hiring authority has completed the interview and determined continued interest is appropriate, invite the candidate to take a ride in your truck to see a client’s property, your property, schedule a dinner, etc. This new environment will allow the hiring authority to see the candidate’s behavior in a very different light and get to know them better outside of a structured setting.  

Invite the candidate to join you at a scheduled trade show, professional association event, product buying trip, etc., as opposed to the traditional second interview, where many of the same questions are asked. That is where key behaviors become visible and you will be able to see how the candidate interacts in situations that will be specifically job related if hired.

7. Clean up loose ends.
If there are any issues that either the candidate or the hiring authority need to disclose that will impact the relationship, make sure these are put on the table and resolved immediately. This is the time to address concerns or expectations that could affect the candidate’s success once hired.

The hiring authority should be proactive and drive the reference checking process – not the candidate. Too many managers seem to feel they are at the mercy of the job candidate supplying references. Obtaining a comprehensive waiver from the candidate to check all references, verifying at least three specific business references as well as verification of stated educational and certification accomplishments are all musts.

For a list of questions that reveal a candidate’s integrity, temperament and creative abilities, click here.

The author is president at GreenSearch, an executive search and consulting organization.