Do unto others...
Unemployment is at historical lows. There is a battle for talent and yet, everyday, managers and leaders behave in ways that push candidates and employees away.
No, this article isn’t about redefining work to be either hybrid or remote; nor is it about Environmental, Social or Governance (ESG) policies; or Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) practices. All of those things are important, we just aren’t going to be discussing them here.
I heard a story recently that demonstrates what I believe was a violation of the Universal Law: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Every day in the business world leaders and managers are violating this law and then they wonder why they struggle to acquire or retain talent.
Here’s what happened. The individual was interviewing for a “C” suite position of a $500M business with over 7500 employees. After interviewing with the SVP of HR, the candidate interviewed with the CEO. At the end of the interview, the CEO said "We need to get you up here to meet with the team, I want to make a decision in the next few weeks."
Three work days later the candidate reached out to the recruiter to schedule the visit. Since the lead recruiter was on vacation, the firm had the candidate speak with another team member working on this project. Then crickets. The candidate reached back out to the recruiter a couple of weeks later. When they finally spoke, the recruiter informed the candidate that the client was moving forward with two other candidates.
Now, there is nothing wrong with an employer moving ahead with other candidates, nor is there an issue with the recruiter delivering the information. The problem is that the CEO communicated a very different message to the candidate.
If the CEO was sincere in wanting to bring the candidate up to meet the team, and as time passed they met other candidates whom they thought were a better fit, I believe the CEO should have taken the time to reach out to the candidate and inform them directly of the change in direction.
Why? Because I’m pretty certain that if the shoe was on the other foot, the CEO would want the hiring manager (likely the Board Chair) to communicate that they were moving ahead with other candidates.
Do unto others as you would have them to do unto you.
Many of you may say: but wait Alan, it's the role of the recruiter to give bad news. To that I say: true, but in this case the CEO communicated to the candidate strong interest by saying "We need to get you up here to meet with the team, I want to make a decision in the next few weeks." I believe the CEO should be accountable for what comes out of their mouth. Speaking with the candidate directly to communicate the change in direction would have been a demonstration of personal accountability and leadership. Doing so, I believe, would have communicated to the candidate that the CEO was accountable and willing to have the difficult conversations. When the CEO didn't do this, it raised the question for me and likely for the candidate: if I did get the job, is this what I can expect from the CEO, that they will not be accountable for what they say and will avoid difficult conversations? Not being accountable and avoiding difficult conversations in the “C” suite is poor leadership.
If, however, the CEO wasn’t sincere about their comment, shame on them. Clearly such behavior is a demonstration of poor leadership.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
There’s an old saying: when a person tells you who they are, believe them. I believe that the CEO’s actions told me who they were and I hope the candidate feels they dodged a bullet of working for a CEO who seemingly is unwilling to be accountable for what they said and unwilling to have a difficult conversation.
How you treat candidates is, in my opinion, a mirror into how you treat your employees. Do you treat your employees with respect and dignity? If so, why wouldn’t you treat candidates the same way?
Many of you may say: it's business, not personal. To that I say bullshit. If you belive that, you are in my opinion making an excuse for being unwilling to treat people with respect and dignity. Let’s not kid ourselves, it's personal.
Or you may say: well, that’s the way it's done in business. To that I say, just because someone else behaves a certain way doesn’t mean you should. The best leaders are those who set high standards for behavior, live it, and expect others in their organization to follow their lead. They don’t follow others' poor behavior like sheep.
I have a CEO client who firmly agrees with me. She has repeatedly said in our conversations that it's always personal. We are, after all, human beings with feelings and emotions. And we want employees to bring all of themselves to work, including their emotions. It’s their emotions that fuel their passion for, guess what, your organization's vision. Asking humans to bring passion for their work and your company's vision and then saying "it's business, not personal" is hypocritical.
As a leader and manager, I hope you hold yourself accountable as well as your employees. How you treat someone in the recruiting process is a reflection of your leadership.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you… treat others with respect and dignity during recruiting, while they are working for you, and as an employee exits your organization. Why? Because I’m sure that’s how you would want to be treated.