ROLE OF THE CEO SEARCH COMMITTEE
Leadership is the key factor in the success of a nonprofit organization. When it is time to hire a new leader, the Board-appointed Search Committee must perform a focused and highly organized search that takes into account both objective facts such as experience and accomplishments and subjective opinions such as personal attributes and management style. Kittleman regularly guides client organizations through this process. Here are some of the critical components of a successful search process:
Organizing the Search Committee
The Board Chairperson or Chairperson should begin by appointing a Search Committee Chair and four to six Search Committee members. The Search Committee develops the search plan and candidate profile, selects and interviews candidates, and recommends a finalist or finalists to the Board. The majority of Committee members should be current board members, augmented by representatives from key constituencies like auxiliary boards, affiliated organizations, or major donor groups.
Drafting the Position Specifications
Kittleman meets with the Search Committee and selected members of senior management in order to obtain current information on the organization and to review the job description. Although the current job description can be useful, an entirely new set of expectations should be developed. The Committee must define its targets for years of professional experience required, education, and business management skills, as well as intangibles like personal presentation and work style. With this in hand, Kittleman drafts a 4-5 page Position Guide for review and approval.
Ideal Candidate Scenario
The Committee should start the process of developing a profile of the candidate by asking themselves questions like: Where is this person working now and why would he or she be interested in this position? Do we prefer someone who is already at the director level, or would we take a second-level senior manager from a larger organization? Should we extend the search nationally or regionally? For our organization, what is the ideal balance of content knowledge, management skills and personal attributes? What salary is this individual earning and what would it take to attract him or her to our organization? Kittleman takes the answers to these questions and molds them into a written profile of the "ideal" candidate scenario.
Advertising the Position
At the request of the Search Committee, Kittleman will write a strong, direct ad which promotes the strengths and notable achievements of the organization. It is important to approach the ad as its own sales tool, not just an abbreviated job announcement. Each applicant, regardless of his or her background, should be treated with professional regard and equality. How the Committee conducts the search will be observed and noted by nonprofit industry leaders (and present and future employees) with interest.
Candidate Recruitment
Kittleman actively recruits candidates using proven methods of prospect identification and qualification developed over more than 35 years of search practice. The firm maintains a national database of over 10,000 nonprofit and corporate executives. Targeted telephone contact with well-placed sources as well as mailing lists compiled specifically for use in candidate identification are utilized. Critical assessment of candidate qualifications is completed through competency-based interviewing techniques. At the conclusion of this process, Kittleman presents the credentials of a selected number of candidates to the Search Committee for consideration.
Interviewing Candidates
The most effective interviewing method for a Search Committee is to see individual candidates in back-to-back sessions during a one-day or two-day period. This can be a grueling process if more than four candidates are interviewed. Questions should be primarily open-ended, and, during the interview, questions should flow from the less complicated, informational type to the more complex, experience-oriented type. When Committee members complete their questioning, each candidate should be given time to ask questions.
Gathering References
During the process of qualifying candidates, Kittleman will talk with selected references. The best sources are the persons to whom he or she reported and a confidential source who knows of the prospect’s work in his or her current position. Kittleman conducts these reference interviews by phone, taking detailed notes and asking specific questions.
Selecting Finalists
Immediately following the last candidate’s interview, the Chairperson should lead the Committee in a discussion of all the candidates, comparing and contrasting relative strengths and drawbacks, styles of presentation, knowledge, and ability to meet current challenges. With the Position Guide and ideal candidate profile as guidelines, the Committee should measure candidates against the responsibilities of the position as well as evaluate their personal qualities. At the invitation of the Board Chairperson, the finalist(s) should be invited to meet in a second interview with the Search Committee as well as with selected senior staff members.
Making the Offer
Once a finalist emerges from this process, Kittleman will assist the Search Committee in presenting the candidate the offer and negotiating an oral acceptance. The successful candidate should then receive the offer in writing. The offer should be delivered promptly and should include the salary and benefit details, along with a list of expectations. What the candidate perceives as a fair and attractive offer depends primarily on how the candidate compares his or her current situation to the opportunity presented by your organization. It often seems to be the intangibles (location, prestige, chance for success, recognition, etc.) which make the difference.
Conclusion
The search for a chief executive can be daunting under any conditions, but a carefully planned and executed search process will result in finding the best candidates. The key is to remain focused and organized, treating all candidates with respect and confidentiality.
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