Afilm actress in the 1920s named
Clara Bow was known as the “It
Girl.” Audiences loved her. She had many qualities, but the ones that made
her most captivating were simply indefinable. She was charismatic and a thorough professional, but more precisely
she had “It.”
Executive search consultants find
themselves constantly in pursuit of “It”
when executing projects for their
clients. As important as finding “It” is in
the search process, though, it is not easy
to identify.
Montana had “It” on the football field.
Patton had “It” on the battlefield. John
Wayne had “It” on the big screen. Warren
Buffet has “It” in the boardroom. But
what is “It”?
Smart Business spoke with Brian
Trueblood, a search consultant for TNS
Partners Inc., to get a feel for what “It”
is, how it is identified, and what role “It”
plays in the executive search process.
What is ‘It’?
‘It’ is that something special that an
individual has that transcends normal
skill sets and qualifications. By definition, it is difficult to describe.
‘It’ is a combination of personality and
intangibles that fit a particular organization. Clearly, ‘It’ can be different for each
leadership team, functional area and
company. When a consultant sits down
with a candidate, the ‘It’ factor is as
important as any other element.
How does an executive search consultant
recognize ‘It’?
It is an intuitive skill often honed
through experience. ‘It’ is seldom
revealed in phone interviews or written
documents. In the face-to-face environment of a personal interview, the experienced consultant can uncover ‘It.’
A consultant can identify multiple candidates for an opportunity, all equally
qualified on paper. But what separates
them ultimately is ‘It.’ Significantly, ‘It’
defines why one candidate might become wildly successful while others
will not.
Is ‘It’ by itself a viable criterion on which to
base a hiring?
No. A candidate still has to demonstrate the range of skills and attributes
that are part of the evaluation process.
Just as individuals who look appropriate
on paper may not be an overall fit, those
who have ‘It’ but do not demonstrate
enough of the other skills and attributes
will likely not be successful. Clearly,
most clients would rather have someone
who was lacking in a more tangible
experience or skill set than one who had
all the boxes checked, but missed on the
intangibles. Having ‘It’ can help compensate for a lack of specific assets and
skills.
Some readers may confuse ‘It’ with
other qualities often associated with
dynamic, engaging people. ‘It’ does not
mean the most charismatic or polished
individual; it is more than pizzazz. ‘It’ is
deeper and less obvious than simply the
boardroom presence people often use as
a definition. While sometimes ‘It’ is
apparent in an individual in the first
moments of an interview, many times it is a function of a longer, deeper evaluation and assessment.
Is the ability to identify ‘It’ a special gift
that executive search consultants possess?
It is a skill that executives involved in
the recruiting process, both internally
and externally, develop over time.
Inexperienced consultants confuse sizzle, personality and charisma with ‘It.’
The confusion is easy to understand.
People want to define ‘It’ as smooth, or
gregarious, or someone who lights up
the room. We aren’t picking class presidents. ‘It’ is the set of qualities that transcends functional areas. ‘It’ defines why
some ‘non-salesy’ people make great
salesmen. ‘It’ explains why the introverted technical expert leads the next IT revolution. ‘It’ exposes the reality that the
smartest, smoothest and most polished
people don’t always end up successful.
‘It’ is what is behind the individual’s ability to accomplish the mission, regardless
of the adversity.
The best consultants learn to identify
this intangible through the experience
gained meeting with hundreds of executives over time.
How hard is it to convince clients that the
candidate presented has ‘It’?
Generally, that is not a problem.
Clients learn to trust their executive
search partners’ abilities to select the
best-qualified executives for an opportunity and they willingly meet them.
Consultants prepare a comprehensive
profile that goes beyond the typical
rsum or curriculum vitae and helps
define the person and his or her intangible qualities. This report assists the
client in understanding the total person
and what intangible qualities are apparent. Obviously, ‘It’ cannot be defined on
the report, but most clients recognize ‘It’
in their own face-to-face meetings.
BRIAN TRUEBLOOD is vice president of TNS Partners Inc.
Reach him at [email protected] or (214) 369-3565, ext. 114.
