Leaders Picking Their Own Team!

Leaders maintaining a dignified distance from those hired from their previous organisation, while being inclusive and also talking about the rationale to hire with key organisational leaders can also mitigate the negative impact of “familiarity bias”.

- Capt. Raghuram

When Boards hire and induct new leaders to head organisations, the stakeholders are clear about the expectations, and, this is bilateral. Most corporates spend considerable time while selecting a leader, and usually, the leaders are given a free hand to do what it takes to move the organisation to the next level. While the new leader now can go full throttle and do what is needed, at times they hit a patch of quicksand, and before they realize, decay sets in and gradually erodes the efforts taken to achieve business results. Obviously, there are merits in leaders going about setting up their own teams as they take up newer as signments, especially under trying industry conditions or a troublesome organisational context.

Great leaders are themselves brands: Great brands attract great talent, and therefore, it is no wonder that there are some real rock stars who want to be associated with the leaders for the sheer joy of learning and working with them. For a new leader, it is easy to get the best and tested talent without losing much time in scan and search. If the organisation is clearly on a turnaround strategy, including an overhaul of the culture, this is the best possible approach, and those feeble murmurs will be muted sooner than later. At times, when the brand is not so well known, and is seen as a "company not to work for" in its line of business, an outstanding leader from a reputed brand can considerably ease the hiring challenges the company may face otherwise. Such leaders relish great referral power and instantly evoke trust in the new hires. The ability of a few start-ups to attract top order talent from big brands is a testimony to this aspect.