Thursday, June 23, 2005

Recruiting, searches, and finding the right person

The LPGA has hired its new commissioner, Carolyn Bivens, formerly the CEO of a media company (Initiative), before that one of the top people at USA Today.

Here's Golf Digest.com's story.

There have been (and remain) several high profile searches in golf. Besides the LPGA commissioner's job, Jim Awtrey's position, for instance, at the PGA of America is open. Before that, the U.S. Ryder Cup captaincy (which went to Tom Lehman). Not to mention that all those candidates whose names are mentioned - or "floated" - for these types of jobs ... where are they going to go?

I've just finished DisneyWar by James Stewart, which is basically a story about dysfunctional management at the Walt Disney Company and ABC. Made me think: how can we be sure we're hiring the right person, that so-and-so is the right fit? [I doubt that she is, but...] What if Carolyn Bivens is a crook?

I posed this question to Andrew Mackay, founder of On Course Recruiting, the only golf-specific recruiting company I know (and a recent customer). (You can see his new website here.)
Andrew Mackay
"Shoe leather," he answered. "Or, cauliflower ear, anyway."

Seems nothing replaces beating the streets - or the phone lines - he says. "I call everyone I know, go through the whole six degrees of Kevin Bacon," he says, referring to the parlor game popularized by the book (and movie) about degrees of separation between the people you don't and the people you do know. "I try to present not one, but two candidates as my 'picks.' That way, my client chooses the one who's likely to fit not just the company's culture, but his or her personality as well."

Another friend, Andy Brusman, of Westham Capital Partners in Richmond, says the final litmus test for him is a round of golf. "I can learn everything I need to know about a person's character by playing a round of golf with her."
Andy Brusman

What if the candidate doesn't play golf?

I say, "Then why would you want to hire him?"

1 Comments:

Blogger Mark Burris - BURRIS said...

One addendum to this post: At Secession Golf Club (that's Andy Brusman on the practice tee there) our president, Bob Harcharik, insists on having dinner and playing golf with every candidate for membership. Now that is the way to really qualify someone.

And John Reynolds, a friend from Augusta who is also a member at Augusta National - John insists on meeting and having dinner with anyone he doesn't know who he's been asked to "host" at the golf course.

5:28 PM  

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