VisionSpark was once once again a Platinum sponsor of the 2022 EOS® Conference, which was held in Orlando, Florida, on April 20-22. Our Visionary, Alec Broadfoot, led one of the breakout sessions, along with Integrator John Vidosh, discussing the five keys to hiring a great Integrator.
Having just hired his Integrator last July, Alec offered a fresh and relatable perspective on the importance of this position. Here’s a summary of his interactive presentation.
Why You Need an Integrator
Alec explained that Visionaries who hire an Integrator have more time to focus on their unique ability, have increased energy, and experience better business performance. A good Integrator helps to maintain your current growth and build momentum toward future growth.
Integrators also facilitate better communication among the team, and free up the Visionary to work on the business instead of in it. After successfully recruiting and hiring Integrators for our clients with a 95% success rate, we decided to follow our own advice.
How to Attract Candidates
While it may seem nearly impossible to find the right person for your Integrator position, it really begins with knowing what you’re asking for. Alec said that finding the right Integrator for your business starts with writing an attention-grabbing Position Profile, which will double or triple your applicant pool if it’s done right.
A Position Profile describes the company, the position and the qualities and qualifications of the candidate you are looking for. It describes your business’s culture and lists its core values, which is instrumental in attracting like-minded candidates. Integrating this asset with modern corporate talent acquisition strategies makes the Position Profile both a recruiting and a sales tool that entices the right person to apply.
After you have written the Position Profile, advertise the position. Be prepared to align your compensation with the job requirements you are listing.
Qualities of a Successful Candidate
Alec explained that an Integrator has unique qualities that differ but complement that of the Visionary. Candidates who perform well in the Integrator position are:
- Strategic thinkers
- Organized
- Process-oriented
- People-oriented
- Excellent communicators
These qualities should be explained in the Position Profile and screened during the interview process.
How to Evaluate Candidates
Successful candidates for the Integrator position are those who “GWC” the position—get it, want it and have the capacity to do the job. To protect your culture from an executive mis-hire, your selection process must move away from subjective “gut-feel” choices. Instead, companies can use behavioral interview questions and an online assessment, such as VisionSpark’s assessment, to execute a truly objective candidate evaluation.
Candidates should be rigorously evaluated on the following key elements to ensure you maintain a functional right people right seats framework:
- Culture fit
- Ambition
- Aptitude
- Character
- Resume
- Ability
How to Ensure Success
Alec said scheduling time between the Visionary and the Integrator is one of the most important elements of the Integrator’s success. You should plan to have frequent same-page meetings—daily at first, then weekly or bi-weekly as you begin to solidify expectations and your working relationship.
Some Visionaries resist hiring an Integrator because they think they can’t afford one, their company is too small, or they can do the job better themselves. But Alec explained that “letting go of the vine” and focusing on the big picture (instead of the day-to-day details) is the most powerful way to grow the business and be a success.
By grounding your executive searches in data-driven tools and ethical executive recruitment practices, you remove the risk from your hiring pipeline—allowing you to confidently step back and lead your business into its next phase of rapid growth.
