We need to make our first outside leadership team hire to help us scale, but we have always promoted from within. I am terrified that bringing in an expensive external executive will disrupt our tight-knit culture and cause our legacy managers to revolt. How do we select, onboard, and integrate this first true leader without destroying our team cohesion?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Hiring your first external executive is a major test of your leadership team health. If your legacy team is threatened by an outside hire, it is usually because you have not built enough trust and transparency within your organization.

Before you write a job description, you must define the seat on your Accountability Chart. Detail the roles and responsibilities clearly. Do not hire a person and then try to build a seat around them.

Once the seat is defined, use the GWC™ tool. Your candidate must get it, want it, and have the capacity to do it. Just as importantly, they must align perfectly with your Core Values. If they do not share your values, their high-level experience will not save them from cultural rejection.

To prevent a revolt from your legacy managers, involve your leadership team in the final stages of the hiring process. Let them meet the candidate and give feedback. This builds buy-in before the offer is made.

Onboarding must be deliberate. Do not expect them to save the company in their first thirty days. Give them time to learn your operating system and understand your processes. Have them shadow other departments and sit in on your Level 10 Meetings™ as an observer first.

A strong, unified leadership team is critical. Cracks at this level will filter down to the rest of the company. Protect your culture by ensuring the new hire is fully aligned with your vision and committed to running on EOS® from day one.