Fact-Based Process for Evaluating C-Suite Candidates

Calibrate worked with the Firm to create an inclusive, rigorous selection process designed to eliminate bias and drive agreement.  Elements of the process included the following:

• Strategic Decision Criteria: Well before starting the search process, Calibrate worked with the firm’s top leadership team to envision the outcomes they wanted the new leader to accomplish.
• Broad Engagement: A survey of all attorneys gathered insight into their needs and requirements for the new role and its direct reports.
• Role Design: The new position was scoped as a leadership role, not a managerial one.  Expectations for the role were defined in terms of business outcomes, not processes.
• Stakeholder Selection: A well-rounded group of stakeholders was selected from various staff levels and interest groups across the firm, including practice group leaders, other business services Chiefs, and  partners/attorneys who would be the new leader’s internal clients.
• Phased Interviews: Three rounds of interviews were scheduled, each with a different purpose and focus.
• Interviewer Guidance: For each round a full information package was provided to the interviewers, including candidate resumes and our initial evaluation of their fit against the position’s requirements. We provided a suggested menu of interview questions to help the interviewers extract the most relevant information, and the interviewers were asked to stay on script.
• Candidate Scorecards: All interviewers were asked to complete a structured candidate scorecard following each interview.  The scorecards were aggregated and analyzed, and a cumulative score was created for each candidate along with a sentiment analysis of the verbatim comments.

In the end, a very strong candidate was selected and accepted the position.  The leadership were confident that the selection process had integrity, that the right decision had been made, and that the decision-making criteria supported the strategic direction of the firm.