For most companies, changes in management teams happen surprisingly often. We recently brought on several new leaders in key executive-level roles, including the heads of our revenue, finance, technology and product teams.

Hiring senior talent to lead a team is a defining moment in a company's history and trajectory. It is an important step to get right. As a leader, you want to bring someone deep related to your mission and vision and in line with your company's values. Inconsistency in these critical elements can damage company culture and employee retention in ways that are difficult to reverse.

We embrace a hiring process that helps us find, vet and select the right leaders for BambooHR: always bring it back to the mission, don't rush the process and leverage the power of references. At the end of this process, I feel a real understanding of who our candidates are, the strengths they would bring to the role, and how I can help them be successful. I really enjoy interviewing and hiring executives.

Whether you need to hire senior talent now or you're looking to gather knowledge for the future, it's important to be prepared for a gap in a crucial leadership position. Here are three key concepts from our hiring model that can help you find your next leader.

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Talk about your mission

I begin every executive interview with a discussion of our company's mission, vision and values. This is a great initial screening mechanism because if they signal disinterest, I know right away that they are not a good fit for our organization. The right candidate will respond to who we are and want to be a part of.

Leaders act as emissaries of your mission to their teams. As a business grows, so does the CEO's ability to bring everyone together shared experiences it shrinks. A small startup may have a culture built on the energy of face-to-face interaction, but you simply can't do that with hundreds or thousands of people.

For better or worse, the employee experience will inevitably become division-specific, driven by leaders in each group. If those leaders don't keep it culture and mission, then your people's experience may suffer because of it.

While a “B-minus” driver may be good enough to pass, they are nowhere near good enough to thrive. Companies cannot thrive with mediocre management. Only advanced candidates who show interest and energy in your mission, vision and values ​​create opportunities for you to raise the bar.

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Make a good decision, not a quick one

The leaders of a company are often faced with circumstances where they have to make quick moves. If there are known issues with products or challenges in your sales funnel, for example, you need to resolve those issues immediately.

However, hiring the right executive is definitely not a “move fast” situation. I rely on the concept of “go slow to go fast“To find the right leaders. The cost of waiting for the right hire is much lower than bringing in the wrong person.

It's always tempting to hire the first person who makes the right impression, especially when you're filling a crucial, high-impact position. However, being intentional about pacing the process gives you time to really get to know people and find what you want. complete their teams.

The slow approach doesn't always work for everyone, and sometimes a candidate tells me they're considering other offers. I always suggest they take it if their time demands it, because I'm not willing to cut our process short.

It pays to go slow and take the time to get to know your candidates to find the leaders your company needs. You can't do this on a tight deadline, and it's not worth compromising your organization's culture.

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Embrace the power of referrals

Finding any leader generally starts the same way: You start with a list of high-caliber candidates. However, how you vet those candidates and understand how they perform can make all the difference in making your offers.

In my experience, personally contact references it's magic.

The candidate will usually provide references, but this step is critical enough that you should also check references and additional back channel links. Your team members likely know a few, and it's generally easy to find a few more within an industry.

Next, get the contacts on the phone yourself and ask meaningful questions. One of the best questions I ask is, “How can I help this candidate be the best and make a massive impact here?” It turns the conversation to how can I help this person versus disqualifying them. You learn most of what you need through the answers. What I really want to understand is how they emerge as leaders, what to expect from them, how they act and how they are under pressure or when things go wrong.

If I'm hiring for an important position and I transfer those calls, I'm missing a huge opportunity to gain insight into the individual. As the person responsible for the decision, I will not give anyone an offer without spending hours on personal references myself.

Few things are as important to a management team as making sure their employees have good experiences and bring their best selves to work every day. As businesses grow, organizational leaders become responsible for maintaining that positive environment.

Hiring the best candidates for leadership roles is critical to your success. By establishing the value of your mission early on, diving deep to understand your candidates, and taking the time necessary to make the right decision, you can ensure that bring in the right leaders who will accelerate your company's mission and success.