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Certainly travel industry companies need to pay attention to what is happening in the rest of the world, and keep up to date with new and ever-changing technology. And sometimes an organization unquestionably has to hire someone who doesn’t ‘fit in' - to break the cycle and allow growth. It is necessary to remember, though, that there is a distinct difference between ‘motion’ and ‘movement’. Motion frequently means a lot of quick decisions and general ‘flailing’ around, without actually going anywhere. Movement on the other hand takes an educated plan, followed by rational and well thought-out action. |
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It’s difficult to say just how much an ill-considered hire impacts a company. Suffice it to say, however, that any successful hire needs to start with critical components that provide movement toward ongoing growth and success of the hiring organization. For senior and executive positions, these components almost always include looking for someone with strong functional area skills, as well as specific knowledge and experience in the industry and environment of the company they will be working for. |
Can’t a ‘good' manager manage anywhere?
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SYSTEMETHODS' search and recruiting philosophy and focus has always been 'travel-industry-qualified candidates for travel industry positions'. Although we agree that a capable 'manager' can manage in almost any situation, we strongly believe that a candidate that is already familiar with the travel industry is better able to adjust to their new position. They are able to significantly contribute to the new organization almost immediately, without the extensive training and familiarization costs incurred when employing a candidate from an unrelated industry. Furthermore, they are already 'committed' to the travel industry and are less likely to jump at other perceived opportunities which might offer a minimal increase in compensation or position level. |
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Two true stories - just food for thought...
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The CEO of a very large travel company recently e-mailed us regarding what he considered his biggest hiring mistake... selecting a CIO out of the banking industry. This was a $200K+ annual investment and he found out quickly that this person could not successfully cross industries. Another senior officer of a travel technology company faxed us a similar story - about their senior technology hire from the trucking industry. All travel systems, it seems, are not alike. Both of these companies had to initiate another search while still compensating the initial hire. Two costly and avoidable blunders!
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