The day Martin Smith left his post as E-Commerce Director at Sinclair Institute there was a large vacuum left behind. Martin was a formally trained, pure bred marketer who had a vision of a perfect and profitable future.
Who do you look to when filling a position like that? I think there are 3 distinct options.
- A 25 year veteran who has been leading teams of skilled specialists who will cost you a fortune, but you can be pretty sure that the job will get done. This person will be the one guiding the company. They have a lifetime of knowledge and experience to pull from that can help everyone become better marketers.
- A warm body that has some experience in direct marketing. Nothing terrible in their past, but nothing remarkable either. Visionary is not a word you normally associate with this person. This person will do the job, probably not do anything really dumb and be in their office everyday.
- A person who seems capable but has almost no experience in leading a team and doing the political work that managers and directors are forced to do. They are “too young” and “inexperienced” but have the respect of their co-workers because they’re always doing the hard work. They are first in and last out everyday. They respond to emergencies that need attention even if it’s not their responsibility. They are a 27-year-old linchpin.
Choice #1 is safe, but few choose it because of the up front cost. They will no doubt be twice or three times the cost of choice #2.
Choice #2 is often the choice. She’s cheap and competent.
I’d like to make the case for #3.
Harrison R. Thyng - full Colonel at 26 years old
To us old guys, a 27-year-old seems like a slightly advanced high schooler, but at 27 some people are leading hundreds of soldiers in pitch battles, overseeing the largest social media site in the world or writing speeches the entire world listens to. We love the 27-year-old captain or major that comes home from overseas with a silver star pinned on his chest… we just won’t hire him to lead a team in our company.
My advice would be to nurture and take advantage of your opportunity for a win/win situation. You can get #3 for cheap. Instead of $250K for #1, or even $90K for #2, you can probably get #3 for $70K. Give them 12 or 18 months to prove themselves, maybe with a kick ass bonus if everything goes right. If everything goes wrong at month 3, you tell them and they can drop back to their previous position where they were crushing it anyway
They’ll be disappointed, but they’ve also gained fantastic experience, meaning they are more valuable to you.
They’ve been tempered and will be able to withstand more the next time.
Karl Sakas (18)
Joshua S. Sweeney (12)
Morgan Siem (11)
Brian McDonald (10)
Jay Dolan (8)
Ryan Boyles (8)
Lisa Sullivan (5)
Rachel (5)
Cord Silverstein (4)
Fadra (3)
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice post, Phil. It’s refreshing to hear confidence in the younger generation of professionals out there. Especially like your point about us embracing a 27 year-old military captain but not holding the same standard for a qualified (albeit young) executive. Nice perspective!
I’ve always been inspired by how much we trust people in the military. Especially fighter pilots. Not many jobs we let 27 year olds crash a 200 million dollar piece of equipment, and get them in another one asap.
Great article, Phil — it really puts things into context.
As a young captain at age 23, my dad led a 150-man company in Vietnam. Wounded halfway through his tour, he demanded they send him back, and give him a larger company this time. They did.
As an Institutional Client Relationships Associate when I was 23… my employer trusted me with half a cubicle, a $1,200 computer, and about $100 in office supplies.
At least you had an awesome job title
Great post Phil. Your writing is always thought provoking. I think the one of the problems we are in as a country right now is because of the economy and what is going on in the world, we are all going for the safe choice. I think it is time we shake things up. Thanks for sharing as always.
I think you’re right Cord, but the problem is when the economy is great, why take a chance on someone now. Then when the economy is in the tank you think, we’ll we can’t take a chance now.
Phil and Cord: The other thing is that when the economy is poor, candidate #1 may be willing to take a #3 salary. I recently pursued a position that wanted eight years of experience. They ended up hiring someone with 20 years of direct marketing experience, probably at a mid-level salary. Not so good for candidates, but a good time for hiring managers.
I’m a firm believer in the right person for the job. However salary constraints and expectations don’t always meet in the middle and sometimes over/under-qualified applicants get the offer.
Your right Brian, and sometimes there are lots of other weights on the scale when the final decision is being made.
I remember at a job back in the day when the boss explained we hired so-and-so straight out of college because they fit it the budget. It was the first time I ever took “budget” into consideration – it was a good life lesson.