So recently we did a deep dive with Henry Schuck, founder CEO of ZoomInfo, on AI in Sales and so much more.
We’ve done a series of incredible highly operational conversations with Henry over the years, so I turned the convo around to ask him about a topic I still wonder about and struggle:
How do you continually recruit VPs and C-level execs … forever? Again and again?
I find that the hardest part of all of this. To constantly be recruiting the best. Not just hear and there. But constantly. And … again and again. Because if you go long, many of the best will eventually leave.
I’m going to paraphrase his answer, but I 100% agree it’s the right one:
Do it all, do all the interviews, etc. But make sure if nothing else, you hire One Senior Exec a Quarter. Force yourself to do that, focus there, and prioritize on the most critical VP/SVP exec for that quarter.
I see so many founder struggle here, and I do myself, when there is so much to do. I need a VP of Growth, and a VP of Sales, and to fix product, and to … So much to fix. And they end up hiring no one great for months and quarters on end.
Yes, you do need to hire them all. And get help hiring. From recruiters, from your network, from your team.
But focus on One Really Big Hire a Quarter, and go all out, and all-in there. Do 30+ interviews. Force yourself to.
You can’t truly hire sequentially for all roles, especially after the earliest dats. But to recruit a truly world-class VP of Eng, Product, Sales, Marketing, CS, Finance … you probably can do just one of those per quarter and do the job for real.
Which one are you focusing on this quarter?
And you are doing it for real? Are you all-in?
