Overcoming Our Limitations.
Situation:
A $40 million private company was looking to expand into the new, international, Asian market. They were looking for someone with the experience and skills to head this expansion.
Diana was an amazing candidate. Her res ume could not have been better written with the credentials of a Rhodes Scholar in this niche. Working on the West Coast for a big-name financial group complemented her education as well, and she could not have come better recommended. Her native familiarity with the new marketplace in terms of culture and language set her well above the rest of the candidates.
However, the company was uncomfortable about hiring someone so outside the scope of their regular traditions and culture. After just the first conference call, they wanted to back out, concerned that she would be unable to successfully work according to the approach, terminology, and techniques of their business. One executive mistakenly thought that she didn’t even understand them – we were on the call with her and she understood them perfectly.
Approach:
HSG presented Diana’s skills and capabilities to the company’s CEO and helped them realize the unique opportunities she represented. We singled out her past successes and explained to him that her new way of thinking and familiarity with the new culture would be invaluable going forward and that he should give her another chance. The only potential difficulty they would face would be with her future boss’s adjustment towards accepting someone with a different background than him.
We then used “Workplace Simulation” techniques, using a real-world situation to display her top-notch skills, so they could experience it at no risk.
Outcome:
The CEO spoke with Diana’s future boss about her skills and accomplishments. She was granted another interview, this time face-to-face, and given a real-world situation to deal with. Her astounding success during the “Workplace Simulation” blew them away, showing them that not only did she have what it took to lead the expansion, but that she understood their business better than they did!
The company entered the international market without many hiccups, and, since then, she has been repeatedly promoted. Once the company was able to overcome their self-imposed limitations and difficulty to accept change, they were able to grow and become a powerhouse in their industry.
