Sometimes an executive’s busy schedule is not his or her own. Let’s face it, “things happen.” Unfortunately, this happens to some busy hiring managers or recruiters more than others.
When you are unable to consistently keep your calendared appointments, arrive late, or constantly reschedule, there are both direct and indirect costs. Direct and indirect costs include:
Losing out on high-performing candidates.
Internal and external recruiters start losing interest in filling roles for hiring managers who constantly miss meetings or reschedule.
Eventually, the executive’s job may be lost.
Disruption of the hiring process for everyone involved both internal and external.
Loss of unit productivity due to constant rescheduling.
The organization’s external reputation may start to erode.
Missing a scheduled interview doesn’t leave a positive impression on candidates who are unfamiliar with the internal workings of the organization.
Meanwhile, the competition is moving forward and the attention of high-performance candidates will wane as they move on to other job opportunities.
The cost of this loss is difficult to calculate but could be enormous. The more interviews are missed or rescheduled, the more momentum that’s built in the interview process stalls.
Obtaining strategic objectives becomes pushed further out into the future and the ongoing vacancy can rapidly become problematic.
Changing the Way Forward
Every leader should hone their sense of how their actions affect those who work with them and for them. ”
Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it,” Marian Anderson said.
There are many things we can’t change about ourselves, like our height, but some things we can change.
We can change the way we treat others and our priorities.
Moving forward, we can decide that honoring commitments is important, and the costs of not doing so are too severe.
After all, you’re only as good as the people who work for you and there’s never been a better time to become hyper-vigilant about keeping commitments.
Action Items
Refuse to reschedule candidate interviews.
Go on at least one or two interviews if you haven’t interviewed in more than three years. Take note of the way you are treated. What do you notice?
Redefine your definition of success to include keeping commitments.
Acknowledge the costs of not changing.
