Simple Tips For Successfully Integrating High Profile Hires Into Your Startup

Startups go through many phases as they morph from lean scrappy teams where everyone wears multiple hats, into more refined (hopefully well-funded) entities with specialized teams working together in a larger structure. As startups mature, there is often a time when the leadership and/or investors decide to bring in more experienced or “high-profile” hires to help the company move to the next level.

For employees who have been breaking their backs and pulling all-nighters from Day One, adjusting to the new dynamic can be a challenge. Victor Ho, the CEO of the startup FiveStars, has consistently recruited talent from Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Sony to work along side his day-one staff. His SF-based company, which offers rewards programs for small businesses, now services 12,000 merchants and 17 million consumers. Ho shared his top tips for seamlessly integrating new talent with the old team to rev up growth while honoring the contribution of the startup team. The following in an excerpt of his interview with Forbes:

Kate L. Harrison: When planning to bring in someone who is higher profile, what do you consider? How do you recruit them?

Victor Ho: Typically, we aim high. We haven't been afraid to cold email extremely high profile candidates to invite them to join our team. Believe it or not, this sometimes works, and it's how we got our first high profile hire from Facebook. When screening candidates, we're looking to see if they're a person who can build stuff from scratch, who won't just rely on playbooks they've seen work at previous companies, because they might not translate in our situation. We want to find the people from high profile companies who want to prove that they can build from the ground up.

Harrison: What is the most important thing a CEO can do to successfully integrate a ‘high- profile’ hire?

Ho: The primary thing we try to do is screen for culture and work ethic, up front. If the high profile hire already fits your values and culture and is committed to your mission, integration will be relatively easy.

Harrison: Did you ever receive any pushback from longstanding employees when it came to hiring someone from a place like Facebook or Google?

Ho: Inevitably as you scale, there is some fear among your startup staff. Sometimes, jobs get narrower or existing reporting relationships get disrupted. You have to be careful navigating through this potential turmoil, by involving early employees in your recruitment process. When they see talent and experience as well as a good culture fit in your high profile hires, you get more buy-in and connection from your startup employees.

Source: forbes.com