Page 161 - The McKinsey Mind

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136 The McKinsey Mind

they come up empty and the college agrees to give us a list of grad-
uates from the past five years. You also place an advertisement in
the local paper and run a posting on one of the leading Internet job
search sites because you never know who might turn up.
Now, consider the team that the new purchasing manager will
be joining, with respect to diversity. If everyone is of the same back-
ground and personality, you may miss innovation opportunities
that more diverse combinations might stimulate. Say one candidate
came from a different country; he may have new perspectives on
interpersonal relations that might help in your dealings with sup-
pliers. Another candidate with, say, computer-programming expe-
rience, might be able to improve your inventory management
system. It’s not enough to be open to candidates with varying back-
grounds, however; you have to seek them out, and the suggestions
in this section make a good starting point.

EXERCISES
• Identify your dream team. Start this exercise by completely
ignoring anyone who works for you. Think of your most
important tasks, and identify which ones require the help
of others. Then, using the techniques described in this
chapter, identify your specific business needs and lay out
the ideal team to assist in accomplishing your and/or your
department’s (and ultimately your organization’s) objec-
tives. After the exercise, overlay the team with your
current team and think through a strategy on how to best
fill the gaps.
• Develop a recruiting plan. For this exercise, the starting
point is an opening in your staff or a new position you
would like to create. Actually document your recruiting
plan, addressing the following areas: business needs, skill
requirements, recruiting team, sources, and budget.