Q: I am looking for an Executive Director role at an established regional not-for-profit organization, and I am interested in understanding how to determine my “fit” with an organization’s work culture during the interview process. Please advise.
A: Prior to the interview, carefully assess the organization and its mission to ensure you have the same or similar mission priorities. Then, if the mission focus is compatible with yours, move on to evaluate more subtle factors such as: Who are the organizations donors? Who sits on its board? Do I admire these organizations and people? If you answer “yes,” to this last question, then the organization has another set of positive attributes for you.
You can also learn a lot about an organization prior to an interview from its location, design and marketing materials. Most organizations very deliberately make these kinds of choices. Therefore, you can gleen valuable information about the organization’s operating priorities and values.
During the interview process, look for cues and clues. Keep in mind such evaluative questions as: What values seem to be respected? Who in the organization is most respected? Do you share similar perspectives? Who is going to report to you, what is their perspective on the organization, and are there any obviously disgruntled players in the mix? If so, what is the basis of the dissatisfaction? The bottom line is the more data you have, the more clearly you can put the pieces together and figure out what the real operating culture is like. From there, you can determine whether or not you truly fit in.
Another technique is to identify others like yourself of similar backgrounds and credentials, and see where they fall within the organization’s hierarchy. If there is no one else like you within the “ruling ranks,” take time to assess why not. Also, realize that if you come in and supersede an apparent “peer,” there are bound to be repercussions sooner or later.
The more you visit an organization and interact with its key players, the more likely you are to gather the kind of input you need to figure out if you fit well or not. Keep in mind that if you have questions about fit after several meetings or conversations with members of an organization, you would probably do well to look elsewhere. When there is a wonderful synergy present, it does not usually take agonizing to figure it out.
Contact Karen Alphonse at Karena@execSearches.com or visit ExecSearches.com for more information about our career coaching services.
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