* “purple squirrels” & innovation (not!)

One of the more mysterious hiring practices these days is the concept of “purple squirrels.” As in “there’s a lot of possible candidates for any job, just wait for the perfect one to come along.” The purple squirrel if you will. And yet there are several problems with this idea.

A second issue relates to innovation which argues that you need as much diversity around the table as possible. While an organization might identify their “purple squirrel” as someone with this diversity, the tendency is much more likely to ensure a good “fit.” To pick someone who matches up well with the other team members.

One is it can take quite a while to find this person. Sometimes so long it, in the end, isn’t worth it.

So all of you hundreds of of recruiters out there who faithfully read every one of my blogs (not!), here I am. Full of the diversity you need. Let’s have a chat. And soon!