Most Boards design the search meticulously and the evaluation almost not at all. That’s backwards.
Note: This is the fourth article in our four-part series from TransPro’s executive search practice on what transit Boards should do before they begin a search; the pre-work that change an agency’s trajectory.
By John Lewis, TransPro Principal
Most Boards design the search process meticulously and the evaluation process almost not at all. That’s backwards. A rigorous, pre-agreed evaluation framework, built before the search does two things a resume never can.
First, it forces the Board to be honest about what precisely it is looking for. Vague criteria are impossible to evaluate against. Building the framework early brings the Board into agreement up front while that alignment can still shape the search.
Second, it gives the new executive a clear, transparent basis for how they’ll be judged, which, to a strong candidate. The best people want to know the game they’re being asked to win.
Which brings us to the most important questions. Instead of asking what kind of person are we looking for, the best questions a transit Board can ask is: “Are we, as a Board, capable of giving this person a fair shot at succeeding, and do we actually know what success looks like?”
Boards that can answer that honestly are the ones whose searches change the trajectory of the agency. Boards that skip it keep having the same status-quo-versus-change-agent debate, hire after hire, without ever addressing what made the last hire struggle in the first place.
The good news: readiness is testable and fixable before the search begins.
The best searches start with the Board, not the candidate. That’s exactly how TransPro works. We’ve partnered with agencies across the country to align Boards, define real success, and place CEOs who succeed. Let us do that work with your Board. Contact John Lewis at TransPro to get started.
Media Contact: Natalie Cochran at natalie.cochran@transproconsulting.com.
