Session notes: Hands or Brains? How to Hire for Strategy, Strategically
Sol Mesz, Product Strategy Director at Kambrica recorded her presentation from Argentina as she was expecting the birth of her son. She delved into a framework for finding the right consultant for your project.
Hands vs brains
The first distinction is to address the question “what are you hiring?” To draw inspiration from Jared Spool, are you looking for…
- “Hands”: when you know the problem and need to increase technical output
- “Brains”: when you don’t know the problem and need the expertise to support strategy
Hiring for strategy…strategically
How agencies typically are chosen and why to reconsider these dimensions.
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Visual impact: rather than output, examine what problem was solved and the user experience of the solution
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Industry experience: evaluate proficiency with user experience design rather than experience within a specific industry
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Price: a tricky factor given budgetary restrictions. You often get what you pay for with the lowest bids. However, a high price doesn’t guarantee higher quality work, in which case you risk overpaying. Don’t be mislead by inflated quotes.
3 qualities to look for when hiring for strategy
1. Partnership over vendorship
A vendor provides a service. Partners deliver value. They provide different perspectives to approach problems and generate solutions.
2. Value beyond execution
Brains also help develop conditions for project success, bridge gaps, and facilitate company-wide adoption. Not just help build the solution.
3. Flexibility big picture thinking
Flexibility entails moving together towards accomplishing the same goal–even if it’s not using the same method you had in mind as the client. Prioritizing quality and delivering value over output. Big picture thinking combined with frequent check-ins for alignment.
How to identify these skills
1. First, self-evaluate: are you ready to change your initial ideas? If not, search for hands instead of brains.
2. See if they provide value from the first meeting: offer different perspectives and challenge your assumptions.
3. Listen for leadership: how is their understanding of the problem space? Are they big opportunity thinkers who are open to pursuing innovative, unexpected paths?
