The Hardest Hire You’ll Ever Make (and How to Do it Right)

“There are two distinct types of leaders in all small businesses: the ‘Visionary’ and the ‘Integrator.’ One sees the future, and the other makes it happen.”

-Rocket Fuel, Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters

Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney, Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak – these are all classic examples of the Visionary-Integrator duo.

These are also examples of people who found each other by chance.

Siblings, met at a party, and became friends in college… In other words, they all found each other without really looking. Not very useful (or confidence-inspiring) if you’re a Visionary actively searching for your Integrator.?

Do most Visionaries just come across their Integrators by chance??

Definitely not. The problem is most V/I conversations revolve around what is an Integrator and why you need an Integrator, instead of how to find the right Integrator.

Hi there??, thanks for dropping by. I learned a ton scaling Hunt A Killer to $205M and wanted to document and share those lessons here. We talk about business management (EOS!), talent optimization, and workplace culture. Click the “subscribe” button above to receive notifications when new articles drop.

Start with a self-assessment

Contrary to popular belief, just being the founder of a company doesn’t automatically mean you’re the Visionary (and that's OK!). The McDonald brothers may have founded the biggest name in fast food, but it was Ray Croc who made the company what it is today – with Fred Turner as his Integrator.

Assuming you’re filling the Visionary seat in your business, you need to first understand what kind. Visionaries come in all shapes and sizes and it’s critical to identify your role in the company before you bring an Integrator on board.

To pinpoint the extent of your role as the Visionary, the creators of EOS came up with a tool, The Visionary Spectrum.

There are three factors that define where your Visionary needs are on this spectrum:?

1. Type of industry
2. Growth aspirations of the leadership
3. Degree of market volatility

Put simply, the intensity of competition your company faces dictates the need for a Visionary's boldness to achieve the highest levels of success.

Why is this important for finding an Integrator?

Because the Integrator is the other part of this equation. The Visionary Spectrum doesn’t just tell you the company’s Visionary needs, it also helps define the role of the Integrator. A Visionary, who has 10 great ideas each week, needs an Integrator who can filter those 10 great?ideas each week.?

Frankly, most of those ideas likely need to go to the parking lot – a place where great ideas exist for future consideration – others need some form of modification, and maybe one needs immediate attention where resources are being diverted from current priorities. And it’s the Integrator's job to provide checks and balances to the Visionary so the company can stay on course – allowing the company to focus on executing only the highest priorities.

Once you have identified where you are on the Visionary Spectrum, you can begin outlining how you operate, what your day-to-day role in the company looks like, and where your strengths are in terms of business functions.

You’re looking to identify all your strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots before you look for an Integrator. There are various profiling tools available for this step, including the Visionary DNA and the Visionary Indicator Assessment.

Your goal throughout this exercise should be to identify personal weaknesses in order to know the strengths needed to counterbalance.

Outline (on paper) your ideal Integrator

Now that you’ve figured out what the yin looks like, it’s time to find your yang.

After Visionary profiling, you should have a clear understanding of the talent gap you need to fill in your organization.?

There are different ways you can do this, from creating a dream sheet of Integrator qualities to hiring a profiling expert – the end goal is to identify and crystallize qualities and skills you seek to ultimately create a scorecard that identifies the outcomes desired from your future Integrator.

Note: The book Rocket Fuel contains a great template for the Integrator job description that you can use as a jumping off point for when you are creating your own Integrator’s job description.

There are specialized profiling tools at your disposal like the Integrator DNA and the Integrator Indicator Assessment. Take your time and carefully calibrate your ideal Integrator profile down to the smallest details.

As you continue to flesh out what the role and responsibilities of your Integrator will be, you also need to think about the value of this role.?

If the Integrator is accountable for specific projects, ask yourself what will be the outcome of completing those projects and how will that bring the company closer to realizing its 3-Year Picture? and 10-Year Target?. This will be a critical talking point during the next phase when you’re exploring the Four Readiness Factors, especially Financial Readiness.

At this stage you may feel you’re close to the home stretch,?but don’t fall into the complacency trap.?

These tools will help you only as far as your ability to identify and address personal biases. The fact is most people’s understanding of what they need is even poorer than their understanding of who they are.

The lack of clarity regarding implicit biases and unconscious attitudes can significantly hinder the effectiveness of these tools.?

Put another way, personal biases can cloud your vision and make things look worse or better than they actually are – meaning you may hire the wrong Integrator for your business (this happens all the time).

Ask yourself the four questions

“Are you ready for an Integrator?”

Generally, if you’re asking this question you’re already at least six months behind. In order to have an objective conversation about the Four Readiness Factors, you need your Visionary and Integrator profiles clearly defined and with the responsibilities and value well established.

1. Psychological Readiness

Are you okay with letting go of control?

When Visionaries are also the founders of the company, they can find it very difficult to let someone else call the shots, especially at the highest-level of decision-making.

This happens for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, it’s driven by fear. Founders work very hard to bring the company to where it is today and it’s natural to feel resistance out of fear of failure.

Sometimes, it’s because Visionaries, with a very clear picture of what they want, struggle to communicate their vision effectively.??

However, the vast majority of time, it’s because of a lack of trust. Building trust takes time, but Integrators need autonomy and authority to truly shine in their role.?

No matter the reason, relinquishing control is fundamental to growth. As a Visionary you have to accept that you need to let your Integrator take the wheel to move forward.?

And you don’t even have to look at it as letting go, rather think of it as gaining time and energy to fully embrace your role as the company’s Visionary.

“Now there's this big misconception that the Integrator runs the company. The integrator handles the details, but it takes both of them to run the company. Because without the vision and a consistent focus on the vision (and evolution of the vision), the business won't work.” - Adrian Dayton Esq.

If you’re still having issues with this, look back to the 5 Fundamental Tools of EOS:

• VTO? (Vision/Traction Organizer)?
• Accountability Chart
• Rocks
• Meeting Pulse?
• Scorecard

Each of these tools are designed to clearly define what each member of your team needs to do, including the Integrator. Invest your time in these tools, and you’ll be rewarded with the peace of mind that comes with knowing you have a well-oiled machine.

2. Lifestyle Readiness

Are you ready for more free time and to redefine your role in the company?

Without an Integrator, Visionaries are often wearing at least two hats: creating the vision and executing it too. This is not sustainable at scale and is often a driving force (or trigger) for burnout – and the wakeup call for Visionaries to start looking for an Integrator.

When Visionaries onboard their Integrator, they find themselves amidst a major lifestyle change that involves fewer hours working in the business, or a change of focus. Most love it, some don’t – and knowing which camp you may be in is more complicated.

While it’s true you are getting more time and more energy to do other things, it is also creating a void in your daily routine and lifestyle. What Visionaries are looking for is a new balance after this leadership change.

At the same time, it’s crucial to recognize and be aware of the Visionary Challenges. As you embrace your new Visionary role and get settled in, you may face one or more of these challenges:

• Staying Focused
• Too Many Ideas
• Organizational Whiplash (pivoting often or too quickly)
• Sweating the Details
• Developing Talent

Each of these challenges are talked about in much more depth in the Rocket Fuel book, but in essence, while Visionaries can be fully capable of excelling in all of these areas, their other personality traits (that make them Visionaries) can get in the way.

3. Unique Ability? Readiness??

Are you ready to focus on your superpower?

At the start of this process, you completed the Visionary Indicator Assessment and created your Visionary Profile. As a part of the process you outlined your own Visionary Role, and tailored to your Unique Abilities?.

And now, when it’s your time to commit to these Abilities and this role, you may feel resistance. What’s happening?

You lack confidence in yourself and trust in your team.

When business leaders take the Visionary (or Integrator) Indicator Assessment, they are often surprised by the results because they may have seen themselves differently.?

Now, when it’s time to commit to the new role, self-doubt finds its way and manifests itself as resistance – stopping you from fully embracing the Visionary role.?

Alternatively, you may find yourself wanting to be on the shop floor again – writing the code, personally overseeing the marketing process, or directly handling the customers.?

This is what you’ve always done, and now taking a hands-off approach to your own company feels selfish. Sounds like you? You’re not alone.

How to get over it??

The first step is to accept the objective assessment that you do have the makings of a Visionary. You may not feel like one, but understand that this is you. This isn’t a symbolic role, you’ll be guiding the entire organization through the knowledge you’ve gathered all of these years.

Pretty straightforward in theory, at least, but it can be a challenge in practice. That said, there’s no other way around it, find solace that you are not alone in feeling this way and the vast majority of people become far better leaders by the end of this journey.

4. Financial Readiness

Can you afford an Integrator?

Two layers to this seemingly simple question.?

First, is the total cost of an Integrator acceptable feasible in your budget? And second, do you see an acceptable return on this investment?

If the budget does not currently align, there are fractional leadership services available to solve (we can help at Talent Harbor !). If you’re looking for full-time, you have to ask yourself this:

How do I structure a compensation package for an Integrator?

Compensating Your Better Half

The Integrator’s compensation package is often viewed as a difficult and complicated question. There are several things to consider as you’re working through an offer:

1. Fair Value

In theory, getting a rough estimate of the value of an Integrator is pretty simple. You can use platforms like ZipRecruiter and Indeed to search for average salaries. Since “Integrator” is not a standard title, it’s better to search “President,” “Chief Operating Officer,”? or “General Manager” across similar industries and sized companies.

To understand the ROI, start with a list of the problems that will be solved by having an Integrator (both directly and indirectly).?

And then find out what those problems are costing your business. Remember, there are two kinds of costs involved here, explicit (with a clear price tag) and implicit (without a clear price tag, like Opportunity Cost).?

Most of the time, finding your ideal Integrator will pay itself many times over, but it may still be worthwhile to do this exercise so you have a frame of reference.

2. Fair Pay

Some Visionaries make the mistake of underestimating how big of a role the integrator plays in their organization, and thus underestimate how much they should be paid.?

This is a mistake that can have disastrous consequences. Integrators are a “scarce commodity” and we often see mistreated Integrators suddenly get poached by competitors, leaving the Visionary and company in a state of panic.

For companies that want to prioritize all funds towards growth, allocating a large salary for a leadership level full-time hire may not be an option. For those companies, Fractional is a great option.?

Fractional relies on the EOS Process and tools like the Accountability Chart to identify the seats you need to fill, vet candidates for you, and fill talent gaps instantly — without the long-term commitment (or upfront cost).?

3. Fair Structure

This is where things get slightly more complex. There is no right compensation structure for your Integrator, no one option is inherently better or proven to deliver better results than others.

Though I will say that the right Integrator will be the most critical teammate – and they are part of the Senior Leadership Team. While financial incentives are important, most leaders understand the value of company growth and know the company’s success is their success.

In other words, compensating the Integrator fairly isn’t just a salary question, it’s a participation question, it’s an ownership question. Integrators (and senior leaders in general) need skin in the game to truly shine in their role.

Initiate your search

We’ve set the stage, everything is in place, it’s time to begin your search… but where exactly?

In my personal experience, the ideal place to first look for an Integrator is within your own company.

Hiring internally means you can safely skip a majority of the training and onboarding that you would otherwise need for an external hire. Not to mention the benefit of having someone who’s also familiar with systems and processes and how EOS has been implemented within your company is invaluable.?

Hiring internally also has the benefit of? boosting employee morale and potentially opens up a path of promotion for others. This is the perfect scenario but unfortunately, for the vast majority of people, this won’t be a viable option.

For them, the next best option is looking within their own network. If this is you, start with your personal sphere of influence through in-person conversations and meetings and continue moving outwards to email and even LinkedIn.

As you continue moving outwards, you’ll probably want to explore the extended EOS Community. It’s a close-knit group, and reaching out to EOS Implementers you’ve worked in the past (or companies like Talent Harbor) can help you get in touch with the Right Person.

Onboarding the right way

As with everything, starting off on the right foot can have a lasting impact. This is especially true in the case of Integrators and their first 90 days with the company.?

To get things right, here are 5 key things to focus on during this First 90 Day phase:

1. Mapping Outcomes

Many leaders like “going by feel”, judging how things are working out based on their years of prior experience. In the first 90 days, however, you want to quantify as much as you can.

Set clear expectations, objectives, and measurables for 30-, 60-, and 90-day milestones. Not doing so invites assumptions and misunderstandings.?

2. Reporting Structure

With an Integrator onboard, you’ll have to go back and review the Accountability Chart. It’s not going to be as simple as just adding the Integrator and shuffling a few roles around between the Visionary and the Integrator.

Most of the employees will now directly report to the Integrator, and that’s going to change team dynamics. You’ll need to carefully address this new reporting structure to work out any kinks and address any teammate hesitations.?

3. Early Wins (and Dealing with Failures)

If possible, set your Integrator up for success by starting them out on projects that are more likely to deliver meaningful progress in the first 90 days. Securing early wins builds confidence and sets the trend for your V/I relationship.

On the other hand, know how to deal with failures, view them as an opportunity for learning and building resilience. I dive much deeper into this topic in an earlier edition of this newsletter – The Right Way to Help (and Develop) Leaders .

4. Achieve Alignment

You and your Integrator both may want the same end goal, but it’s possible you may disagree on the path to getting there.

Disagreement is good, crucial even, in an V/I relationship as a system of checks and balances. But don’t mistake disagreement with misalignment on Core Focus and Core Values – you should always agree on those.

5. Rally the Team

Give your team the time and opportunity to get on the same page as the Integrator. If it’s an external hire, there’s probably going to be some resistance but nothing you can’t work through the Accountability Chart and a positive environment.

Wrap up…

Self-assessment – start with looking inwards and find out what your organization is missing and what you need to take things to the next level.

• Use the profiling tools and templates on offer to view V/I needs, roles, and responsibilities more objectively.
• Many leaders have the “Do I need an Integrator” conversation but gloss over the “Am I ready for an Integrator”. This is a common EOS mistake when finding an Integrator.
• Identify any resistance to getting an Integrator by going through the Four Readiness Factors.
• Fair compensation is not complex if you can quantify the cost and ROI of an Integrator. Explore Fractional services to get an experienced EOS Integrator without the long-term commitment or full-time cost.
• There is no right compensation structure but ensuring your Integrator has some form of stake in the company can be a powerful motivator.
• Your search for an Integrator should start internally (within the company) and move outwards, into your personal sphere of influence, to your wider network and social media.
• Don’t discount the EOS Community, leverage your connections and companies like Talent Harbor to find Right Person for you.?
• Mapping outcomes and clearly define what needs to be accomplished in the first 30, 60, 90 day milestones.
• Onboard your Integrator the “right” way – by establishing a clear reporting structure, securing early wins, achieving alignment, and helping your Integrator get to know the rest of the Leadership Team.

And finally, if you are about to start this journey and haven’t yet read Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters, then I highly, highly recommend you do so. It’s the holy grail of the Visionary/Integrator relationship and expands on many of the topics I’ve touched upon in this article.

More importantly, it contains some incredible resources, including the 5 Rules, which is a critical tool that goes hand in hand with the Accountability Chart.

P.S. Want to work together? Here are a few ways:

1/ Already running on EOS? I am putting together a small vetted group of business leaders who operate on EOS. Apply for the Spring Cohort here . (only open to Visionaries, Integrators and Core Function Leaders)

2/ Need an Integrator or Core Function Leader expertise without the FTE budget? Schedule a Zoom with me here to learn about Talent Harbor’s fractional and professional staffing for businesses operating on EOS.

3/ Are you an EOS Implementer and want to be a guest on our show? Submit a guest form here.

4/ Vetting Certified EOS Implementers and want to know who’s the best? Send me a DM.