Negotiations with the head of a competing company require not only tact, but also a clear contact architecture. A mistake at the start can cost both sides reputational losses, internal tension in the team and leakage of sensitive information. In the practice of point-based headhunting and leadership selection, such dialogues are usually based on a predefined scenario, where the communication channel, the circle of dedicated people and the wording are important.
Approaches to direct search and access to passive candidates are described in detail on the page https://1ceo.su/headhunting /. At the same time, the very fact of contacting a top manager of a competing company does not mean that he is ready for the transition. At the first stage, it is important to understand the candidate's motivation, identify confidentiality requirements, and agree on an acceptable format for further communication.
The most sensitive situations are when it comes to the current CEO, a commercial executive, or a rare IT specialist with access to strategy, customer base, or product plans. The important thing here is not the speed, but the manageability of the process.: who initiates the conversation, which topics are immediately excluded, and how agreements are fixed so that business interest does not turn into a conflict of interest.
When are such negotiations appropriate and where is the boundary of the conflict of interests?
Such contacts are appropriate when the company is discussing a managerial role that requires rare expertise, and the candidate is not in a direct subordinate or dependent loop of the negotiator. A typical example is the search for a business leader who is able to build a new function, but is not bound by obligations with the current employer that interfere with the very fact of the dialogue.
The boundary of the conflict of interests lies where the discussion begins to affect not the person and his managerial experience, but the confidential information of the business. At the first stage, it is correct to talk about the scale of tasks, area of responsibility, team structure, subordination, and expectations for the role. It is incorrect to ask about the margin, the list of key customers, the deal funnel, product strategy, internal metrics and personnel plans of a competitor.
- Acceptable: to discuss the professional track, management style, willingness to change roles.
- Unacceptable: to receive information that may be used as commercially sensitive.
- Mandatory: to determine in advance the circle of participants and the rule not to forward materials within the company unnecessarily.
How to prepare for a conversation and define your goals in advance
Before the first contact, the company usually formulates not only the profile of the role, but also the scope of the dialogue itself. We need a clear answer to three questions: why is the conversation being initiated, and what are the managerial issues?