Companies are often on the cusp of immense glory, but carry the burden of managing deadweight that simply takes up space and increases payroll costs. The company needs to eliminate them and hire qualified management, but there is often an emotional element that makes it difficult to take the garbage to the curb on the day of the garbage collection. There are many corporate warnings here. Companies that could be, but never were, are worth a dime a dozen because they lacked the motivation to overcome the emotional component that paralyzes them, not allowing them to fire someone who has become a friend. Your mind will play you in every way, telling you: this guy has a family, you and he have a history, you cannot just fire the one who helped build this company, etc. Here you forget that this person’s presence jeopardizes the careers and livelihoods of everyone else, so this act of exclusion serves the highest good.
Simplify your life. Hire a global expansion consultant. These people are used to being called bad and have thick skin, which allows them to overcome emotional bullshit and become aware of the reality that will help your company take it to the next level. They will decide on a professional pedigree, a portfolio of contacts with leaders who can best handle themselves in a group or public debate environment, which has the most desired track record in attracting the best candidates for leadership positions, etc.
Often times, companies at this crossroads are in the process of going public, which is an even bigger reason for hiring an expansion consultant as they will apply their business to a proven workforce leading to success; eliminate your friend if necessary and the replaced one will be able to demonstrate the reasons using empirical evidence and give you a profile of the ideal candidate for their replacement.
To bring in the right replacement for a troika, VP, or senior executive, you need to impress them with stock and, if possible, stock before the IPO. Corporate action and solid compensation often lead to the right people showing up for interviews. Promotions should be a mix of limited and unlimited, and your acceptance of unlimited promotions demonstrates your desire for longevity in your company, and unlimited promotions demonstrate your confidence, indicating that you are ready to add a little more skin to the game attract the right talent.
A recruiting manager is usually not the right thing to do in the above situation. A management consultant or international consulting firm can offer a turnkey solution for your corporate recruiting efforts as well as your IPO and expansion aspirations.