John O. Burdett

To survive, let alone thrive, there is one all-weather leadership capability that a leader must deliver at a level of excellence – attract, hire, develop and retain top talent.

Bringing a key leader on board is about managing a critical business risk. Get it wrong and the lost revenue, damage to the firm’s reputation and impact on morale represent an unwanted “gift” that keeps on giving.

An underlying theme of The Empty Suit is that many, perhaps even the majority, of organizations – through a combination of inadequate processes and/or inappropriate allocation of time – often focus on the best candidate when the real need is to hire the right candidate.

In a typical year John Burdett’s tools and assessment methodology (the Orxestra Method) are utilised around the world by many hundreds of major organizations. The Empty Suit, in capturing that experience, is a unique and easy-to-follow guide outlining how to uncover, attract, select, hire and retain the right candidate.

Understand the interview as both science and art … learn the best way to ask great questions … know how to assess the candidate against the four critical dimensions of fit (culture, performance, leadership competency and team fit) … revisit what it means to be an outstanding coach … develop the art of building succession … and recognise the factors that shape leaving a legacy.

Make sure you never hire another “empty suit!”