The Paradox of Character and Power

In my carrier I have recruited many people and here I was in a situation that was a test of my conscience and character. I was recruiting for a key sales position, who would directly report to me, for a high growth territory. We had three rounds of interview, first round was with me, the second was with my immediate supervisor and the third was with our Human Resources Manager. After the three rounds, we short listed two candidates and it was decided that we will recruit one from the two candidates short listed.

Candidate A is next of kin to one of my long time friend, and is also known to me personally. Candidate B was somebody I never met before, but was referred by one of my acquaintances. While the credentials and past performance of both the Candidates was impressive, Candidate B's experience and exposure was in my industry while Candidate A's was in a totally different industry. Between the two candidates all three of us, who interviewed, agreed that the Candidate B was the best fit for the job. However the remuneration package that the Candidate B asked was not above what was planned and would create an equity issue within peers. While, the remuneration package that Candidate A was asking was acceptable.

Given the scenario Candidate A was an obvious choice, though not the best fit. I would have had the person on board quickly as this was a key position and cannot be left open for a longer period.

I figured that if we narrow the gap on the remuneration it would be a great carrier move for Candidate B; the learning curve would be steep, which would be good for the team. This would be a Win-Win situation for everybody. I took the initiative to narrow the gap on remuneration by having separate internal discussions and with the Candidate, and finally emerged successfully.

The decision I took gave a good break in carrier for the right candidate and had a positive impact on the organization's objective. Looking back I realize that when a man is given