How to Hire a Governor
As Utah Republicans, we have a choice of enormous importance before us: who to hire to become our nominee for Governor? Utah faces both unprecedented challenges and tremendous opportunities, and the governor we choose to lead us during this pivotal time will have a deep and lasting impact on our state for decades to come.
We are fortunate in our choices: the two leading candidates for the GOP nomination, former Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, are both public-minded men of integrity, intelligence and experience. Deciding between two good options is a high-class problem, but also makes for a difficult choice.
This dilemma reminds me a great deal of the choices I’ve frequently faced in my career as an executive when hiring for a critical role. The right hire can make all the difference, but so can the wrong one. Most managers learn over time which traits are good indicators of whether a candidate will prove successful in the role they’re hiring for. I believe that applying these hiring lessons to our current choice between candidates for Governor will help ensure we pick the right person for this critical job.
Hunger vs. Experience: Experience in both business and politics is essential. But one big mistake I’ve made in my hiring is prioritizing experience over hunger. Candidates with many years of experience in the exact same role you’re hiring for are appealing, but I’ve learned that in many cases the eager candidate aspiring to step up brings more energy to the job, which makes them more successful. Experience matters, but so do intensity and desire. Finding the right combination of these traits is essential to making the right hire — and I’m convinced Lt. Gov. Cox has them. He has plenty of experience — he’s served on a city council, as a mayor, in the state legislature, and now as Lt. Gov. That experience, combined with his energy for the job, will make for a very special Governor.
Passion vs. Ability: Ability is very important, but ability has to be combined with a passion for the day-to-day of the role. Gov. Huntsman’s interests clearly lie at the federal and international level. He has admirably served our country with great ability in some of our most sensitive diplomatic postings. He has also made a credible run for the presidency. If I were hiring for the role of Secretary of State, or even President, Gov. Huntsman would be at the top of my very short list. But we are not hiring for those roles — we are hiring for the role of Governor of Utah. And for that we need someone whose primary interest is Utah and the issues we face — issues like per student education funding that are critical to Utah but are hardly the exciting stuff of international diplomacy. Lt. Gov. Cox’s primary interest (outside the Utah Jazz) is the state of Utah and the opportunities and challenges we face. I believe this passion for Utah will make him an incredibly effective governor.
Steppingstone vs. Dream Job: In my career I’ve sometimes passed on hiring well-qualified candidates because I could sense that their interest in the role was lukewarm and the job was simply a place to draw a paycheck while waiting for something better came along. The danger of being a “steppingstone” is greater with candidates who have already had the job for which they’re applying, and even more so when it’s a role they may see as a step down from their most recent role. While I don’t believe any role requires a lifetime commitment, I need to believe that a candidate will be excited about it and committed to the role for at least a few years. The “steppingstone” candidate stands in stark contrast to the “dream job” candidate who is dying to fill the role and knock it out of the park.
I fear that for Gov. Huntsman the role of Governor in 2020 is a steppingstone — a place to be until something comes along that is more aligned with his great talents and interests. It’s unclear to me why, exactly, he wants to be governor again after leaving the role and the state and never returning to live in Utah until he declared his candidacy for governor. In contrast, I am confident that leading Utah is Lt. Gov. Cox’s dream job, and he’ll stick at it until he’s accomplished his vision for our state.
Right Candidate, Wrong Job: Perhaps the most difficult situation a hiring manager faces is when you find a qualified, intelligent, experienced candidate who simply isn’t the right fit for the role in question. Because you’re impressed by them and want them on your team, it’s tempting to hire them anyway. In my experience, this rarely turns out well. You’re not just hiring a person — you’re hiring a person for a specific job. And when you get the right person in the wrong job, it never works out. That, in my opinion, is what hiring Gov. Huntsman to be our governor would amount to. He’s a wonderful man, and he’s served our state and country admirably. But I am convinced his talents and interests are better suited to roles like Secretary of State or even President, and I would be glad to see him occupy either of those roles. On the other hand, Lt. Gov. Cox is the right candidate for the job we’re currently hiring for — Governor of Utah. I’m voting for him. I invite you to join me.
