E71: How to Scale Talent | Andy Price, Artisanal Ventures

This week on Turpentine VC, Andy Price, a veteran executive recruiter and venture capitalist, joins Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich from HR Heretics, a Turpentine podcast, for a deep dive into the crucial aspects of hiring, retaining, and developing top talent. Andy has built leadership teams for renowned companies like Snowflake and DocuSign.

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LINKS:

Artisanal Ventures: https://artisanalv.com/ 

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FOLLOW:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyprice1/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/ 

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE:

• Even at top companies like DoorDash, executive hiring only succeeds two-thirds of the time, while most firms see one-third success rates.
• Companies are complex organisms, making executive hiring challenging because there are too many variables that can affect success.
• To mitigate hiring failures, recruiters must deeply understand a company's problems and weaknesses, not just focus on their strengths.
• Back-channel references are crucial but must be handled carefully, with recruiters making vague inquiries without revealing specific roles or companies.
• The ideal number of references is 5-7 meaningful ones, focusing on depth of conversation rather than quantity of references.
• Founders often get attached to "shiny new" executive candidates and forget about the people who helped build the company.
• Companies like Confluent succeeded in executive transitions by showing respect to departing leaders and ensuring smooth handovers.
• When layering an existing executive, the person needs to be involved in the interview process but with clear expectations about their role.
• The best companies like Snowflake and ServiceNow succeed through seamless executive transitions and continuity.
• To help up-and-coming executives scale, companies need to invest in advisory networks and strong board members who can provide mentorship.
• Executive success often depends on building strong support teams around them rather than expecting them to excel at everything.
• The best executives rarely actively job hunt - instead, they study industry trends in their spare time and maintain relationships with select recruiters.
• Multiple one-year executive tenures are a red flag; ideal careers show 3-6 year commitments at successful companies.
• The best recruiters have high-quality client portfolios and view themselves as extensions of their client companies.
• Modern recruiting emphasizes authenticity, especially among younger generations who value genuine relationships and communication.