When an EVP (Might) Make Sense
(30-second read / 3:38 watch)
I’m not a fan of an EVP in the traditional sense. I feel most processes are overpriced and lack the tactical execution that actually influences candidates.
But for a select group of late-stage startups, a formal EVP (might) make sense.
Exponential growth will inevitably lead to an identity crisis.
They're still startups but have now ballooned to hundreds or even thousands of employees in a matter of a few years.
Senior leadership may be different. There’s now a board and investors to answer to.
And company values that were originally created at the top never integrated into the current employee experience.
In this scenario, it’s smart to hit the pause button and take a bottoms-up approach to surface this new brand identity.
This is a big project. It’s resource-intensive in both time and money.
Go in eyes wide open to the liabilities:
EVP’s can get blocked by senior leadership and never see the light of day.
The shelf life of an EVP is short. Your growth may outpace your EVP making it obsolete.
The execution of your EVP through content is the only thing that matters.
My recommendation: Skip the EVP and focus on content creation. And through the creative process, new values and closely held beliefs at your company will surface.
It's strategy + execution in one.