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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]When it comes to a position that will manage a small team of direct reports in a medium-sized public company, what is your view of an otherwise-qualified candidate who has not had direct reports, but for 10+ years was the leader of cross-functional teams for very large, C-suite facing deals at an F100? Assume the candidate has excellent references both from his/her manager and from junior personnel that the candidate coached and mentored. [/quote]

Cross Functional/Project/Indirect leadership is HARDDD, so Kudos PP. Before recruiting I was a matrix leader, I had direct reports and a whole bunch of people who indirectly reported in - that’s a euphemism for they could ignore me at any time. Positional authority was so much easier than the indirect management but the key is to translate the work and experience you have into People Leadership.

Your success in landing the position will depend a lot on what is going on with the team. 
If the team needs to be Assembled, Formed, or are Newly Built and they need someone to Coach/Mentor/Engage/Delegate (the happy stuff of people management) you likely have direct experience to draw on.
If the team however is in trouble and they need Performance Management, ‘Difficult Conversations Need to Be Had’ and the Leader ‘Needs to Make a Call,’  this is where your experience may fall short if you’ve never had to terminate someone and stay compliant/legal.

Things to reflect on:
If at any point the managers of the people on your teams:
Came to you for Feedback about their people…
Asked you to coach someone on their team because that person related to you during the project…
Inquired about promotion of the individual (every matrix is different)…
Asked about how to staff up for the future…
….you are very close to the stuff of people management, and you should prepare these go-to examples.

Definitely ask: What’s going on with the team today / How would you describe the health of the team - as one of your Q&A questions. Their response will be a clue to your chances. Good Luck!

[/quote]

Thanks PP! The recruiter said that the prior manager was “beloved,” so they are looking for someone to continue to support and develop that team. Would it be appropriate to send the recruiter several reference letters from people I mentored in our cross-functional teams? I have letters from coworkers a variety of roles, all indicating that I’ve been instrumental in developing their skills and trajectory. [/quote]

Going to be honest, I wouldn’t want to receive those unprompted. If the interview has already happened the recruiter has already decided whether they are going to advance you based on your interview. If the recruiter asked ‘what is your experience in managing others/have you managed others’ it’s a Qualifying question (see my previous note on it) and you may be up against others who have the experience.

It’s sounds like you really want this role - maybe send a follow up note inquiring status with a mention about your impact on others. If the recruiter gets back to you quickly, within a couple of days, that could be positive as we keep candidates who are in the running ‘warm.’ Again good luck and keep applying! [/quote]

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