Expand Your Horizons for Outdoor Industry Executive Search

Let’s be honest: the outdoor industry is unique to say the least. We’ve long held that we’re able to do what we do so well because of our intimate knowledge of the ins and outs of outdoor and active lifestyle brands. We have an extensive network of industry leaders. We understand the nuances of the categories, which companies are performing (and underperforming), what compensation looks like throughout the industry, and even what production difficulties these brands face. Frequently we have inside information about leadership changes well before any public information is available.

It’s precisely that background that allows us to seek out candidates with just the experience and skills our clients need to fill a crucial executive position. But sometimes you have to expand your horizons and look beyond what is familiar. There’s no shortage of reasons why making an industry hire might not be the right approach, from the challenges presented by the candidate-driven market we’re in, to the specific lists of requirements a brand might have for a particular role.

In these cases, looking outside the outdoor industry might just be the right strategy—if done right.

The Impact of One Consumer Brands Executive

If your brand has a long history of exclusively hiring from within the outdoor industry (as so many do), you might not be willing to accept on the surface the notion that outsiders can have a lot to offer. But if one executive search we completed just over a year ago has anything to teach us about the prospect of crossing industry lines, it’s that it can have an immediate, palpable impact on your bottom line.

We were working with a stalwart outdoor brand with an untouchable reputation and a diverse portfolio of products. They needed a new brand director for a market-leading global brand, but in a niche category. By the end of our search, we identified an executive with extensive experience with traditional consumer durables. Those product development and brand marketing skills were transferable to our industry.

This candidate didn’t have an outdoor or active lifestyle pedigree, but what they did have was a proven track record of success with large brands—and a personal passion for the category. Within 16 months of taking the position, this brand director managed a 15% top line increase in sales and a Q4 year over year gross profit increase of $900,000. If that’s not a measure of objective success, I don’t know what is.

Overcoming the Challenges of the Outsider Hire

I need to contextualize this one case inside a broader reality: It’s not easy to find this kind of fit when you begin to look outside the usual suspects for a leadership hire. While it might seem a bit contradictory for me to claim that it’s Highline’s familiarity with the outdoor industry that makes us effective while touting the benefits of an outsider hire, I believe it’s the same niche focus we have in the industry that led to this success story.

Because this industry has something that many don’t: personal passion. It’s a powerful force with the potential to attract people who haven’t worked in this industry. It’s the same force that allows those who do work in this industry to find fulfilling careers that bridge the gap between their lifestyle and what they wake up and do professionally day-in and day-out. But it’s also a tool that can be misused easily—when employers put all their eggs in this basket of “work on something you love” it might not be enough to attract top-performing executives.

This is why it’s so critical for outdoor brands to have a firm grasp on their employer brand. Companies need to invest some serious time and energy in a proactive strategy for attracting and retaining talent. This starts with aligning internal expectations and equity so brands are able to make competitive offers to their favorite candidates, and it continues as brands begin to engage those candidates with a truly engaging hiring process. 

Bridging the gaps along the way is the need to invest in the kind of search that resulted in the successful hire I talked about in this article. If it wasn’t for the time and space we were given by our client to capitalize on our outdoor industry experience, we would have never been able to spot their ideal candidate on the outside. It takes time and money, but it’s what makes it possible for brands to effectively communicate about the outdoor industry, identify a candidate’s passions and motivations for a change regardless of the industry they’re currently working in, and make strategically smart hires.

I’ll put this another way: If you could invest in a search fee to find the right candidate in order to unlock $900,000 in profitability over 16 months, would you? For my money, the answer is an absolute no-brainer.

—Tony O’Neill, President

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About the Author: Tony O’Neill is the Founder and President of Highline Outdoor Group — the purpose-driven executive search firm for forward- thinking outdoor industry and sporting goods companies and brands.

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