Dumb luck. Fluke. Blue bird.

How are you finding your future leaders? Are you leaving it up to blind chance, pulling candidates off monster or pushing recruiters’ picks through your interview process?

Some of the best hires I’ve met of late have been for a company in a little out-of-the-way town, responding to ads placed by a functional manager (rather than HR). These are people coming from Fortune 500 companies to work in this quiet corner of the world. When I’ve asked about the attraction, they shared:

• I’m from the area, and have wanted to get back, closer to family
• I have been looking for an opportunity where I can make a larger impact
• I’m excited about what the company does
• I liked the people when I started into the interview process

Are you giving potential hires a compelling reason to say yes? Do you appreciate why someone would leave a secure, stable job to come work with your organization? To do over, would you leave your last job to come?