We are thrilled to share that our Founder and President, Paul Toomey, was recently featured in a Fast Company article exploring one of the most critical decisions facing modern business leaders: when to promote talent from within versus when to hire externally.
As a member of the prestigious Fast Company Impact Council—an invitation-only collective of innovative founders, executives, and leaders redefining the future of business—Paul joined 18 other national business minds to share his leadership philosophy on organizational growth and talent development.
Aligning Talent Decisions with Company Lifecycle
The feature, titled "19 leaders on promoting from within versus hiring externally," highlights the delicate balance of building a sustainable, high-performing workforce. When asked how he approaches this critical decision-making process, Paul emphasized that leadership choices should always be driven by a forward-looking assessment of what the company needs at its specific stage of growth.
Rather than relying on a rigid formula, Paul advocates for evaluating a role's immediate demands against the long-term impact on company culture and client success:
"I start by asking what the role requires at this stage of the company. If we have someone internally who has earned trust, understands our clients, and is ready to grow and succeed at the next level, promoting from within is especially valuable. It reinforces culture and continuity. In some circumstances, senior roles can require experience or expertise we have not yet developed internally, so an external hire can bring needed perspective or scale. The key is to make decisions based on future impact, and not just past familiarity."— Paul Toomey, Founder and President of Geographic Solutions
Cultivating Culture While Embracing Innovation
At Geographic Solutions, this philosophy is woven directly into our DNA. Promoting from within rewards dedication, preserves our deep institutional knowledge, and honors the trust our team has built with the workforce development agencies we serve. At the same time, selectively introducing fresh, external perspectives allows us to scale our technology, stay agile, and continuously innovate.
To read the full article and explore insights from all 19 featured Impact Council members, you can head over to the official piece on Fast Company.