We believe the most important component of a successful search effort is the experience, wisdom, insight and commitment of the search consultant engaged to conduct the search. We believe it is critical to apply this wisdom and insight to every step of the search in order to deliver the full benefit of the consultant's experience to the identification and recruitment of truly outstanding candidates. Our partners are expert in research tools, techniques and methodology and undertake all research, sourcing and candidate development themselves.
Our firm is particularly well suited to assist you when:
- When the universe of prospective candidates is limited and freedom from off-limits issues is critical.
- When the market needs to be accessed quietly and confidentially.
- When a strong advocate in the market is required to bring exceptional talent to the table.
- When speed is important.
- When the assignment is research intensive.
- When a creative solution is desired.
How we work
Our approach to executive search is simple: Discover and Deliver outstanding candidates quickly. In our view, this process is not a marathon and not a relay race, it is a sprint with the partner engaged in the assignment running all out to the finish line. Fewer hand-offs means fewer opportunities to drop the "baton" and greater opportunities to deliver outstanding results quickly. Our approach enables us to introduce qualified candidates within two weeks of beginning any assignment.
Candidate discovery
Candidate discovery requires a strong network of contacts and strong research capabilities. In our experience, the candidate discovery process can be serendipitous. Research and sourcing efforts can lead you in directions you hadn't anticipated and generate possibilities not otherwise considered.
The information age has leveled the playing field in executive search by placing vast amounts of information about companies and the executives who lead them at the desktop. Unfortunately, the traditional executive search business model (developed before the information age) relies on junior staff to navigate these information sources to uncover the talent required by the client. Junior staff are, by definition, less experienced, less insightful and therefore less able to recognize creative solutions to the client's need.
With 400 assignments and 30 years of experience, we have built an extensive network of contacts. However, we also believe that rapidly changing markets require an original effort for each assignment to discover prospects outside of our existing network. Because we are expert in research methodology, we do not need to rely on junior staff to do research. We view our research capability as a unique strength and a source of creative inspiration.
Candidate Delivery
Having discovered relevant and exciting prospects for the opportunity, the search consultant's role becomes one of advocacy and empathy. From the first phone call, we stay attuned to the candidate's articulated and tacit objectives, motivations and/or frustrations. These are the keys to bringing the candidate to the initial meeting and, ultimately, to your organization. The groundwork for later-stage search concerns, such as compensation negotiation and resignation issues/counter-offers, is often laid even before parties are face-to-face.
We add the most value by presenting candidates who are fully informed about your organization and opportunity. Similarly, having you aware of far more than the resume of each prospect, allows you to spend your face time sensing and evaluating chemistry and taking the candidate inside your organization's philosophy and purpose.
Faster Results
Time to completion is the most mentioned concern clients express when surveyed by the executive search industry. Yet, the industry average time to completion now exceeds four months. We structure our process to enable us to introduce qualified candidates within two weeks of initiating any search. We manage to this result on every assignment because we recognize that in dealing with "human capital" it is often difficult to precisely define the skills and personal qualities required before embarking upon a search and often, there can be more than one right answer.
Introducing candidates early in the search provides real life benchmarks of the qualities, skills and abilities specified allowing client and consultant to refine the definition of the ideal candidate early on in the process. Our expertise in research tools and methodologies coupled with our "de-leveraged" business model enable us to more quickly discover, qualify and present prospective candidates than our competitors.
