Archives for December 2018

Most of us can identify past moments when we said or did something that was misperceived or misunderstood.

Sometimes we are fully aware of the relational tension created by those moments. It’s also possible that we missed the signals of the intensity we initiated by the attitudes, words, or actions.

Regardless, the end of the year provides a time to clear the air. The very nature of our year-end holidays provides a motivation and occasion to make things right with those we lead.

Many organizations include the year-end review of team members. Those are perhaps already completed by now. If you missed the opportunity, you still have time to check back and simply ask if there is any interpersonal unfinished business that needs to be addressed in order to move forward in a more positive way.

Two scenarios warrant attention:

1. You were wrong.  Admit your mistake, apologize, and ask for forgiveness. We all make mistakes. Model this for every direct report to influence how they lead as well.
2. You were misunderstood.  Start by listening without justifying or explaining away what was said or done. Then tell your side of the story while committing to the effort needed to change perceptions in the future. Your intent may have been noteworthy, but how you were perceived is the reality of how others continue to see you.

Leadership Brief

Who – Ask your direct reports.

What – Let them identify the unfinished business.

When – Before the end of the year.

Where – In private on their turf not your office.

Why – To strengthen the culture and climate of your team.

How – Humbly and vulnerably.

Recruiting is not a game of chance

Recruiting strategies vary by target.  For lower level positions, there is usually a larger pool of talent that is easier to find, often because they are actively looking for you.

This the old territory of job boards and contingent recruiters, now upgraded by such technology such as video interviews, SMS messaging and online assessments.

But it is still a reactive process.  When the job becomes open, the employer presses the start button, the candidates pour over the company website and the contingent recruiters throw resumes at the company wall until something sticks.

It’s like the old dating games where you get two minutes to impress each other before moving to the next table to see if you can do better.   Great if you’re running a call centre.

But as a strategy it is worthless.  Particularly if you are looking to fill a more complex role requiring a special degree of skill or leadership capabilities in someone able to impact the performance of your organization.  In that case, if you only start thinking about it when the need arises, you are already behind the eight-ball.  (If you have trouble with that one, find an older guy who used to shoot pool).

This is where you need to have established a Recruiting Strategy.  Check out these 8 Reasons to have a Talent Acquisition Strategy if you are still not convinced.

A Recruiting Strategy does two vitally important things.  It Anticipates the need and it Positions you to meet that need in the manner most likely to achieve success.

Anticipation

We are talking, remember, about high-value positions.  Performance in these positions can be expected to have a greater impact on the organization.  So, when that performance is falling off, or ceases altogether, or new blood is needed for a new project, rapid replacement is imperative.

Not just any replacement. The incoming talent must get up to speed and contribute quickly.  He or she is there to get you to a higher level. That in turn means the more you can anticipate the need for change, the more time you have to find the best talent and the sooner you can install it.

How can you anticipate such action?  A good leader is in constant touch with his or her team – and that trickles down from one leadership level to another.  Your Recruiting Strategy should be built on an intelligence structure that will flag issues early – a section leader talking of another job, a dissatisfied manager, an underperforming regional manager.

The intelligence function should be codified, perhaps through a committee structure that brings together leaders at many levels, specifically tasked with anticipating recruiting implications.

You should also – always – have an updated succession plan.

Positioning

You cannot recruit strategically without resources.  Unless you are a multi-billion-dollar organization with your own hiring department, that means external resources.

(As an aside: even if you do have your own recruiting resources, they are often successful at lower levels of hire, but inexperienced when it comes to looking for the game-changer)

Of the two major categories of professional recruitment companies only one has value here. (Download our e-book “Retained or Contingency”).  Contingency recruiting firms do not have the business model to do anything except fill a vacancy today.  We’re talking about anticipating a vacancy tomorrow.

Your strategy depends heavily on partnering with a qualified, reputable, and preferably global, retained search firm.  These firms have the appropriate business model since they work on a contract to provide the recruiting solution.

 You need to choose carefully because it has to be a partnership and a shared goal.  Engaging others to find that one leader who can make a difference demands a lot of trust. The right partner will know where to search for the positions and skill sets you need.  They will have extensive databanks of “passives” – an undeclared population of qualified professionals who have a current job but who could become interested in the appropriate approach.

They will have the necessary skills, experience and services to deliver a recruiting strategy end-to-end.   In addition to the search function that means in-depth assessment of performance and suitability, integration coaching and on-going, customized career coaching.

Your partner must also be able to work under the radar since you do not want to broadcast your situation to the competition, and/or you may be planning to replace a senior member of the team.

A Recruiting Strategy is not easy to develop, but if you have a leadership team fine-tuned to the difference between satisfactory and exceptional performance and want to keep it that way, anticipating any replacement is a good place to start.

People, not processes, build great companies.  What can be more important than working to ensure the best people are brought in at the right time, in a manner which leads to rapid contribution without the machine missing a beat.

 

Do you need a Recruiting Strategy? Learn more about our Executive Search Services

Karen Greenbaum the President and CEO of the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC) interviewed Simon Wan, Chair and Chief Executive of Cornerstone International Group on “The Power of Authentic Leadership”.

Listen to the interview here:

Below is the transcript: 

KAREN: Welcome to the Leaders on Leaders podcast from the Global Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants. I’m Karen Greenbaum, AESC President and CEO. In Leaders on Leaders, we explore today’s top leadership trends impacting global business with leaders from the world’s top executive search and leadership advisory firms. Today, we’ll be discussing the power of authentic leadership. I am joined today by Simon Wan, chair and chief executive, Cornerstone International Group. Simon, why don’t we begin with you telling us about Cornerstone International?

SIMON: Thank you, Karen. Cornerstone International Group was established back in 1989 in Los Angeles. Today, it is a global network of 60 offices with headquarters in Shanghai, China and also in Atlanta, US. We are happy to be invited today to talk about this important subject.

KAREN: Terrific. Authenticity is a word that comes up a lot in global business today. What does it mean to be authentic on a global scale?

SIMON: To me, Cornerstone is a global business as well as a local business. It is very important to look at globally on who we are and what we do, and also apply to the local levels to see what it really means to the customers of Cornerstone. To us, authenticity to me is to be truthful on what we can really deliver to the customers in today’s world.

KAREN: When you think about authenticity, not just at your firm, but in terms of the candidates we talk to, what does authentic leadership look like and what are the attributes of an authentic leader?

SIMON: Authentic leaders today, we could easily spot it if it’s in your organization. This is someone that really walk the talk and they are direct with open and honest talks, and also, they are empathetic to problems and issues facing the candidates or the corporations. These are people that have grateful hearts and then also with passion to help others do their thing.

KAREN: Terrific. How do today’s C-suite leaders demonstrate authenticity to their teams and to their stakeholders?

SIMON: I think this is not just a speechwriter or someone that can talk well in their work. This is someone that are being watched every day in their company on – they are the ones that actually walk the talk and have the ambitions and honesty to talk about the challenges facing the company as well as pointing to the ways possible to go over and succeed for the company as a whole.

KAREN:That’s really clear, but can authenticity be developed in leaders or is it something that you just have?

SIMON: To me, Karen, this can be developed with a careful structuring of helping the leader to be self-reflective on his own self and the commitments and the visions and the value of the company. Because if the person is really authentic and truthful to his own meaning and purpose of life, if it’s also the same culture and value and missions of the company, they would really do wonderful things because the authentic leaders would drive the initiative from his own heart not just because of the paycheck.

KAREN: One final question, what do businesses ultimately gain by having authentic leadership?

SIMON: I think any business for the long-term has to show – share their value that really means – that are really helpful for the development of the company. If the companies are not truthful and not honest on what they do, one day quickly it will backfire on the company. The chief executive or HR directors of the company are the first to know because there are many companies today being caught by not being truthful and not being sensitive to the stakeholders and the customers and the staff. We have so many stories in today’s corporate world, hearing stories in Hollywood, hearing stories in politics of what could happen to the issue of being challenged of not being authentic.

KAREN: I said that was my last question, but I have one more question for you, Simon. This is a bonus question. We talked about authentic leadership and I also know that there’s a shortage of top talent. Not all talents, but the very, very best talent. How can authentic leadership and organization with that kind of leadership be an organization that attracts the best talent?

SIMON: It comes in two ways, Karen. First, it’s for existing talent team, the leadership team. I think the best companies or organizations have a way to have a culture and environment that help leaders to learn new ideas as well as to unlearn things that they did in the past that are not fit for the future. Because for future-ready leaders, they need to really look forward and elevate a step higher than what they have done in the past. The only way to do it is that that person, the leader, the chief executive, has to feel that they need to make those changes. In the business term, we call it vulnerability. They must feel vulnerable and able to unlearn and learn new things for the benefit of themselves and for the company.

KAREN: Simon, thank you for taking the time to share your insights today. Listeners, thank you for joining us for Leaders on Leaders. For our next Leaders on Leaders discussion, stay tune to aesc.org. Thank you, have a great day.

This interview originally appeared on the AESC’s Leaders on Leaders podcast