search-consult Issue 40

2011 / ISSUE 40

The International Executive Search Magazine Published by Dillistone Systems

The World Executive Search Congress MARCH 5-6, 2012

THE STRATOSPHERE HOTEL, LAS VEGAS

Also in this issue: Moving Towards Gender Equality Employer Branding: A New Way To Attract And Retain Top Talent Trina Gordon Leading Boyden To The Next Level Executive Search Technology Global Cross Border Executive Search Key Characteristics For Today’s CEO

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Introducing

The

World Executive Search Congress

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n March 2012, the first ever World Executive Search Congress will take place in Las Vegas. Featuring representatives of, alumni from and consultants to executive search firms such as Boyden, DHR International, Heidrick & Struggles, Korn/Ferry International and Spencer Stuart, this event will be unique in a number of ways.

Firstly, the event is unique in that it will deliver simultaneous streams of content. Attendees will be able to pick and choose which sessions they attend, ensuring that not a moment is wasted.

Key topics include: NEW AND EVOLVING ESSENTIALS OF CLIENT PARTNERSHIP Joseph Daniel McCool is Principal of The McCool Group, which advises global companies on the most effective selection and engagement of executive search firms. Attend this session, and get insights on how to break free from time-honored but ineffective client prospecting and partnering practices.

Joe will discuss new strategies that will help consultants make the shift from transaction broker to trusted management consultant. Take part in a lively discussion about the future of executive search consulting and how to build key corporate relationships strong enough to withstand the tough realities of the business cycle.

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By Pilar Gumucio BUILDING SUSTAINABLE RELATIONSHIPS Today an independent consultant, Sue Reynolds-Frost spent 10 years as Director of Training Programs for Spencer Stuart. Learn to build trust with clients as Sue discusses key elements that will help you establish sustainable relationships, such as: credibility, active listening and giving advice effectively.

Sue will also look at the impact of demonstrating strong emotional intelligence on client relationships.

BUILDING AN EXECUTIVE SEARCH BRAND Dan Margolis is a Senior Vice President at the Los Angeles office of FTI Consulting for whom his clients include Boyden Global Executive Search.

Previously, he was Senior Director, Marketing Communications for Korn/ Ferry International. Delegates attending this session will learn specific and practical tips for executive search marketing and public relations. Dan will provide a historical overview of marketing and communications in executive search as well as examining the present landscape, highlighting key trends that are emerging within this important subject.

DEVELOPING A WINNING PROPOSAL Jeffrey Horn, Managing Director of The Business Development Group,

helps professional service firms boost their revenue growth through improved business development strategies.

Jeffrey’s past clients have included Heidrick and Struggles. Attend this session and get a better understanding of the process, get into the mind of the buyer, learn to differentiate your proposal from your competition, and attain the tools to create winning proposals.

HELPING CLIENTS SUCCEED Francesca Lahiguera is one of the most experienced Executive Search trainers in the industry. Formerly with Heidrick and Struggles, she continues to consult, primarily in the technology and not-for-profit sectors. During this session, Francesca will focus on best practices in client and candidate management.

Learn why searches go wrong, how to best manage stakeholder expectations and how to add value to each step of the search process.

IN SEARCH OF BUSINESS VALUE As founder of Crimson Rook LLC, Robin Ann Bienemann spends most of her time helping small and midsize business owners to focus on the performance indicators that really count.

As more and more companies prepare to sell their businesses, during this session Robin will discuss how to maximize the

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value of your business as well as how to build an enterprise which is both sustainable and transferable.

DEVELOPING CLIENTS FOR LIFE Andrew Sobel, President of Andrew Sobel Advisors, is a leading authority on the skills and strategies required to build clients for life. Clients have included Spencer Stuart, Heidrick & Struggles, Egon Zehnder and Korn/Ferry International. During this session, Andrew will present proven strategies that will provide you with the tools to differentiate yourself in the marketplace, connect with senior-level buyers, and win more business. Learn traffic-building strategies to help draw leads in and techniques for accessing and building relationships with C-suite executives.

Andrew will discuss essential trusted advisor skills, explain how to become an Agenda Setter with clients, and look at creating a solesource business.

STARTING YOUR SEARCH Francesca Lahiguera, will show you how to prepare a search timeline so that you can measure your progress and keep your consultant and the client informed and involved. During this session, Francesca will help you plan better for your briefing meetings: what do you need to know and what questions should you ask? She will then provide you with the tools to develop a compelling elevator pitch to create interest in your search. Francesca will also discuss how to use the phone, email and LinkedIn to get past the barriers and reach your candidate.

COORDINATING INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH Marissa Martin currently serves as the Vice President of Global Research for DHR International. She is responsible for the overall coordination, development, and strategy of Research for one of the largest and fastest growing executive search firms in the world. During this session, Marissa

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will discuss macro-level strategy of global projects. Through various case studies and assignments completed at DHR International, she will show delegates how to build a cohesive and communicative team on opposite sides of the world. Marissa will discuss the sharing of information and learning how to overcome cultural differences.

CLIENT AND CANDIDATE PERSONALITY STYLES Sue Reynolds-Frost has over 15 years of experience in the world of professional development. In two breakout sessions geared to Partners/ Consultants and Researchers, she will provide you with tools to better understand how personality styles can affect a search project. Learn how to set realistic expectations with your consulting partner upfront, proactively persuade prospects to look at opportunities, discourage those who are not qualified, influence consulting partners to meet qualified prospects, as well as keep top candidates engaged and interested throughout the entire search process.

INTERNET RESEARCH TECHNIQUES Jason Starr is President of Dillistone Systems, the global executive search software supplier. During this session, Jason will cover techniques for finding and researching candidates and clients on the web. Delegates will learn tricks for searching on search engines, social networks, and much more.

ONLINE DATA SOURCES Laura Dear is the Director of Global Information Services for Spencer Stuart.

During this session, Laura will review the hottest databases on the market pertinent to our industry. Make sure to attend and see what the latest software developments are!

TELEPHONE SOURCING Conni LaDouceur is the Founder and Chief Sourcing Strategist for ExecuQuest Corp. She has delivered

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workshops at international executive search firms, PepsiCo, Starbucks, TJX, HSBC, GlaxoSmithKline, David Lord’s Executive Search Academy, IACPR, and the Executive Search Roundtable.

Attendees will learn ethical, proactive, telephone sourcing techniques that will empower you to infuse quality prospects throughout your internet and database research process.

INNOVATIONS IN EXECUTIVE SEARCH Joseph Daniel McCool, a prominent advisor to international executive search firms, will discuss the task of innovating the executive search experience from the client, candidate and inside-the-searchfirm perspectives. During this session, he will explore options for growing your search practice and the disruptions this innovative process will bring so you have the information to be effective.

The second factor which makes this event so special is the likely international makeup of the audience. Previous search-consult events have attracted delegates from up to 30 countries and this one is likely to be no different.

For the first time, a discount scheme means that any attendee from outside Las Vegas is entitled to a “Travel Discount” ranging from $300 - $1,200 (based on location) on the $1,795 list price (booking required by the end of October 2011 for certain discounts). Discounted hotel rooms and flights on American Airlines have also been arranged, and full details on all of these offers may be found on the event brochure elsewhere in this issue of search-consult. search-consult is tremendously proud to be hosting such exceptional speakers, such insightful content and to be associated with what we believe will be a top notch group of attendees. We hope to see you in Las Vegas! www.search-consult.com For more information visit: Web: www.search-consult.com/LasVegas2012

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IIC Partners Discusses Moving Towards Gender Equality

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omen make up 51% of the world’s population, spend $US 20 trillion globally and influence at least 80% of all the purchasing decisions.

So why do women of the US Fortune 500 hold only 15.7% of publicly-listed corporate board positions? And why do women in the UK only hold 13% of FTSE 100 companies executive and non-executive board directorships?

IIC Partners members Susan Chadick and Janice Ellig, co-CEOs of New York City’s Chadick Ellig, spoke with me to provide some insight on the issue of gender balance on boards.

Ellig asks: “So why is it then that the majority of boards comprised mainly of white males is acceptable?”

“Some may ask: why look for change if our predominately white male boards are functioning?” Chadick states. “Is there any need for more diversity? In fact the issue, highlighted by the recent global financial crisis in 2008, is that current corporate boards are not functioning optimally and ‘group think’ may be at the heart of the problem.”

Michael Lewis, author of ‘The Big Short’ and 'Liar’s Poker', observed: "One of the distinctive traits of the financial disaster was how little women had to do with it."

If the bottom line is what really counts, then the business case for the changing status quo has been made in a myriad of studies. McKinsey, Catalyst and others,

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By Polly Stewart shows a strong correlation between better financial performance when there are more women in the board room. And these numbers are significantly better. According to one study by Catalyst, on average ROE was 53% greater for companies with more women in the boardroom; and for those who had more women in the C-Suite, ROE was on average 35% greater. Furthermore, let’s look at stock price increases from 2008 to 2009 among S&P 500 companies: the stocks of the 15 led by women CEOs gained 46% compared with the overall S+P 500 gaining 25%.

WHAT IS HOLDING COMPANIES BACK? Many organizations embrace the concept of more gender diversity. Yet, what is really holding companies back from adding more women to their boards?

According to Ellig, one reason is that while companies pay lip service to wanting more women, there are no teeth in the directive.

Boards, CEOs and senior management need to be rewarded or penalized for the lack of diversity on their team. Diversity must be embraced at the top and through the organization as a strategic business imperative. "If it doesn’t get measured, it doesn’t get done!”

“The crux of the issue is that men do not see gender diversity as critical to a company’s success,” explains Ellig.

This is depicted in Bain & Company’s research, The Great Disappearing Act:

Gender Parity up the Corporate Ladder where 84% of women said greater diversity should be a strategic objective for their companies while only 44% of men saw this as a critical issue.

Another obstacle to gender diversity is that CEOs and boards prefer, and seek out professionals that are like them, selecting sitting and retired CEOs. In the US, the pool of females sitting CEOs is currently 12 in the F500. Boards say there is not a pipeline of qualified women, and perhaps not if the pool is only in the CEO category. However, the pipeline is bulging with female talent from other sources such as entrepreneurs, academia, sciences, those in the C-Suite and those leading major P&L divisions of corporations which could be stand-alone companies. The supply is there, it is about looking outside the box to reach broader pools of talented women.

A low board turnover can act as a barrier to achieving gender diversity.

In fact, during the past five years the number of board seats in the US F500 has decreased by 10%.

“Old habits die hard,” Chadick states.

“Those on boards want to bring on people they already know as the old boys’ network is still managing to exclude women.”

She explains: “The Bain & Company study also showed that while men and women agree on the advancement of women, twice the number of women as men believe that being appointed to higher

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positions is not as likely to happen. Men do not see that as a problem; they believe the glass ceiling has been cracked if their own company has promoted women. They are unable to look beyond their own company to see what is occurring in the wider corporate environment.”

WHO IS PROMOTING DIVERSITY? Chadick and Ellig explain how countries like Norway, France and Spain have passed legislation requiring a 40% representation of women on all boards. In the U.S., Stephanie Sonnabend, CEO of Sonnesta Hotels, has started the following initiative: 20% of female representation on U.S. public boards by 2020. Meanwhile, Helena Morrissey, Chief Executive Officer of Newton Investment Management Ltd, has started an initiative in the UK that favors an increase of women representation to 30% by 2015, without having legislating quotas.

The UK statistics prompted the former UK government minister, Lord Davies, to warn British firms that they were in the “lastchance saloon”. If they didn’t move quickly to appoint more women to top positions, they would have to face quotas.

Organizations such as Catalyst, ION, Women Corporate Directors, The International Women’s Forum, DirectWomen, C200, 85 Broads and others, are promoting their members by helping establish a talent pipeline of women to serve on corporate boards. External forces - like the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) in the U.S. - are requiring greater transparency to describe why and how directors qualify to be on a specific corporate board. They want to know if the company has a diversity policy, and how that affects its board recruitment practices.

Organizations such as CalPERS, CalSTRS, Calvert and Pax are voting to withhold investment funds at companies who do not practice greater diversity on boards. In the past two years, the carrot and stick approach is showing positive results.

According to Ellig, “We will see this as a developing trend moving forward. And if the large index funds held by, Blackrock, Vanguard, State Street and T.Rowe Price

Janice Ellig and Susan Chadick

exert their muscle, change will occur."

PROACTIVE APPROACH Without quotas, no single force will be responsible for ultimately changing the face of global boardrooms. Change, particularly in the U.S., will be driven through an organic, collective effort within the business community and from multiple voices continuing to advocate the bottom line benefits of leadership diversity.

CEOs need to take a public stand that diversity is a business imperative demonstrating to the boards, senior management and middle management, employees, shareholders and the public that more gender diversity means better financial performance for their organization.

On the institutional investor side, large institutional investors need to not vote for directors where it is an all male board.

Chadick and Ellig recommend that corporations and the Executive Search Industry be more proactive: 1) Educate the board and management of the positive, financial performance impact greater diversity has. Make diversity a strategic business imperative, comparable to revenue targets. The board and CEOs must penalize leaders for not meeting this. Accelerating change requires a TEAM approach - Tone, Education,

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Action, Metrics - that is embraced and integrated throughout the entire organization.

2) Develop an internal pipeline of talent as a feeder group for the C-Suite and for external board positions. It is not a level playing field within companies, and when women at the top leave their positions it is difficult to regain that representation. According to Bain & Company, even a 5% difference in the female attrition rate results in having half the number of women at the top after a 10 year period; 3) Widen the sources to new pools of talent in order to increase diversity at the board level, to attain a diverse slate of highly qualified, candidates. Search firms need to be more proactive with clients.

4) Board assessments need to be more rigorous, not just at the board or committee levels, but for individual directors. Dead wood does exist in virtually every boardroom and to protect shareholder value and uphold fiduciary responsibility, board members and institutional investors need to refresh the composition of the board.

5) Make a proactive plan and stick to it.

Commitment at the top by boards such as Texas Instruments paid off over a 10 year period, resulting in 40% diversity and excellent financial performance.

“The optimist in me says if we keep talking about it, and if we keep writing about it, increased diversity on boards will happen naturally,” Chadick states. “The realist in me says let’s give this a big push to ensure diversity parity is attained.”

With 54 member firm offices in 38 countries, IIC Partners is the world's 8th largest retained executive search organization, by revenue.

Named one of “The World’s Most Influential Headhunters” by Business Week, Chadick Ellig is a premier retained executive search firm based in New York City. Polly Stewart is IIC Partners' Chief Marketing & Communications Officer.

www.search-consult.com For more information visit or contact: Web: www.iicpartners.com www.chadickellig.com

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ATo NewAnd Way

Employer Branding:

Attract

Best Talent O

rganisations around the globe are facing similar business challenges: the difficulty of attracting talent and retaining quality employees, a lack of employee loyalty, increased overseas competition, enhanced generational change and a shortage of skilled candidates.

Moreover, with the emergence of China, Russia, India and Brazil as economic powers - combined with the aging population in the U.S., European Union and Japan - the competition for skilled talent will continue to intensify.

At the same time, companies are being pressured to do more with less: cut costs, restructure and downsize while simultaneously preparing to expand globally with new offices, products and services. Businesses are concerned with growth and profitability, always maintaining their competitive edge. According to the Global Workforce Study conducted

by Towers Watson, companies all over the world are reporting that the most significant potential obstacle to achieve growth is finding and keeping their top talent. Therefore, many organisations are focusing considerable attention and resources on making sure they stay ahead of the game in attracting and retaining the best talent.

Yet this becomes extremely difficult, especially since technological advancements, social media and the internet are altering how businesses operate and how people connect to their companies and peers. Mobile technology

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and low-cost laptops, netbooks and tablets are flooding the market as companies like Google, Adidas, and Apple are beginning to look at new and innovative ways of sourcing and retaining star performers in a talent-tight market.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? As an Executive Search Consultant, my role is to provide solutions to my clients’ needs. Within this context, I am advising them how to build a compelling Employment Brand as a means to attract, source and secure an ongoing talent pipeline. It is a fact that most of the actions and processes in recruiting are designed for short-term gain. As a result, the old way of finding people – reacting to filling a job after the fact – is too slow and takes too much time. As a trusted advisor, I’ve identified the many benefits that a successful Employment Branding program can provide clients, swaying even the most cynical non-believers: • A Long-Term Impact; • An Increased Volume of Unsolicited Candidates; • Higher Quality Candidates; • Higher Offer-Acceptance Rates; • Increased Employee Referrals; • Improved Employee-Retention Rates; • Increased Employee Motivation; • Increased Job Turnover Rates; • Creates a Strong Corporate Culture; • Creates a Competitive Advantage.

Retain

By Günther Tengel

In essence, Employer Banding seeks to answer one basic question: why should someone choose your organisation over your competitor’s? It is not sufficient to send out compelling messages about how great your business is to work for, or revamp your corporate website. It is about being able to deliver the promises outlined in your Employer Brand Value Proposition.

As trusted advisors it is crucial that we are able to help our clients understand that for any organisation to secure a talent pipeline, it must proactively, consistently and creatively market the company in the talent marketplace with the same discipline and energy as it brings to the retail marketplace.

Microsoft is a good example: This technology-driven company works hard to attract, integrate and retain its staff. It must respond to the demands of 'Generation Y' who never lived without a computer and tend to communicate in a different manner, while responding to the demands of the 'Baby Boomers' who tend to work longer and collaborate in a more conventional way than their 'Generation Y' colleagues.

Faced with growing competitive pressures and a diverse workforce, Microsoft is implementing its “New World of Work” (NWOW) initiative throughout many countries. At the moment, it is redesigning its Vienna office to adapt to the new work styles as a response to changes in the business world, such as a changing workforce, a globalising world and the development of new technologies.

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The NWOW approach provides both the organisation and its people with an environment that lets them do their best work wherever they are. One of the benefits includes higher employee satisfaction which in turn, increases productivity and sales, increases the brand’s visibility as well as achieving a work- life balance that improves the company’s ability to attract and retain its best talent. This is just one example of how Employer Branding is based on strategy and execution, not just on benchmarking the competition.

Developing and managing an effective Employer Branding strategy cannot be delegated to just one division within your client company. As a consultant, help them understand that the Employer Branding Value Proposition should be built from within the entire company. Efforts must be undertaken from the CEO to the newest staff member as an effective Employer Branding strategy must: get the right talent and skills onboard, allow the business to remain competitive, create the right environment and experiences, and deliver the incentives that will continue to reach, engage, source and retain that sought after talent.

SECURING A TALENT PIPELINE To be effective, an Executive Search Consultant must stay a step ahead, anticipating the needs that will emerge so its clients can source or develop those needed skills. Within this context, Employer Branding is becoming a critical management tool we are advising more companies to use to convey to the ‘employees that matter’, why an employer’s workplace is appealing and unique.

As executive recruiters, we must work with our clients in developing their Employer Branding strategy and then later, helping fine-tune areas where the strategy may need improving. This is an ongoing process, where you, as a trusted advisor, must engage with your client so that the people involved can reflect upon: • What talent pools are and should your client be targeting?

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Günther Tengel

• What are the most effective channels to reach and engage with your client’s top performing employees and potential candidates?

• How do your top performing employees and potential candidates really perceive your client?

• What are the main factors and experiences that attract and retain employees to your client?

• What do your client’s top-performing employees and potential candidates really want and need from your client?

• Where is your client positioned in relation to its competitors?

• What can your client do differently to enhance their Employer Branding Value Proposition?

For the last three decades I have always tried hard to be a strong proponent of leadership development and human capital solutions. As an Executive Search Consultant, I will always focus on getting the right people on board, at the right place and time. But, top performers – which are in increasingly short supply – are dictating more and more the terms to their employers. Creating and designing an Employer Branding strategy allows your client to prepare the platform so that, regardless of the candidate, the needed skills are in place.

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Although many executive recruiters say that they are strategic partners, the reality is that recruitment is only one part of the puzzle. Simply “filling positions” on a short time basis has, and will continue to, lead to transactional assignments. If search firms have no influence in the internal recruiting process – from the profile decision to the onboarding process of the candidate – or is booked after some in-house attempts already failed and has to deal with a client’s lousy Employer Branding strategy, than the search is likely seen as transactional business. This type of business is focussed more on “terms of agreement” than of “finding the best fit”, which is a big threat for everybody involved! In this case, decisions are influenced by Procurement and not taken by the Board or Human Resources.

Helping a client develop their Employer Branding means search firms must be treated as equal partners obtaining a better understanding of the market so they can proactively attract and secure the company’s talent pipeline. In fact, Employer Branding creates a winwin-situation for all those involved in this complex, yet insightful, process. Are you ready for the challenge?

Günther Tengel - Managing Partner of Amrop Jenewein & Chairman Amrop CEE Günther Tengel started his career as business consultant 30 years ago. He has played an active role in the Group's expansion into nine CEE countries and built up local consultancies. In 2003, Günther Tengel became the owner of the company with the help of a management buy-out. Since 2005, he has been the Chairman of Amrop Central and Eastern Europe. He specialises in executive search, strategic consultancy services for supervisory and executive boards, consultancy services for investors and start-ups as well as human resources, marketing concepts.

Jenewein Consultancy, founded more than 30 years ago, has built up a regional search organisation after the fall of the iron curtain and joined Amrop in 1999. Today Amrop Jenewein is a competence centre and hub for Central and Eastern Europe.

With more than 80 offices in 57 countries, Amrop is the largest Executive Search organisation in the world. Amrop CEE is represented in 17 CEEcountries and offers essential advantages in terms of providing local support.

www.search-consult.com For more information visit or contact: Web: www.amrop.com www.amropjenewein.at/de/

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Is Not

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oes your hiring process actually lose you candidates? Although my main focus is executive recruitment within private wealth management, this article is primarily aimed at those professionals who are involved in executive recruitment in any discipline, to help them reflect upon how they manage their own hiring processes and consider ways of making improvements.

How do you manage something which is effectively intangible and immeasurable? From an executive consultant’s perspective, how banks manage those silent times when a response is being awaited or a decision being made can be just as important in the relationship with a candidate as how the remaining – ostensibly ‘meatier’ – parts of the process are managed.

As anyone who has been through it will attest, the recruitment process at a senior level can be lengthy and often unnecessarily drawn out. From an executive recruitment point of view it is absolutely necessary to keep the candidate aware of what’s happening, even if it is still - regrettably - “no news

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By Lyssa Barber I’m afraid”. Decisions do take time and a quick call to report to the candidate that, “the decision has been put back a week, apologies for the delay” is more beneficial than just staying mute until there is something more concrete to convey. Candidates will not only appreciate it, but it allows good contact to be maintained at a time when they will almost certainly be talking to other firms.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE CRUCIAL It’s key to bear in mind that a candidate’s impression of any firm is – in the first instance - shaped wholly and exclusively by the recruitment process. The appearance of a lack of commitment, an inability to set and stick to interview dates, managers not attending booked interviews, etc. – all these can serve to put someone off an institution. I don’t think it’s necessarily wide of the mark to believe that how an institution treats candidates during the recruitment process is a fair indicator of how it treats its entire staff.

Simplifying things, there are three key stages to the process and firms fall down at all of them:

• Interview stage: senior individual left waiting for forty minutes because the next-scheduled interviewer had decided he had something better to do, but had failed to inform HR accordingly.

No apology was forthcoming and the candidate withdrew.

• Offer stage: After having waited five weeks for the firm to arrive at a decision to hire, a Directorlevel individual received a verbal offer some £30,000 short of her expectations, due to an internal miscommunication. The recruitment firm had not been advised that an offer was to be made. The candidate withdrew.

• Contract stage: MD-level hire had to wait three weeks to receive a contract, as it was sent by post, rather than courier. When it was finally issued, the individual’s name was misspelled twice – two different misspellings in two different places.

The candidate eventually chose to remain at their existing firm.

These are instances where there are obvious and very simple solutions.

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Overall, better communication and a more disciplined adherence to a timely process could potentially have resulted in three, very effective hires. In two of those cases, the drawn-out waiting periods will have contributed to the candidates’ decisions to withdraw.

WORKING WITH CLIENTS As an executive search partner, it is not only about sourcing and retaining the right candidates, it’s about working with our clients to make sure their hiring processes are run effectively.

So how do we promote a more effective hiring process to clients? In my experience, it is an extremely rare thing for a hiring manager to extend to their executive search partners and candidates the same communication skills that they would routinely use with their clients – a peculiar attitude since we represent their talent supply lifeline and need to keep their preferred candidates informed and motivated.

Keeping in regular contact is more than good business practice, it will reduce the number of professionals who take up offers from other firms, or choose to stay put. Even if there is little to say, just pick up the phone and make the effort to say something. When dealing with a prospective hire, it is often not what is said, but simply the gesture of calling which counts.

In many cases, executive recruitment firms are – quite rightly – held to certain service level agreements, but very rarely is the same commitment provided by the client firm. I believe it is crucial that this is agreed from both sides. There should be a guaranteed response time after submission of CVs, after interviews and so on. That way you prevent weeks passing before you’re in a position to give a candidate interview feedback.

Commitment to these kinds of SLAs allows for more detailed analysis on where in the process issues have arisen and, if hiring targets aren’t being met, what the likely root cause may be.

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If you aren’t already committed to recruitment relationships which bear these hallmarks, you should be asking yourself why. One of the questions I ask of both candidates and clients is to tell me about any really standout experiences they have had with other executive recruitment firms.

Understanding what really makes a difference in terms of how we deliver our services allows us to refine what we do more effectively.

Lyssa Barber

KEEPING THINGS MOVING To be successful in hiring a candidate, the hiring institution needs to stay uppermost in their mind during any periods when a decision is being made. As I said earlier, any bank’s relationship with their preferred executive recruiting firm should include an understanding that regular updates will be made – and this works both ways – to ensure good candidate retention is achieved and information is passed on in a timely fashion; absolutely key to the success of the entire process is candidate goodwill.

While the opportunity on offer may tie in with their career goals and the meetings may all have gone incredibly

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well, it is simply not reasonable – although it’s horribly common – to expect an experienced professional to hang on the end of the line for months without a valid and obvious reason for the delay, while internal processes sort themselves out sufficiently for the right people to be able to make the necessary decisions. Much like yours, their time is valuable and any time allowed to elapse where nothing appears to be happening is only time for the candidate to reflect on any negative impressions – once their goodwill is lost it’s a very short step to their quitting the process altogether.

As an executive search consultant, it is our job to protect and advise both the client and candidate. And this includes management of the issues outlined above, to ensure that the best possible outcome is reached. Within this context, we are happy to consult with our clients in order to assist them in streamlining their hiring methods.

With that in mind, if there are gaps in your hiring processes, perhaps it is time to close them. Often the only way to see those gaps is more objectively, viewed from the outside. Consult with your executive recruitment suppliers; they will likely have very distinct views on where improvements could be made, as they will have felt any past disconnects very keenly. Ask them to be honest; you may be surprised.

Lyssa Barber is Managing Consultant & Head of Private Wealth Management at Allemby Hunt. You can contact her by email on l.barber@allembyhunt.co.uk Allemby Hunt is a specialist global financial markets search and selection agency, founded in 1999. Specialising in Corporate Governance, Banking, Global Markets, Asset Management and Middle East recruitment, they provide a tailored, professional and consultative approach to recruitment.

www.search-consult.com For more information visit: Web: www.allembyhunt.co.uk

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Trina Gordon Leading Boyden

To TheNext Level T

rina Gordon has recently been appointed as Boyden’s newest CEO and President, making her the first woman to lead a prominent global executive search firm. Boyden has been operating as a global leader in the executive search industry for more than 50 years, having more than 70 offices in over 40 countries. This search firm’s continued success is very important, as Boyden’s board of directors unanimously selected Ms. Gordon, confident that she has the right set of skills, experience, insight and commitment to lead Boyden forward.

Ms. Gordon has more than 25 years of industry experience. She joined Boyden in 1990 and has served as a Board Member since 2001. Ms. Gordon has led Board, CEO, COO and other C-suite searches for Fortune 500 and private corporations.

In addition, she has been recognized

by Bloomberg Businessweek magazine as one of the “50 Most Influential Headhunters in the World.” search-consult met with the new CEO and President for a Q&A to get her perspective on being the first woman to lead a global search firm, her vision for taking Boyden forward and her thoughts on the economic situation and the changes that are taking place within the industry. search-consult: What’s your perspective on being the first woman to lead a global executive search firm?

Trina Gordon: I’m honored to have the

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opportunity to support and lead Boyden to the next level of excellence as a premier executive search firm. Becoming CEO is a reflection of the diversity and global nature of our clients as well as those organizations that understand the importance of being relevant to their own increasingly diverse constituencies.

As executive search is a critical partner in building talent diversity for organizations, I think our industry is overdue in selecting a woman to lead a major global firm.

I strongly believe that, as more women continue to move into leadership roles, it is our responsibility to act as mentors for the next generation. Women have consistently proven to excel in developing and maintaining outstanding client relationships by a number of measures.

We are in a people business that requires keen insights, excellent assessment skills and a true client touch - women are innately good at this. search-consult: What is your vision for taking Boyden forward?

Trina Gordon: The search industry is at an important inflection point in its evolution. In many ways, search is still perceived as an underdeveloped segment of the advisory services sector. Today, leadership and talent have become increasingly critical to the success of organizations as they fast track globalization, plan for succession and forecast their human capital requirements.

It’s time for search to be recognized, along

with other advisory firms, as a strategic and consultative client partner.

Boyden is aggressively adopting a highly client-focused platform that we believe will place us squarely in the pantheon of these valued advisory firms.

Our firm’s global and local expertise, collaboration and delivery are a powerful combination for clients. search-consult: Boyden is known as a durable brand. What’s your view of the brand and where it is today?

Trina Gordon: We are continuously investing in our brand. It is emblematic of the resources we bring to clients and the partners that represent us. It is the responsibility and commitment of all our partners to insure that Boyden embodies the highest standard of quality and professionalism. We also have a responsibility to continuously extend our brand in the global marketplace and insure that it is synonymous with what clients expect from their search partners. search-consult: Given the current economic environment, which is uneven at best in most corners of the globe, how do you see that impacting the search industry?

Trina Gordon: A volatile global market impacts every sector and search experience. Strategic investments will continually be made. Decisions regarding human capital are clearly linked to a company’s confidence in their markets.

It’s our responsibility to remain close to

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our client organizations throughout all this process of change. search-consult: What’s your approach to expansion and how do you decide on new office openings?

Trina Gordon: Boyden takes a proactive approach to partnering with clients where they see opportunities for growth – we look at expansion through the lens of our clients. We undertake a careful, analytic approach to establishing a presence in new markets. There are emerging markets that are not yet mature enough for retained search at a high level.

They may be best served by an adjacent presence until the level of business activity is sustainable for search. It’s important to calibrate client opportunity and a market’s level of demand. When that balance is right, leadership has a significant impact on a company’s bottom line.

Boyden has one of the largest footprints in the business. Today it’s all about talent existing in-country. Our global and local market expertise, understanding of the business climate and knowledge of leadership ensure that our clients can make the best talent decisions which will bring on growth. As a result, we are very selective with who we partner, making sure they will add value to our clients, as well as the development of our own organization. search-consult: What do you see as the main challenges affecting clients today and how is Boyden dealing with them?

Trina Gordon: At senior leadership levels, clients are demanding more specific sector and functional expertise, along with an understanding of particular markets or geographies. As global corporations look to expand into emerging markets, decisions are based on the dynamics of that competitive local landscape. Since mature markets already exist in most developed economies, more clients are looking to invest in emerging markets. It’s imperative that the search partner has the resident talent expertise as well as specific sector expertise within those geographies. search-consult: How has the search business changed in the last three to five years?

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Trina Gordon

Trina Gordon: The search business has changed from the standpoint of not being as transactional. Search consultants must be able to anticipate the needs of a client organization and think beyond the engagement at hand. That means we have to understand a client’s business in its entirety – its impact in all given markets, what its products and services mean to their end users and how the client’s competitors affect their decisions. In my view, the biggest change is that search consultants must to be the best possible business partners in order to maintain and expand a longstanding client relationship. search-consult: What new opportunities do you see emerging and how do you prepare your organization to deal effectively with them?

Trina Gordon: The opportunities for our firm center on advising clients as they contemplate new markets; because of our global-local experience and our worldwide presence, we do that very well.

That is the biggest opportunity we have – the ability to support clients in markets that are today defined as emerging or “on the horizon”. We are in an era where markets are shifting rapidly. The growth we’re witnessing today, such as in the BRIC countries, will continue. New BRICs are emerging, and they will be the power economies of the future.

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search-consult: What are the most prominent industries and functions for the executive search industry?

Trina Gordon: We continue to see high levels of demand in health and life sciences, technology, biotechnology and the energy markets. There are also emerging manufacturing sectors, such as mining and metals, which are experiencing impressive growth. search-consult: Who is the search professional of the future? How do you see search professionals changing 10 years down the line?

Trina Gordon: With the industry maturing, search consultants are increasingly migrating from industry sectors and they are the next generation of client partners. They are also bringing a new mindset to our profession. Clients are requesting specific expertise and we have to deliver on that requirement. Technology will also continue to be a big factor in driving change in our business in terms of efficiencies and delivery. I don’t foresee technology impacting our opportunities to assist clients in the C-suite, but it is impacting middle management demand for those firms who focus at that level.

The search professional of the future has to be a globally-centric business advisor with deep sector experience in order to effectively advise clients. It’s essential to have a world view and a strong understanding of your client’s business not just the human capital element.

The bottom line is that today’s emerging markets are quickly becoming quite sophisticated. Clients in these geographies will have the same requirements and expectations of those in mature markets. Search professionals that can address the needs of both will be rewarded with trusted and strong client relationships - they will also be very successful. www.search-consult.com For more information visit: Web: www.boyden.com

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Dillistone Systems:

ABusy Few Months...

It’s Been

By Jason Starr

IT’S BEEN A BUSY FEW MONTHS....

In the last issue of search-consult, Dillistone Systems announced the launch of FileFinder 10 – our next generation of executive search software.

In this issue, I’d like to give you an update on the role out of this product, as well as some of the other things that have happened within our organization in recent months. As always, I would like to make it clear that search-consult is published by Dillistone Systems, a subsidiary of Dillistone Group Plc. FileFinder 10 has been our most successful product launch ever.

Since the launch on March 31st, we have signed up a new client every 2.3 working days – despite July and August traditionally being a relatively slow period. Our new clients have ranged

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from new startups right through to multinational firms.

User feedback has been terrific.

You’ll find testimonials at www. dillistone.com.

Users seem to be particularly keen on the new, easy to use interface; the ability to access, research and use information from the web; the extensive customization options, the new reporting tools and the enhanced Outlook integration. Users are getting more done, more quickly and more easily.

We’ve continued to develop new functionality in our products.

This month, we’ve launched FFWebPort. This unique product – available only to FileFinder 10 users – offers functionality which brings

together tools associated with both social networks and job sites. Unlike anything else we’ve seen, it is one of the first products to take advantage of “Apply With LinkedIn” functionality – allowing candidates to submit their information to you by simply entering their LinkedIn username and password.

We’ve continued to improve our service levels.

In January 2011, we opened a new LinkedIn user Group. Today, it has approximately 620 members and allows clients to interact with us, and each other. Current topics of discussion include company naming conventions, managing company mergers and best practice for understanding and recording information on multi-location organizations. We’ve also created a range of training webinars which clients may access, 24x7, from our website.

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Dillistone Group Plc has made an acquisition.

Technological change is increasingly impacting recruitment, in general, and executive search in particular. It’s our view that suppliers will need to invest more and more in product development and customer service to remain competitive and to survive. This requires a significant client base which, in a niche like executive search, requires market leadership.

We believe that the recruitment and executive search software markets will consolidate – and we’ve put our money where our mouth is. In September 2011, Dillistone Systems’ parent company, Dillistone Group Plc, announced the acquisition of Woodcote Software and its subsidiaries, Voyager Software and Voyager Software (Australia). With some 700 active clients, Voyager is a leading supplier of recruitment software products.

Our view remains that executive search software is different to recruitment software, and so the two companies will continue as distinct entities with distinct teams developing and delivering distinct product lines.

However, this acquisition takes our business from the largest supplier to executive search firms – with some 1,800 clients – to one of the largest suppliers of recruitment technology in the world. This allows us to invest further in areas of shared functionality – while a product for executive search will never look the same as a product for permanent placement there is no reason why they can’t – for example – share a reporting tool. This allows us to pour still more resources into product development and increase the pace of delivery for our executive search clients still further – and you can expect to see another new product being made available to our executive search clients in the next few months.

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Despite this acquisition – which was made with cash and shares – our group remains debt free and cash generative, and we are currently recruiting additional staff for both our US and UK operations.

For readers who are current Dillistone Systems clients, I’d like to

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thank you for your continued support.

If you are not, we’d welcome the opportunity to talk to you. www.search-consult.com For more information visit: Web: www.dillistone.com

Introducing FFWebPort WHAT IS FFWEBPORT? Launched this month, FFWebPort is a cutting edge tool which allows a Search firm to maximise incoming candidate flow from the Web. It includes an element which is bolted on to the search firm' website; an element which interacts with a huge number of social networks, and an element which manages dataflow into the database.

SO HOW DOES IT WORK? FFWebPort is integrated in to the FileFinder 10 system. It allows users to publish selected searches on their firms own, dedicated, "Open Projects site". From here, users may "share" positions using social networks including Twitter and LinkedIn. Typically, this will lead to details of the position appearing on the updates page of the users network contacts.

A potential candidate who sees an interesting position on, for example, LinkedIn, simply clicks on the embedded link to be taken to the Search firms open project listing. From here, he or she can review further information about this and, potentially, other projects.

If they wish to apply they can do so either by completing a form on the website, or using "Apply with LinkedIn".

Potential applicants are then available in the web tab of the appropriate assignment in the FileFinder database system. Users then have the ability to import or reject candidates.

WHAT IS "APPLY WITH LINKEDIN"?

Apply with LinkedIn is a new tool which allows candidates to register interest in a position by simply entering a LinkedIn username and password. The candidate profile is then transferred from LinkedIn into the FileFinder candidate pool.

Candidates do not need to complete an application form.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? FFWebPort is an optional model available for FileFinder 10 users only.

It is available on a subscription basis only, and costs just £40 / $60 / €50 per month.

HOW DO I LEARN MORE? Contact sales@dillistone.com for further information or to arrange a demonstration.

ISSUE 40 2011 search-consult

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1980s

1990s

2000s

Because Technology Changes...

Developed using Microsoft .NET technology New: User interface designed in conjunction with leading interface design specialists.

Enhanced: Internet research functionality New: Custom Dashboards with our “Page Layout” system New: “Activity based” communication functionality Enhanced: Import functionality for spreadsheets, résumés and emails Enhanced: Invisible 2-way integration with MS Outlook New: Industrial strength reporting functionality New: MS Excel style list manipulation

USA: +1 (201) 653-0013

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Australia/Asia: +61 2 8221 8860 • UK sales@dillistone.com

Introducing

Enhanced: New security model with role-based access rights New: Preview panes, combo views and multi-record pop-ups New: Massive potential for customisation – at user, office, practice group or business level New: Company and person level web profiles New: Locking and notification functionality New: Wizards and automation on common tasks such as scheduling interviews New: Hierarchy tab supporting multi-dimensional company structures and historical org charts New: Business intelligence and analysis tools

Every function, redesigned. Every screen, revamped. Every idea, rethought. / Other Europe: +44 (0)20 7749 6100 • www.dillistone.com

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Germany: +49 (0)69 27 40 15 807

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Global Cross-Border Executive Search:

Meeting TheNeeds OfClients Operating In Multiple Markets

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re you prepared for the client that asks you to help place multiple key executive positions scattered around the world? This is exactly the question executive search firms are increasingly facing as major industrial and manufacturing firms expand into international markets.

“Our international cross-border client assignments are increasing from 15 to 20 per cent annually,” says Peter de Jong, Chairman of Stanton Chase International.

“We are reporting fast-growing client demand for this advanced level of service.”

Executive search firms must make sure they are ready for this challenge as these types of assignments put added pressure on search firms to deliver quality service evenly across multiple markets.

They also test the understanding and relationship between the search firm and the client. Therefore, it is vital that search firms really know who their clients are, and understand their needs. Firms also need practices and resources in place so they are able to respond effectively.

CROSS-BORDER CLIENTS Though clients request cross-border

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By Ward Garven searches from a range of industries and circumstances, some patterns are emerging from our clients’ activities, explains de Jong.

The demand for cross-border search seems to be greatest with clients in the industrial and consumer goods sectors – anything from the automotive, capital equipment, chemical and electrical equipment industries, to luxury goods, food, beverages, restaurants, hotels and retail. These firms may already be established multinationals, or they could be strong, mid-sized, local firms expanding into international markets.

Directionality of the assignment varies. “This activity is not just with North American and European firms,” says de Jong. “Firms from Asia and South America are just as active.”

Some clients have extensive requirements. One significant Stanton Chase client is a manufacturer/distributor headquartered in the United States. This client needed searches in 16 countries in Asia, Latin America, North America, Europe and the Middle East. This work has involved 17 Stanton Chase international offices over the past seven years.

Another Stanton Chase client required more than 120 searches over the past seven years in 14 countries.

Headquartered in Europe, last year this pharmaceutical industry leader required searches for business units in the USA, UK, Switzerland, Austria, Mexico, Poland, Romania and India.

Searches can be local, regional or global in scope, depending on the position. Clients are searching for the best leadership regardless of country of origin. VP level opportunities, for example, can require search in multiple countries and regions around the world.

Leadership development strategies vary. The most common search is within the target, local pool, but there are other approaches. Some firms want to transplant a home market executive into the target market, and then build a strong local team around that leader. Others are interested in an executive from the local market but plan on relocating him to the firm’s home office to run the regional market expansion from there. There is also an approach in which foreign executives from the target market are recruited for home market leadership positions.

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Clients have tended to fill executive roles on an ‘as needed basis,’ taking the opportunity to fill vacancies as they arise.

But some clients are now adopting a more strategic approach and are investing in retained executive search as part of broader succession and expansion plans.

This requires the search firm to take on an enhanced consulting role which looks at the client’s current leadership resources, analyzes potential gaps emerging from expansion plans or market trends and recommends long-term leadership strategies - areas not normally addressed in standard search assignments.

CLIENTS WANT SEAMLESS CROSSBORDER SERVICE Whatever the nature of the client and the search, executive recruiters must know exactly what their clients are looking for, de Jong explains: “Our crossborder clients want seamless, personal, consistent service linked with authentic local coverage and knowledge.”

“Coordinating multiple cross-border searches demands a lot from a firm,” says de Jong. “The good consultant understands and anticipates these expectations.”

Stanton Chase has surveyed its clients - both single-market and crossborder - about what they expect from their executive search partner. We base our approach on what clients have said they desire, which is: • A true partner who understands the business, the position, and the culture of the client’s organization; • A high level of communication resulting in transparency of process; • Strong market knowledge leading to candidates with the right “fit”; • Professionalism that builds credibility • Quick, on-time results; • Flexibility in pricing and services; • Care for the candidate – before, during and after.

When it comes to cross-border searches, these expectations are even greater. Cross-border search clients want: • The same high level of service from all

Ward Garven

the consultants in all the markets of the search; • The ability to coordinate multiple, linked global searches; • Seamless interaction and transparent two-way sharing of information between all the search firm offices working with the client; • The ability to understand not only the client’s home market and office culture, but also the cultural context of the new market office and community; • Detailed local market knowledge that includes the local labour market trends and conditions, applicable local legislation and regulations, and all needed organizational and technical information; • Access to local talent pools and networks including candidates in the margins of the search zone; • Clarity and transparency about costs and billing arrangements.

The stability and longevity of the search firm are also important. With the volume of searches needed over extended periods of time, crossborder clients are seeking long-term relationships with stable search partners.

MARKET COVERAGE IS KEY The first requirement for a search firm

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is global market coverage. Whether that is through international offices or affiliates, the search firm needs a grounded and authentic understanding of the markets they are searching within.

“Market coverage is something that cannot be simulated, it must be real,” says de Jong. “At Stanton Chase, when we talk to clients they must be confident about the extent and depth of our coverage. They must be able to trust our involvement as being authentic and substantive.”

The quality of how executive search firms cover their respective markets is also very important. First, the local market knowledge must be complete and based on local business connections and insight. Second, the quality of the consulting service provided by the local office and partner must be on a par with those of the referring office.

“When we grow new partners and offices, we do it with cross-border work in mind,” says de Jong. “Because of this, we are able to refer client assignments between offices confident that our clients’ interests will be served professionally, with extremely high quality and reliability.”

Differences between markets can be crucial. For example, one Stanton Chase assignment in Asia was superficially the same as an assignment in Germany. Yet due to the development of the German market, the executive level sought for Germany needed to be higher than for Asia; same job, but quite different position descriptions.

Another Stanton Chase client in the energy industry needed business development executives in different markets. The North American position required someone with traditional competencies in product development and corporate processes. The same position assigned to emerging markets in the Middle East and South America needed different strengths in technical innovation and in building relationships.

Search firms also need to have deep knowledge of the client’s industry. The executive recruiter needs to know what is

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happening in the client’s industry around the world, including demand for executive positions, the depth of the international talent pool, patterns of compensation and tenure, and whether executive skills are transferable from other industries.

International practice groups are one way of ensuring a high level of industry knowledge. For example, Stanton Chase has nine of these. Each group is headed by a Global Practice Leader who works with regional practice leaders and practice specialists in many partner offices. Each group participates in regularly scheduled conference calls which discuss specific client searches and industry trends.

Another useful practice is to involve clients in internal service discussions.

At Stanton Chase, clients are included in our November and April international partner meetings. Up to 100 clients attend and participate, and between eight to ten clients are asked to make presentations to the partners about their needs, issues and trends.

“We learn a great deal from our clients at these meetings,” explains de Jong.

These meetings can be extremely beneficial to the success of the crossborder search service. “They develop more than just long-term inter-office relationships, friendships and trust; these meetings focus extensively on cross-border work,” says de Jong.

“Approximately 40 per cent of our November meeting time, and 80 per cent of our April meeting was dedicated to discussing our clients’ cross-border search issues. This benefits clients because it provides our consultants with a better understanding of clients' needs, which is shared by all our international offices, producing high-quality results regardless of the office where the search is carried out.”

STRONG GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURE Clients expect the search firm to have buttoned-down inter-office processes and protocols. “For us, this

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is about coordinated, client-centered service and interaction,” says de Jong.

“At Stanton Chase, these needs are met though standardized inter-office referral practices, including a referral fee structure and an intranet-based, knowledge-management system where all offices share search status and network information.”

Communication and teamwork are also critical. “Communications between offices on cross-border searches must be intense and effective,” says de Jong. “At Stanton Chase, the referring consultant fully briefs the referral consultant, after which they work closely together to complete the search.

The referral consultant shares client insights with the lead consultant and any other consultants running searches for that client. Global conference calls are a frequent norm connecting all the offices working on a client’s various cross-border searches.”

MANAGING DIVERSITY – THE FINAL INGREDIENT Cross-border searches have a diversity element by definition, and the ability to effectively manage the diversity issues within the search is a vital capability firms need to have. “We are not shy about asking the diversity question,” says de Jong. “What are our client’s diversity expectations?”

Search consultants must come to the client already knowing the local, cultural and legislative diversity context.

That way the consultant can focus on the client’s unique expectations and preferences related to the culture they are trying to build or reinforce within their company.

The executive search firm then needs to have the internal resources to address these diversity needs. For example, when searching for female executives, it is helpful to have female consultants involved in supporting and managing that search. “It is the actual diversity within our international partner offices that give clients and candidates

confidence that Stanton Chase can understand and meet their diversity needs,” explains de Jong.

He explains how as a leading executive search firm, Stanton Chase works hard preparing itself to be ready for cross-border searches. “They are an important and growing part of our business. So we must be prepared to partner with our clients and effectively manage this complex, yet very dynamic, service. “ “The key factors that make crossborder searches succeed at Stanton Chase are the strong group ethic and relationships that exist between our partner offices around the world,” states de Jong, “And their commitment to working together effectively with the client’s needs front and center.”

It will definitely be interesting to observe how the demand for crossborder search services evolves in the years ahead, and especially how search firms will respond. Make sure you prepare your firm and your clients so that you can work together and be ready when the need arises.

Ward Garven is Managing Director with Stanton Chase based in Calgary. His experience includes executive leadership, sales and marketing, and the expansion of operations throughout North America, across Europe and Asia. The Calgary office serves domestic and international clients in energy and natural resources, industry, financial services and technology.

Peter de Jong is Managing Director of Stanton Chase based in Amsterdam and International Chairman of Stanton Chase since late 2010. His experience includes international executive leadership, marketing and sales management. He has been active in executive search since 2000.

Stanton Chase is ranked within the Top 10 global retained executive search firms with 71 offices in 45 countries, offering services in Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America and North America. Stanton Chase offers clients global access to market research and talent. Stanton Chase is owned by its partners who take individual responsibility for delivering outstanding quality for each assignment. Stanton Chase is a member of the Association of Executive Search Consultants.

www.search-consult.com For more information visit: Web: www.stantonchase.com

How To Leverage The Internet:

Research Techniques for Executive Recruitment

Date: Friday 25 November 2011 - 9:30am-12:30pm (Max 6 delegates per session) Cost: £249 / €285 + 20% UK VAT per delegate Location: London, UK Half-day hands-on training sessions on Internet research techniques designed to teach Executive Search professionals: • How to use Boolean searches on Google and Bing and how to search 'deep web'. Bing vs. Google - what are the differences?

• Where to find high profile potential candidates - conduct X-ray searches to find their resumes, biographies or profiles.

• How to use innovative sourcing methodologies to reveal the brightest talent and how to reach out to them quickly!

• How to search LinkedIn effectively including: finding full names of people who are not in your network and how to contact them.

• Basic Search Skills: how to use “quote marks” effectively, stop words, and more • Finding Details - locate email addresses, find conference attendees and more • Other Searches - innovative ways of searching • Other Sites: Twitter, Amazon WHO SHOULD ATTEND: • The course is designed for Executive Researchers and Consultants who are new to Executive Search or searching the web.

• Those seeking to refresh their Internet research techniques knowledge and learn a few new tricks along the way.

To book your place, email events@dillistone.com or visit: www.dillistone.com/en/how-leverage-internet-research-techniques-executive-recruitment

The workshops are delivered by Francesca Lahiguera, a search professional with more than 12 years’ experience of retained executive search research and execution. Francesca was a Principal at Heidrick & Struggles in Paris and went on to work with boutique firms in Paris and London. She now provides research and search consultancy to London-based firms specialising in technology and not-for-profit. Originally from the USA, Francesca lives in London and speaks fluent French.

Research and Candidate Development Workshop – SOLD OUT London, UK - November 9, 2011

Research and Candidate Development Workshop - this one-day workshop is for researchers and for search consultants who are new to search. The three themes covered during the day are research skills, telephone techniques and administration and project management.

Search Execution and Client Management Workshop London, UK - November 10, 2011

Search Execution and Client Management Workshop - this one-day workshop is for search consultants and researchers involved in the search execution process. The course focuses on effective and successful client management and liaison, progress reporting, candidate screening and appraisals, referencing and salary negotiation.

• Maximum 16 attendees per workshop.

• A working lunch and refreshments are included.

• Training material will be provided.

For more information and to book, please visit www.search-consult.com/workshops or send an email to events@search-consult.com ISSUE 40 2011 search-consult

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InterSearch Study:

Key Characteristics

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embers of InterSearch, one of the top international consortiums of executive search firms, recently conducted a global survey with one question: “Given the issues with our current economy, what characteristics (combining personal as well as professional) do you consider most important in a CEO?” The simple one-question survey indicated that globally, regardless of geographic location and economic situation, each of the respondents held similar views on the critical characteristics a CEO should possess to be effective in today’s business world.

Respondents were presented with the following 14 characteristics and were invited to choose those they found most compelling – Analytical, Authenticity, Change Agent, Decisive, Communication Skills, Courage, Creativity, Integrity, Intellectual Agility, Interpersonal Skills, Results-Oriented, Strategic thinker, Team Builder and Tolerance for Risk. The survey was posted online via CookAssociates. com, InterSearch.com and sent directly to contacts across the following countries: USA, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Norway and Russia.

STRATEGIC THINKING IS CRITICAL Overall, Strategic Thinker was the number one criteria. Team Builder and Results Oriented were the second most popular selections while Authenticity,

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By Mary Kier Analytical and Tolerance for Risk were the least selected. Interestingly, though, the data indicates that all of the characteristics previously mentioned are necessary when qualifying CEOs, as there was not one characteristic that accounted for more than 15% of the responses.

My own experience supports the results of the survey as I have found that strategic thinking is the main quality owners, boards and other hiring authorities emphasize when establishing CEO job descriptions. Recently, I began a search for a CEO of an extremely successful and fastgrowing professional services company who is seeking his own replacement. I asked him to tell me of all the functions (Finance, Sales, Marketing, Operations, etc...) which was the most important needed to be successful in this role. He replied: “None of those specifically. I want someone who truly is a strategic thinker, with a broad background in business.

I need someone who can double my business. So I care more about the ability to strategically create a growth plan, embrace the plan, get the team to move forward on the plan, and to successfully implement that plan.”

THE RESULTS ARE IN In the U.S. survey results, Strategic Thinker was the stand-out selection, yet second place selections were very tight between Team Builder, Change Agent, Integrity and Authenticity. Certainly, companies needing new avenues for

growth require leadership teams to work together and to adapt to the changing economic climate. With recent news of companies getting to greatness through less than scrupulous means, it is not surprising that the notion of integrity and authenticity are on the top of list as well.

Micheál Coughlan, Managing Director for InterSearch Ireland, noted: “The response about CEOs in Ireland is very much in line with other countries in Europe. Selecting Strategic Thinker as the number one competency is not surprising considering the CEO is mapping the future of their business for growth post recessionary times. Selecting Team Builder as the number two competency confirms the key role the CEO is playing in rebuilding the organization after the difficult economic climates experienced in 2009 and 2010.”

Rodrigo Donoso, Managing Director of InterSearch Argentina, echoes this. “In Argentina we have an economic crisis at the moment and the competencies of Strategic Thinker, Communication Skills and Change Agent are highlighted in our results; CEOs who have these characteristics help their companies to prepare for growth.”

Frank Schelstraete, CEO of Schelstraete & Desmedt / InterSearch Belgium and Chairman of InterSearch Worldwide, explains how he is “not surprised that in Belgium Team Builder obtained the highest score, as solving the biggest challenges for CEOs requires good team

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building skills to establish a balanced and efficient team, either for recruitment or retention purposes. CEOs will need to invest more in executive search in order to bring together the optimal team.” He goes on to say: “Surprising results for Belgium, certainly in view of the recent crisis, that Change Agent seems to have a low score.

Equally the Tolerance for Risk score is also low, which would indicate a certain risk aversion in post-crisis times.”

“Given Greece’s current economic climate, and the urgent necessity to crack down on corruption at all levels, it’s certainly no surprise that Integrity rates higher here as a necessary characteristic for CEOs,” says InterSearch Greece’s Harris Karaolides. “ Patricia Epperlein, CEO of Mariaca, the InterSearch partner in Brazil, says: “The emphasis on Integrity can be explained by high corruption levels in Brazil, and the world economic crisis which is mainly due to a lack of integrity in the today’s world’s leaders. It is no longer enough to be results oriented, strategic and a team builder. Our clients need and expect more. We seem to currently be seeking leaders that are more trustworthy and ethical.”

For the Czech Republic, Igor Svatos comments: “I am not surprised that our results are similar to other countries around the world. When companies operate more globally, the lines begin to blur and leaders are more united in their approach.

Czech CEOs are rather skeptical, and less emotional, so the present economic situation might actually suit them better.

When we conduct searches, we take into account all of these characteristics; but, we also consider corporate culture and regional specifics.”

Petter Fossum, Managing Partner of InterSearch Norway, explains: “Strategic Thinking and Communication Skills are qualities we always expect in our leaders.”

Andrey Zaharov, Director Agency Kontact, the Russia InterSearch partner, reports: “There is an acute shortage of professionals capable of running large companies, and the expectations of the stakeholders do not meet the qualifications of CEO candidates. As a result, our

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Mary Kier

recruitment efforts must be razor sharp and very thorough to attract only the very best possible individuals for these roles.”

“Though Team Builder is quite a common factor in most countries polled, India’s results identified a unique factor - Courage,” says Payal Mukherjee of Spearhead InterSearch India. India is just now making a foray as a global force to reckon with, as homegrown Indian companies are going global. Spearhead InterSearch will continue to look for great team builders who have the courage to take a small company beyond its boundaries, think big and strategize, plan for contingencies, and create global organizations in today’s competitive environment.”

Italy’s Sebastiano Viani, CEO of of Euren InterSearch, describes: “The results of Italy confirm the general opinion that there is not just one characteristic that identifies the CEO prototype, but several different personal and professional characteristics.” He adds: “Italy’s results show Change Agent as the number one characteristic as the Italian economy is showing to be slower and stiffer in the post-recession recovery path. This brings a need for capable leaders that, above everything else, launch radical, concrete, and rapid changes.”

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surprising, nor are they necessarily different from what would have been selected as important criteria pre-crisis.

They do, however, clearly reinforce that today’s CEOs must possess a wellrounded skill set, both professionally and personally. They need to be strategic and thoughtful while still driving results and inspiring the masses, and they need to be able to communicate and execute that strategy effectively and elegantly.

Rajeev Peshawaria in a recent article indicated that the “brains” of a business are its vision and strategy, and the enterprise leader (CEO) must shape and set direction by focusing on two elements: a compelling vision and strategy articulated with elegant simplicity, and the ability to achieve acceptance and understanding of the vision and strategy.

Our role as executive search professionals ascertaining and assessing talent is even more important now than ever before. These survey results will not change the way we do search, but they do reaffirm the importance of presenting well-rounded leaders. As executive search consultants, it is paramount that we focus on the traits of CEO candidates, and be certain we are aware of the issues in each company for which we conduct a search.

Driving to those select parameters ensures a successful hire.

Mary Kier is Chief Executive Officer, Executive Search at Cook Associates, a retained executive search firm. She also serves on the board of directors for InterSearch Worldwide.

Founded by executive search pioneer Ruth Cook in 1961, Cook Associates Executive Search has thrived for more than 50 years because of its commitment to securing executive-level talent to drive corporate performance for clients. We specialize in recruiting key contributors that range from independent board directors to CEOs to functional VPs and other executives. Within their respective industries, our clients are innovators that span the gamut from Fortune 100 to earlystage companies, including publicly traded, family owned, private equity and venture capital backed companies.

Established in 1989, InterSearch is ranked as one of the top international executive search organizations in the world. InterSearch has 90 offices in 45 countries, enabling clients to have access to almost anywhere and anyone across the globe.

www.search-consult.com For more information visit:

TODAY’S CEO The results of our survey are not

Web: www.cookassociates.com www.intersearch.com ISSUE 40 2011 search-consult

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Mastering LinkedIn For Executive Recruiters - a series of webinars designed to show you how LinkedIn works, how to ensure you find who you want to and how to raise your profile in your market in order to win more business.

Mark Williams is an experienced Recruiter and now an independent LinkedIn Certified Trainer. He spent 19 years in specialist recruitment in the UK operating as a Consultant, Manager and latterly Managing Director in the Sales, Financial and Supply Chain sectors.

In 2008 Mark set up ETN Training, a niche training provider operating in the field of social media. Mark’s particular area of expertise is with LinkedIn. “I firmly believe that LinkedIn is one of the most exciting developments there has been in the recruitment industry for many years. It is now firmly established as a ‘must have’ tool for any recruiter yet so many are still unsure of how to use it effectively. My mission is to educate and inspire Recruiters to understand how to network effectively online”.

Mark Williams

Creating A Powerful LinkedIn Profile - November 9, 2011 Building an Effective Network - November 16, 2011 LinkedIn Searching 101 - November 24, 2011 and November 30, 2011 (AMERICAS) Business Development Workshop - November 30, 2011 unts o c s i D able avail ltiple u for m kings boo

Each of these ONLINE TRAINING sessions lasts approximately 1 hour.

Please check local times before booking.

For more information and to book please visit www.search-consult.com/LinkedIn Each session costs US$130 / UK£80 / €90 / HK$1010

Online payment facility as well as downloadable booking form available at

www.search-consult.com/LinkedIn

+44 (0)20 7749 6102

MANAGING DIRECTOR Jason Starr jason@search-consult.com EDITORIAL Pilar Gumucio editorial@search-consult.com PRODUCTION Margaret Jaouadi margaret@search-consult.com

events@search-consult.com

ADVERTISING/SUBSCRIPTIONS/REPRINTS UK and Europe North and South America South East Asia and Australia Yann Le Leyour enquiries@search-consult.com or log on to www.search-consult.com search-consult.com Third Floor, 50-52 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4LB, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)20 7749 6102 Fax: +44 (0)20 7729 6108 www.search-consult.com

For manuscript/ photographic submissions, please e-mail our Editorial department or write to the address above to obtain author/ photographic guidelines. search-consult is published bianually by Dillistone Systems Limited, Third Floor, 50-52 Paul Street, London EC2A 4LB and designed by Mr. Bloom Ltd, Sopot, Poland, www.mrbloom.com.pl.

All statements, opinions, and expressions are the sole responsibility of the authors and the Publishers reserve the right to amend/alter articles as necessary.

The Publishers cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage, however caused, of any materials supplied. Any materials supplied may not always be returned. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any format without prior written consent of the Publishers. © Copyright 2011 Dillistone Systems Ltd

Contact us today on the preferred number below for details of current offers and to see why Voyager should be your choice.

UK: +44 (0)1256 845000 AUS: +61 (0)2 9279 4415

The World Executive Search Congress MARCH 5-6, 2012 THE STRATOSPHERE HOTEL, LAS VEGAS

LEAD SPONSOR

www.search-consult.com/LasVegas2012

MARCH 5-6, 2012 THE STRATOSPHERE HOTEL, LAS VEGAS

The 2012 World Executive Search Congress will be a unique event designed to deliver content relevant to anyone involved in Retained Executive Search. To that end, we have some shared sessions designed for all attendees and some simultaneous sessions where attendees may select which content is most relevant to them. With bookings already received from 21 countries in North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific and Australasia, this event promises much: • You’ll listen to and learn from many of the thought leaders in and around the Executive Search industry.

Speakers scheduled to present include representatives of, alumni from, and consultants to, leading global firms such as Boyden, DHR International, Heidrick & Struggles, Korn/Ferry International and Spencer Stuart.

• Simultaneous content streams will allow attendees to pick out and attend the most relevant sessions to them. Researchers can enjoy a refresher on telephone sourcing techniques, while Consultants and Partners discuss business development. The entire event is designed to ensure that not a moment is wasted!

• A

unique international networking opportunity. We anticipate an audience representing firms from across the globe – providing a unique opportunity for creating cross-border partnerships.

• A spectacular location – The 2012 World Executive Search Congress is being held at the Stratosphere Hotel, on the legendary Las Vegas strip. This unique hotel, with its world famous 1,149 foot tall tower, offers a Zagat rated restaurant, live shows, thousands of gaming options in the casino, a spa and the fourth highest thrill rides in the world.

• We have negotiated a special rate of just US$55 per night at the Stratosphere Hotel for delegates attending the Congress. This rate is available from Sunday March 4, 2012 until Wednesday March 7, 2012. Delegates wishing to stay on a Saturday night should be aware that the rate rises to US$105. Rates exclude taxes, gratuities and mandatory resort fees.

Only a limited number of rooms are available at this very special rate. To reserve a room call the Group Reservations Department on +1 800 998 6937 and reference the Group: Dillistone Systems Inc and/or Group Code: C-DSI.

• A 5% discount is available for attendees on any flights to Las Vegas with American Airlines. Please use the promotional code 5222AY when booking online from www.AA.com.

We look forward to welcoming you to Las Vegas on March 5-6, 2012!

www.search-consult.com/LasVegas2012

The World Executive Search Congress SPEAKERS

Our speakers have a wealth of experience in and around the Retained Executive Search industry. Space limitations allow us only to provide brief biographies here – more extensive information is available at www.search-consult.com/LasVegas2012.

Bob Benson - Bob has over 25 years of domestic and international leadership experience in the executive search industry.

He is the Chairman of RLBenson & Associates and Founder of Canaan Ridge and former Execuitve Vice President International at Spencer Stuart. Cecelia Dwyer, Talent and Marketing Expert and Rick DeRose, President of Technology Executive Group will join Bob on stage for his session.

Marissa Martin. Marissa currently serves as the Vice President of Global Research for DHR International and is based in the firm’s Chicago office. Ms. Martin oversees execution for all positions in the C-Suite and other senior executives in all functions and industries. She is responsible for the overall coordination, development, and strategy of Research for one of the largest and fastest growing executive search firms in the World.

Robin Ann Bienemann - As founder of Crimson Rook LLC, Robin Ann Bienemann spends most of her time helping small and mid-size business owners focus on the performance indicators that really count.

Her company specializes in improving the processes linked to these indicators, especially those surrounding innovation.

Ms. Bienemann built her own manufacturing company at the tender age of 24. She also served as Senior Vice President of Operations with Blue Arc.

Joseph Daniel McCool. Joe is a writer, speaker and advisor on executive recruiting and corporate management succession best practices. He is the author of Deciding Who Leads: How Executive Recruiters Drive, Direct & Disrupt the Global Search for Leadership Talent and writes as a contributor and online columnist for BusinessWeek, and as senior contributing editor for ExecuNet. Previously, he has been a featured columnist for search-consult magazine and Editor of Executive Recruiter News.

Laura Dear - Laura is the Director of Global Information Services for Spencer Stuart.

In that role, she leads the firm’s research efforts, recruiting and managing Spencer Stuart’s team of information specialists.

Laura also develops and leads global training programs on research tools and best practices to help the firm’s 51 worldwide offices win assignments and execute searches more efficiently.

Conni LaDouceur. Conni is Founder and Chief Sourcing Strategist of ExecuQuest Corp.

Previously with Heidrick & Struggles, Conni has delivered workshops at international executive search firms, PepsiCo, Starbucks, TJX, HSBC, GlaxoSmithKline, David Lord’s Executive Search Academy, IACPR, and the Executive Search Roundtable.

Jeffrey Horn – Jeffrey is Managing Director at The Business Development Group where he helps professional service firms improve their revenue growth through improved business development strategies. Prior to founding BDG, he was a consultant and partner with Towers Perrin.

He has worked with executive search firms including Heidrick and Struggles.

Sue Reynolds-Frost. Sue has over 15 years of experience in the world of professional development. As an independent consultant, coach and trainer, Sue specializes in developing and delivering learning strategies and custom programs to help individuals and teams become more engaged and effective in all forms of communication. Previously, she spent ten years as Director of Training Programs for Spencer Stuart, one of the world's largest executive recruiting firms.

Francesca Lahiguera.

Francesca is an independent search consultant who also delivers Executive Search training for searchconsult. She also helps foundations and social enterprises build their leadership teams in Europe as a consultant to Prospectus, a search firm working exclusively with notfor-profit organisations. Francesca began her search career as a Principal Consultant with Heidrick & Struggles' global technology practice. She then went on to work with boutique technology search firms in Paris and London.

Dan Margolis. Dan is a Senior Vice President in FTI Consulting's Los Angeles office with a focus in the firm’s Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Practices.

Prior to joining FTI in 2010, he served for five years as President of Margolis & Company, a business communications firm he founded. Previously, Dan spent nearly five years as Senior Director, Marketing Communications for Korn/Ferry International. His current clients include Boyden Global Executive Search.

Andrew Sobel. Andrew is a leading authority on the skills and strategies required to build clients for life. The author of three acclaimed books on business relationships, he works with major services firms worldwide and has extensive experience in the Executive Search industry, having worked with 4 of the 5 largest executive search firms in the World. He also runs a business development program on behalf of the Association of Executive Search Consultants.

Jason Starr. Jason is CEO of Dillistone Systems, the supplier to retained executive search firms. He has provided training on internet research training techniques at live events in the US and Canada, Europe, The Middle East and Asia, and has delivered closed courses to several global firms.

www.search-consult.com/LasVegas2012

MARCH 5-6, 2012 THE STRATOSPHERE HOTEL, LAS VEGAS

OPTIONAL EVENT - MARCH 4, 2012 Upgrading Your Practice – The Key To Improved Profitability Cost: $375 per delegate Venue: The Stratosphere Hotel Date: March 4, 2012: 4pm-6pm Course Leader: Bob Benson Description: The “big guys” learned the lesson about creating “a consistent and replicable experience for their clients” a long time ago – and have since

forgotten many of their own lessons. That’s a major opportunity for you and your top-line. Individuals and firms who build a reputation for delivering a “consistent and replicable” client experience learn quickly its impact on their firm’s brand. A brand is not created overnight but if you are you ready to look deeply at your own practices and step up to the changes needed to compete against the best, then come join us for this hard-hitting, practical session. You will come away understanding that competing on price is a losing game!

DAY 1 - MARCH 5, 2012 10:30am 10:45am

WELCOME - Jason Starr "The New and Evolving Essentials of Client Partnership for Executive Search" - Joseph Daniel McCool

Executive search consultants are facing mounting pressure for consistency, performance and synergy with enterprise executive staffing, diversity and succession planning objectives.

Where does your search practice stand in terms of differentiation, quality and innovation? Where does it stand among perceived competitors? And what business needs can your search practice meet in a world increasingly influenced by technology, social networking and incredibly short management attention spans.

Join corporate search and succession advisor, author and former BusinessWeek columnist Joseph Daniel McCool for a revealing look at what companies value most about executive search relationships and their appetite for working with executive search consultants who deliver sustainable business results.

Take away fresh ideas and insights about how to break free from time-honored but ineffective client prospecting and partnering practices.

Embrace new strategies to shift from transaction broker to trusted management consultant. And join what promises to be a lively discussion about the future of executive search consulting and how to build key corporate relationships strong enough to withstand the tough realities of the business cycle.

11:30am - 12:15pm "Building Trust: How Search Firms Can Build Sustainable Relationships With Clients" - Sue Reynolds-Frost

Solving searches with great candidates is where the rubber meets the road for executive search firms. However in today’s business climate, it takes more than finding great candidates to sustain long-term relationships with clients. To do that, you need to build trust and advisor-based relationships with every person you encounter in the process. We will discuss key steps to build trust over time to build not only sustainable clients, but clients who will rave about you to others. We will also discuss key elements of trust, including: credibility, active listening, and giving advice effectively. Finally, we will also look at the impact of demonstrating strong emotional intelligence on client relationships.

12:15pm - 1:15pm - LUNCH and NETWORKING BREAK

FOR CONSULTANTS AND PARTNERS

FOR RESEARCHERS AND ASSOCIATES

1:15pm - 2pm "Strategic Communications: Building An Executive Search Brand" - Dan Margolis

1:15pm - 2:30pm "Starting Your Search" - Francesca Lahiguera

In this fast moving presentation, Dan Margolis will provide a historical overview of marketing and communications in Executive Search, highlighting some of the major milestones. He will then review the present landscape, suggesting key trends, before moving on to offer specific and practical tips for marketing and communications.

2pm - 3pm "Developing a Winning Proposal" - Jeffrey Horn

Begin your search with the end in mind. Francesca will show you how to prepare a search timeline so that you can measure your progress and keep your consultant and the client informed and involved. Plan for the briefing meeting: what do you need to know and what questions will you ask?

Create and use an acid test to focus on what makes a great candidate, develop a compelling elevator pitch to create interest in your search, and, finally, use the phone, email and LinkedIn to get past the barriers and reach your candidate.

The days of getting hired with a handshake over coffee are long gone. Today, every buyer of search services goes out of his or her way to conduct serious due diligence as part of the hiring of outside search support. Inevitably, there are at least two of your competitors going after the same prospect to secure the search. And the hiring organization asks each and every firm to complete a proposal explaining why THAT firm is the most qualified to help. This session is designed to help you understand the process, get into the mind of the buyer, create concepts and approaches that differentiate your proposal from the competition. The session has been designed to be highly interactive and give the tools to win. Jeffrey Horn, the Managing Director of The Business Development Group, has worked with hundreds of professional service firms….consulting firms, law firms, branding firms and search firms…to create winning proposals. This session will be an opportunity to tap into that knowledge base.

2:30pm - 3pm "Coordinating International Research" - Marissa Martin

3pm - 3:30pm BREAK 3:30pm - 5pm "Developing Clients for Life: The Art and Science of Selling Executive Search" - Andrew Sobel

3pm - 3:30pm BREAK

Would you like to increase your leadstream? Convert more opportunities into sold engagements? Build more c-suite relationships? Win more than your fair share of proposals? Broaden and grow your existing client relationships? In this session, acclaimed author Andrew Sobel presents proven strategies that will help you differentiate yourself in the marketplace, connect with senior-level buyers, and win more business. During Andrew’s presentation, you will learn: • The essential trusted advisor skills which distinguish the commodity search expert from the value-added business advisor; • Traffic-building strategies to help draw leads in; • How to skillfully handle a first meetings and accomplish four key goals; • How value for time is even more important than value for money, and how to add more of it; • Strategies to become an Agenda Setter with clients and create sole-source business; • Techniques for accessing and building relationships with c-suite executives.

Join Marissa Martin to discuss macro-level strategy of global projects.

Through various case studies and successful assignments completed at DHR International, Marissa will show you how to build a cohesive and communicative team on opposite sides of the world. Topics will include sharing of information and overcoming cultural differences through the successful completion of the search assignment as well as global process implementation.

3:30pm - 5pm "Understanding Your Clients and Candidates Better by Understanding Their Personality Style" - Sue Reynolds-Frost

Most professionals have undergone some type of psychological assessment as part of a recruiting process or professional development/training program. What most of them miss out on is how this awareness can make a huge difference in giving clients and candidates what they want, need and expect. In this hands-on breakout session Researchers will gain an understanding of how knowledge of personality style can be the secret weapon in your arsenal.

www.search-consult.com/LasVegas2012

The World Executive Search Congress DAY 1 DAY – MARCH 2 – MARCH 5 6, 2012 8.15 - 8.45

FileFinder 10 Executive Search Software - OPTIONAL PRESENTATION

FOR CONSULTANTS AND PARTNERS

FOR RESEARCHERS AND ASSOCIATES

9am -10:45am "Understanding Your Clients and Candidates Better by Understanding Their Personality Style" - Sue Reynolds-Frost

9am -10am Internet Research Techniques – Jason Starr

Most professionals have undergone some type of psychological assessment as part of a recruiting process or professional development/ training program. What most of them miss out on is how this awareness can make a huge difference in giving clients and candidates what they want, need and expect. In this hands-on breakout session Partners/ Consultants will gain an understanding of how knowledge of personality style can be the secret weapon in your arsenal.

10:45am -11:15am BREAK 11:15am -12:05pm Your Brand… A Replicable Experience - Bob Benson

Clients want to know what you stand for --- nothing says more about you than the consistency with which you deliver great people each and every time. This is your brand, a replicable process that assures consistent delivery of a strong candidate slate.This session will explore key elements of how your brand must be underpinned by a strong process that delivers exceptional candidates each and every time. It is this consistency that supports the personal brand objectives you have set for yourself and your firm. Also, assuring that these steps are in place, you will support your clients' brands and become a valued extension of their talent strategy. We will tell you how to validate your approach that aligns with these branding objectives.

Cecelia Dwyer, Talent and Marketing Expert and Rick DeRose, President of Technology Executive Group will join Bob on stage for his session.

In this wide ranging session, Jason Starr will cover techniques for finding and researching candidates and clients on the Web. Users will learn tricks for searching on search engines, social networks and more. This session will include content not featured in Jason’s previous briefings.

10am -10:45am Online Data Sources – Laura Dear

Join Laura Dear for a fast-paced review of the hottest databases on the market for information pertinent to our industry. One or two salient points mentioned for each site with some practical and fun stuff shared, too!

10:45am -11:15am BREAK 11:15am -1pm Sourcing Success and Timeless Telephone Techniques – Conni LaDouceur

Searches are frequently challenging simply because no one has correctly identified the qualified talent and initiated contact with them effectively.

Recruitment’s value proposition is "hire the best talent, not the most available talent." Prepare to be astonished by these direct, ethical, proactive telephone sourcing techniques to supplement and complete your internet and database research. Conni will demonstrate the "how-to" of successful, quality-first talent sourcing, and the steps to identify, in organization chart form, the qualified talent your clients most want to hire.

12:05pm - 1:00pm How To Build Value For Your Search Firm - Robin Biennaman,

During the next ten years America will witness the biggest sale of privately held companies in history. Whether the sellers will get their asking price (and history suggests most will not) depends on their ability to maximize the value of these businesses. This presentation and discussion uncovers the key factors comprising business value and how high-performing owners and executives focus on building enterprises which are both sustainable and transferable.

1pm-2pm LUNCH and NETWORKING BREAK 2:00pm-2:45pm Innovations For Executive Search Consulting - Joseph Daniel McCool

Many of the essentials for world-class executive search consulting remain unchanged. But cast against a rapidly shifting business climate, the increased expectations of corporate clients, and the history of what’s been described as a “tired business model,” much of what separates executive search from other forms of recruitment gets lost is translation.

The task of innovating the executive search experience from the client, candidate and inside-the-search-firm perspectives requires careful evaluation of what you’re willing to risk and the rewards you wish to realize.

Explore critical options for growing your search practice and disrupting the status quo in executive search, and your own business.

Evaluate which business opportunities present the biggest innovation dividends. And assess how the process of innovating will invariably require a change in the culture of your firm and how it executes search assignments.

If you’re concerned about navigating the road ahead, remaining competitive and multiplying the business impact your practice delivers for corporate clients, consider innovating and what that really means when you get back to the office.

2:45pm-3:00pm Closing Remarks - Jason Starr 3:15pm-3:45pm FileFinder 10 Executive Search Software

OPTIONAL PRESENTATION

3:15pm- TBC

FileFinder Users ONLY FileFinder User Meeting and Reception details to follow

OPTIONAL EVENTS - MARCH 7, 2012 Research and Candidate Development Workshop

Optimizing Relationships with Clients and Candidates Using Myers-Briggs

Cost: $495 per delegate Venue: The Stratosphere Hotel Date: March 7, 2012 - Full Day: 9am-5pm Course Leader: Francesca Lahiguera Description: The three themes covered during the day are research skills, telephone techniques, and administration/project management.

You will learn: • How to get organised, set priorities and manage your time; • How to use research and sourcing techniques to develop candidates; • How to approach candidates with confidence, by telephone and email; • How to telephone screen effectively.

Cost: $375 per delegate Venue: The Stratosphere Hotel Date: March 7, 2012 - Half Day: 9am-12pm Course Leader: Sue Reynolds-Frost Description: If you want to take your awareness of personality style to the next level by building skills in the area of versatility, this half-day workshop is for you. Participants will have the opportunity to take the on-line Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment to confirm their “best fit type”. From there, we will engage in a range of interactive exercises and role plays to help you learn how to flex your style in key situations with clients, candidates and internal search partners. Knowing how to influence any of these key stakeholders is key not only for getting the results you want, butfor making the process more positive for all parties involved.

www.search-consult.com/LasVegas2012

Please fax this booking form to +1 (201) 221-7518 or +44 (0)20 7729 6108, or book online at www.search-consult.com/lasvegas2012.

□ Yes, I would like to book seats for the 2012 World Executive Search Congress, March 5-6, 2012 COMPANY NAME: _____________________________________ Delegate names / job titles / email addresses / locations: DELEGATE 1: ________________________________________________________________________ DELEGATE 2: ________________________________________________________________________ DELEGATE 3: ________________________________________________________________________ DELEGATE 4: ________________________________________________________________________

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□ Research & Candidate Development - Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - 9am-5pm __ x seats @ US$495: US$______ Delegate names / job titles / email addresses: DELEGATE 1: ________________________________________________________________________ DELEGATE 2: ________________________________________________________________________

□ Optimizing Relationships with Clients & Candidates - Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - 9am-12pm __ x seats @ US$375: US$______

Delegate names / job titles / email addresses: DELEGATE 1: ________________________________________________________________________ DELEGATE 2: ________________________________________________________________________

TOTAL 2 (OPTIONAL WORKSHOPS): US$________ TOTAL TO PAY = TOTAL 1 + TOTAL 2 = US$_________

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Cardholder Name: _____________________________ Address: _______________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Country:______________________ Phone: ________________________ Email: _________________________ Signature: ____________________ Terms and Conditions: Once the booking form is received and payment is processed, cancellations are liable for the full fee. We reserve the right to refuse any bookings solely at our discretion. Delegate replacements may be made up to 1 week prior to the event and are subject to acceptance. New delegate contact details have to be submitted in writing (email is sufficient).