"Leadership and Recruitment:

Insights from 'Make Your Bed'"

You may have seen the video or read the book "Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World", by Admiral William H. McRaven

It’s an excellent speech that provides insight into building teams and leading a more positive life.

How might you apply this to Executive Search / Recruitment and how does it translate to seeking out top talent for your clients?

Executive Recruitment involves drawing parallels between the book's principles and the qualities, behaviours, and attitudes essential in successful executives. Here's how each point can be applied:

1. Start Your Day with a Task Completed: In executive recruitment, this translates to valuing candidates who demonstrate discipline and attention to detail. Such individuals are likely to bring the same level of diligence to their professional roles.

2. You Can’t Go It Alone: Teamwork is critical in leadership positions. A good executive should be able to build, manage, and rely on a team, fostering a collaborative environment.

3. Only the Size of Your Heart Matters: Executive roles often require resilience and passion more than just technical skills. Recruiters should look for candidates with determination and a strong commitment to organizational goals. This can also be reflected by their achievements and personal interests or hobbies.

4. Life’s Not Fair—Drive On! Executives often face unexpected challenges and unfair situations. Candidates who can navigate these with a positive attitude and a focus on solutions are valuable. Especially when it comes to the current economic climate, there will be many challenges ahead with an increasingly diverse workforce.

5. Failure Can Make You Stronger: A candidate’s history of overcoming failures and learning from them can be a strong indicator of their resilience and ability to adapt. This is a key quality for executive roles, where risk management is crucial. Varied experience or different roles in the same company, or variety of industries or geographic locations are also indicators of adaptability and learning.

6. Dare Greatly: Executives need to be innovative and willing to take calculated risks. Candidates who demonstrate boldness and a track record of innovative thinking are often suited for leadership roles. Critical for the increasing demand for Tech knowledge, change and AI.

7. Stand Up to the Bullies: Integrity and the ability to stand up for what is right are important in leadership. Candidates should be assessed for their ethical standards and courage to confront unethical behaviour.

8. Rise to the Occasion: Executives often need to perform under pressure. Look for candidates who have demonstrated the ability to excel in high-stress situations. Keeping a cool head when others are losing theirs is a reflection of an individual that people may prefer working for.

9. Give People Hope: An executive should be a source of inspiration and motivation for their team. Candidates who inspire confidence and have a positive impact on their teams are highly desirable. Investing in peoples learning and development, as well as their own would be one important factor to look out for.

10. Never, Ever Quit: Perseverance is key in leadership. Candidates should exhibit a strong commitment to their goals and an unwillingness to give up in the face of adversity.

In summary, the principles from "Make Your Bed" align closely with the attributes needed in successful executives. Executive recruitment should focus on identifying candidates who not only have the necessary skills and experience but also exhibit these character traits and leadership qualities.

"Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World" is a book by Admiral William H. McRaven

For more insights into Executive recruitment and strategic hiring reach out to me at

https://www.cgrahamconsulting.com/

C-suite recruitment in 2024

The Western New Year and January has flown by, and the Eastern Chinese New Year has come to an end.

What lies ahead for 2024 Year of the Dragon and what are some of the key trends we might see?

No doubt it will be a bumpy ride for many, inflation is still on the rise in many countries, with job cuts across Technology, Financial services and Consulting continue. More recently the UK & Japan falling into recession.

Rise of Fractional Executives: There's an increasing trend of hiring fractional executives, who are experienced C-suite professionals working on a freelance, contract, or part-time basis. This approach is beneficial for plugging talent gaps, focusing on specific projects, and bringing in new perspectives with the advantage of high-level expertise without the commitment to a full-time salary Whilst this may be a good solution for businesses it may not be for the individual. Particularly since salaries are often not being offered in line with the skills or qualifications desired.

Focus on Diversity and Inclusion: Boards and C-suite levels are increasingly emphasizing diversity and inclusion (D&I) in their recruitment strategies. Diverse organizations are seen as stronger, more resilient, and demonstrate better performance. The aim is to ensure representation through diversity of persons, bringing a variety of experiences and thoughts to the top levels of organizations.

Whilst this is an important element for any organisation it is also critical that it does not happen at the expense of cutting out talent in favour of ticking a box.

Technology's Impact: The rapid advancement of technology, particularly generative AI, is significantly impacting business change and C-suite roles. Many leaders expect the pace of technological disruption to accelerate further in 2024, with a focus on preparing their organizations to adapt and scale these technologies effectively. This can be a useful and a cost-efficient plan for organisations, if the tech is understood from the outset and the implementation strategy is sound. Whilst many see tech as a way of reducing staff numbers, (which in some cases it can), to save cost, it should be used to enhance people’s productivity and boost profitability. Anyone currently seeking a new role would be well advised to take short courses on Gen AI, many being provided by top academic institutions. This makes you more knowledgeable and better placed to secure a new role in a fast-evolving job market. Networking and researching who you would like to work for/with, as well as partnering with an Executive Search firm to push your search forward and obtain feedback on progress or your profile.

Organisations that outsource to executive search firms can also benefit from their extensive networks and expertise. This is critical to attracting talent, since in-house teams often do not have the level of experience required or the knowledge to manage an effective search and campaign, which can result in frustration for both hiring managers and the candidates themselves.

Crafting a Strong Company Culture: Attracting top-notch C-suite executives requires a clear sense of mission and a culture that reflects the company's objectives. A positive reputation and a culture aligned with the company's goals can attract high-quality candidates. Remember that seasoned hires will not only be considering the role and package but the leadership team and how they will fit in and be able to add value and build alliances to influence decision making in future. Ensuring that they are visible on the corporate website or LinkedIn can help with this.

Each of these trends highlights the evolving nature of C-suite recruitment, emphasizing the need for adaptability, technological readiness, and a strong focus on diversity and company culture. If you would like to discuss your recruitment strategy in sourcing senior talent, feel free to connect with me and find out more how CGC can assist in growing your business in 2024.

https://www.cgrahamconsulting.com/

"2024: Anticipating the Key Business Priorities"

According to the latest Mercer survey.

• 73% or executives worry their employees can’t adapt to a new world of work.

• 2 in 5 executives expect generative AI to solve productivity issues with many predicating gains of 21%

• 40% of employees are exhausted and spend 1/3 of their time on repetitive tasks.

• 1 in 3 HR leaders aren’t sure AI can deliver productivity gains.

In their latest talent trend report, there are some interesting points being made. Many of which have been looked at increasingly in the last 3 years.

How business leaders incorporate these into their strategies will impact on their ability to continue to grow and attract / retain talent.

Many of the new technologies are exactly that, NEW, so what will your business leaders do to ensure you are getting the right training to enable you to perform your role more effectively?

What are they doing to understand the new technology and grasp how to best implement it in order to ensure in adds value to the bottom line as much as the employees in the business?

Learning is an ongoing process, being able to adapt and change should be encouraged as well as supported.

Trying to hire experts in new technology isn’t always a cost effective or viable solution and should be tempered with experience to ensure the right benefits are there.

Total wellbeing, burnout, flexibility, financial wellness are all linked…

Giving a mental health day per year won’t fix this issue.

Business leaders need to look at the root cause of some of these issues and be willing to tackle them over time. Putting a band aid on a broken leg never was effective.

Change takes time, education, support, and goodwill towards your employees.

Leaders that take the right approach will find that there is less attrition, more productivity, and a better, happier workforce. This in turn will improve the company reputation in the market.

Better to be a place people want to work in and a leader they want to work for than constantly being in a perpetual hiring cycle.

Although, with that said, it is good news for recruiters if you are!

The Mercer 2024 Global Talent Trends report focuses on redefining people strategies to enhance productivity and sustainability amidst a changing risk landscape.

It includes insights from over 12,200 professionals, including C-Suite executives, HR leaders, and employees across various geographies and industries.

Key topics include artificial intelligence, employee experience, equity, financial wellness, flexible working, skills development, sustainability, total well-being, and work design.

The report emphasizes the importance of sustainable and agile people practices for long-term organizational and workforce success.

For more detailed insights, you can access the full report on Mercer's website: [Mercer 2024 Global Talent Trends](https://www.mercer.com/insights/people-strategy/future-of-work/global-talent-trends/).

Some of the key areas highlighted below.