search-consult issue 19

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COMING UP

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ISSUES:

Womenin Search

Ethics in Search

Executive Searchfor Family Owned Businesses

Emerging Search Firmspart 2

Technologyin Executive Search

Ethics in Search

Executive Searchfor Family Owned Businesses

Emerging Search Firmspart 2

Technologyin Executive Search

Searchin the Middle East

Executive SearchAssociations

Global Search Firms Executive Searchin Australia

Womenin Search

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S E A R C H - E D I T O R

3ISSUE 19 2004 search-consult

EditorialWelcome to Issue 19 of search-consult

search-consult

MANAGING DIRECTORJason [email protected]

EDITORIALPilar [email protected]

PRODUCTIONMargaret [email protected]

ADVERTISING/SUBSCRIPTIONS/REPRINTS

UK and EuropeNorth and South AmericaSouth East Asia and Australia

Yann Le [email protected]

or log on towww.search-consult.com

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search-consult is published by Dillistone SystemsLtd, Calvert House, 5 Calvert Avenue, London, E27JP, United Kingdom and printed by Mr. Bloom Ltd,Sopot, Poland, www.mrbloom.com.pl.All statements, opinions, and expressions are thesole responsibility of the authors and the Publishersreserve the right to amend/alter articles asnecessary. The Publishers cannot be held responsiblefor any loss or damage, however caused, of anymaterials supplied. Any materials supplied maynot always be returned. No part of this publicationmay be reproduced in any format without priorwritten consent of the Publishers.

© Copyright 2004 Dillistone Systems Ltd

Issue 19 of search-consult celebrates Women in Executive Search and the CorporateWorld – their work, life and increasing recognition as business leaders. Pilar Gumuciointerviewed 16 top female Executive Search professionals from different countriesand cultural backgrounds as well as two leading specialists that monitor womenin business in an attempt to answer the following questions: Does gender reallyaffect a professional’s abilities to succeed in the Corporate World? What elementsfavour a woman’s progression? What factors prevent more women from climbingto the very top? The answers can be found on page 7 in this issue’s fascinatingfeature. Pilar also uncovers the nuances and specifics of conducting searches forFamily Owned Businesses. FOBs are a major driving force in today’s economy andaccording to Luis Conde of Amrop Hever, they deserve a separate practice to dealexclusively with their demands. This article can be found on page 15.

In every issue of search-consult we are committed to bringing you practical advicefrom practitioners helping you with your day-to-day work. If you are thinking ofopening an international office, then Georgina Tremayne’s article on page 20 willgive you an invaluable advice on how and where to get information on corporatetaxes, working visas and local terms of employment. Kathleen Yazbak-Chartierexplores Ethics in Executive Search in the article on page 4 and Hayes Reilly isBringing Science to the Art of Effective Hiring in his article on page 22.

This issue also carries another article from our Technology in Executive Searchseries. Jason Starr’s article on page 18 discusses how to streamline data exchangebetween a search firm and an independent researcher and how technology canassist your search firm in complying with Data Protection laws, which in somecountries require candidates’ details to be updated as often as every 6 months.

We are closing this issue with an article on Coaching – the Fulcrum of a SuccessfulBusiness by Helen Pitcher, CEO of CEDAR Plc. Helen demonstrates how a carefullymatched coach can not only help a business leader achieve better work/live balance,but can maximise the company’s impact in today’s shifting conditions.

We hope you will enjoy this issue of search-consult. I would like to thank you allfor your great comments on the last issue, especially the Corporate Governancearticle. Your feedback is greatly appreciated, so please continue to email us [email protected].

For more news on the search-industry,register with our free newswire at www.search-consult.com

Advertise your Executive Search positions atwww.search-consult.com/talentfor as little as US$120 / £80 / C120 per weekand be exposed to over 18,000Search Professionals across the world. There are a number of different advertising options availableto suit your needs and budget - from magazine advertising to ourmonthly email newswire.To learn more, simply email Yann Le Leyour [email protected] call him TODAY on +44 (0)20 7749 6102.

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S E A R C H - E T H I C S


nron. Tyco. Arthur Andersen. Theactions of these firms haveignited discussions around the

meaning of ethical behavior in theworkplace. Today, more than ever,companies are re-examining and re-educating employees and clients abouttheir ethical obligations.

I recently had the opportunity toreview the subject of “Ethics in Search”in my own career, as I moved from afor-profit multinational search firm toa nonprofit start-up organization. Bridgestar is a new nonprofit model,creating a suite of executive searchs e r v i c e s f o r o t h e r n o n p r o f i torganizations. As the only recruiter forthe moment, it is my responsibility tobe the champion for professional andethical standards; in addition, it is partof Bridgestar’s mission to engage ourclients in a learning process aboutexecutive search.

For those of us who have built ourcareers in the search business, ethicalstandards aren’t anything new. We are

challenged daily by a role which is atthe junction between client andcandidate interests. Our success isgauged by how successfully wemediate between those two parties.Cl ients are the companies andorganizations that pay to retain us tocarry out their work. Candidates don’tpay us but they are also part of thesuccess equation—we need greati n d i v i d u a l s t o p l a c e w i t h o u rorganizations. And of course, ourreputations with both parties areformed by honest relationships.

Never forget that

at any given point in time,

an individual can bea source, a candidate,a reference or a client -relationships matter!

With our probing about theirorganization (present status, growthplans, strategic goals, etc) and therole we will fill, we are privy to ourclients’ deepest secrets. We mustbalance the protection of privilegedc l i e n t i n f o r m a t i o n w h i l e a l s orepresenting the organization fairlyand accurately to the outside worldduring the search.

Before an engagement begins, wehave an obligation to tell clients if wehave any conflicts of interest or “offlimits” issues that would hinder thesearch’s ultimate result. This cansometimes be hard to do, especiallygiven the economic climate andadded compet i t ion for the fews e a r c h e s t h a t d o e x i s t i n t h emarketplace. Frustratingly, we can allpoint to search consultants who havenot heeded this.

Just this week, I told an organizationin a pitch situation that we werealready conducting a search in as i m i l a r s e r v i c e a r e a — o u t d o o r

EBy Kathleen Yazbak-ChartierBy Kathleen Yazbak-ChartierBy Kathleen Yazbak-Chartier

ininSearchSearch

EthicsEthics

S E A R C H - E T H I C S

6 search-consult ISSUE 19 2004

experiential learning. However, theorganizations are at vastly differentstages: one is national, the other localto Boston; one has a budget of nearly$3 million, the other has a budget of$500,000; one is focused on on-goingprograms and partnership agreementswithin the nonprofit sector, the otherfocused on large-scale events .I walked the Board Chair throughthe di f ferences in the two CEOprofiles being recruited, basicallymaking clear that I would not bedeciding which organization wouldg e t t h e b e s t p r o f i l e s — e a c horganization would be getting greatprofiles that were distinct to theirneeds. Being straightforward aboutthis point did not cost me the search;in fact, it may have landed me thesearch.

In another scenario, much to mydisappointment, I had to turn down asearch because I felt that Bridgestar’sstart-up status and model would nothave allowed me the amount of timerequired to manage the complexpubl ic-pr ivate dynamics of thatorganization. The good news is thatt h e B o a r d C h a i r t o l d m e h eappreciated my honesty and, in theend, I do believe that this type of“choice” will positively differentiateus and others who act in their clients’best interests.

On the candidate side, we can’tforget that we are deal ing withpeople’s lives. When I take initialreferences and benchmark profiles, Ioften “play dumb” so that while listingnames of candidates I had heardabout, I would not divulge whichcandidate of the group I was activelytargeting.

We need to openly let candidatesknow exact ly what our role is ,a n d t h e l e v e l o f e n g a g e m e n twe are undertaking on our client’sb e h a l f . M i s r e p r e s e n t a t i o nof who we are and what our firms dois improper.

In the same way, we need to be asopen and honest about the informationw e p o s s e s s a b o u t a c l i e n torganization: working conditions,

historical context and report ingrelationships as well as how the rolefits, and with what deliverables andresources. As the Internet bubble wascrashing, I completed a search for aC h i e f O p e r a t i n g O f f i c e r f o r atechnology company. The venturecapitalist, from a top-tiered SiliconValley firm, was offering the positionto our finalist—who would be movingh i s f a m i l y 3 0 0 0 m i l e s a w a y.I specifically asked the V.C. if he feltthe funding for the company wassecure; he assured me that it was.I went back to the candidate with theoffer and reiterated the company ’sstart-up status and cautioned forhim to perhaps wait a few monthsbefore moving h is fami ly. Thecandidate accepted the offer; merelys i x w e e k s l a t e r, h o w e v e r, t h ecompany’s funding was pulled. Thiswas indeed a bitter pill to swallow,but I was personally relieved whenthe candidate told me that he feltI had given him as much informationas I could.

F i n a l l y, w e n e e d t o e n s u r et h e s e c u r i t y o f o u r d a t a b a s e sand storage systems. On this lasti t e m , f i r m s s h o u l d c o n s i d e ra non-disclosure document for allemployees to sign, as a symbol of howseriously we take the confidentialityof the information we keep on ourdatabases.

Other items that we need to bes e n s i t i v e t o a s w e p r o g r e s scandidates through a search processinclude making sure to regularlyinform them of where they stand.S e a r c h f i r m s c a n a b s o l u t e l ydifferentiate themselves by followingup with individuals, even—or maybeespecially—those not being advancedon a search. The best advice I everr e c e i v e d , b a c k i n 1 9 9 0 a s Itransitioned into the search business,was this, “Never forget that at anygiven point in time, an individual canbe a source, a candidate, a referenceor a client—relationships matter!” Beyond the bus iness benef i t s ,building good relationships is the rightthing to do.

www.search-consult.com

For more information, contact:

Web: www.bridgestar.org

About Bridgestar: Bridgestar isbuilding a member-driven communityof experienced leaders committed tostrengthening their organizations,their careers and the nonprofit sectoritself. We are piloting Bridgestar’sTalent-Matching Services in Bostonthrough 2004, and our national rolloutis planned to begin in 2005.

Kathleen Yazbak-Chartier, Directorof Talent and Recruiting, joinedBridgestar in 2003, after spendingnearly 15 years in the executivesearch industry. Most recently, shewas a Consultant with WhiteheadM a n n , a g l o b a l l e a d e r s h i pconsultancy which specializes ind i v e r s i t y a n d m u l t i c u l t u r a lassignments. Ms. Yazbak-Chartierserved both for-profit and nonprofitclients on senior executive and Boardsearches. Her functional experiences p a n s G e n e r a l M a n a g e m e n t ,Technology, Operations, HumanResources and Finance. Beforereturning to the United States in 2001,she managed internal recruitment forWhitehead Mann in London, reportingto the CEO. Previously, Ms. Yazbak-Chartier was a Consultant withHeidrick & Struggles in Paris, France- where she led cross-border searchprojects.

Lauren Franks, MembershipDevelopment Manager, jo inedBridgestar in 2003 after spending ayear volunteering in San Jose, CostaRica developing a business plan fora start-up business that works withlocal farmers to promote sustainableagriculture. Prior to her role in CostaRica, Ms. Franks was a SeniorAssociate Consultant at Bain &Company, a worldwide managementconsulting firm. During her time atBain, Ms. Franks worked with avariety of clients - both in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors - acrossa range of strategic issues.

S E A R C H -


S E A R C H - W O M E N I N S E A R C H


Women:

By Pilar Gumucio

A HiddenAsset

n today’s dynamic marketplacecompanies are always looking togain a competitive edge, as talent

is a vital component that can make orbreak that formula. More women areclimbing the corporate ladder andmore women are becoming Partnersor Managing Directors of prestigioussearch firms.

Research shows that companies witha good gender mix at the top havebetter corporate governance recordsa n d o u t p e r f o r m c o m p e t i t o r s .Nevertheless, women continue to holdfewer than 10% of the top corporatejobs.

In fact, a recent report by theInternational Labor Organization (ILO)"Breaking through the Glass Ceiling:Women in Management" revealed thatwhile some progress has been madeas women continue to increase theirshare of managerial positions, the rateof progress is slow, uneven andsometimes discouraging. The rule ofthumb is st i l l the higher up anorganization's hierarchy, the fewer thewomen.

Does gender rea l ly a f fec t a

professional’s abilities to succeed inthe corporate world as well as in thesearch industry? What elements favora woman’s progress ion? Whatelements are preventing more womenfrom climbing to the very top? To beable to gain insight on these sensitiveissues, search-consult interviewed 16leading women consultants worldwide

as well as two experts from the leadingorganizations in the UK and in the USthat monitor the progress and theobstacles that women in business areencountering. The two consultants areSusan Vinnicombe, Director of theCentre for Developing WomenBusiness Leaders at Cranfield Schoolof Management in the United Kingdomand Nancy Guida, Vice President ofMarketing and Public Affairs of Catalystin the United States.

What are the current levels ofopportunities and career developmentthat women can obtain?Nancy Guida reports that according toCatalyst’s census in the US:• Women are 8 Fortune 500 CEOs• 5.2% F500 top earners• 7.9% F500 highest titles - 191 women

of the 2,412 individuals with titles ofChairman, Vice Chairman, CEO,President, COO, SEVP and EVP

• 13.6% F500 board directors• 15.7%F500 corporate officersThe Female FTSE index revealed thatin the UK:• The number of female directorships

Caroline Nahas

I



is up by 20% in the last year• There is only 1 female CEO and

1 female Chairperson• There are still 32 top companies with

no female directors at all

Susan Vinnicombe explains thatwhile the report obviously showsposi t ive s igns as more womendirectors are being tapped into, thisreport also shows that there is stillmuch more that has to be done. Thefigures depict “very few women arecoming through executive directorlevels, which really identifies howmany women companies are actuallygrowing internally and bringing to theboard. There is more progress onrecruiting non-executive directors, butthat is because you can fix that morequickly because you are bringingwomen from the outside.”

BARRIERS FOR SUCCESSObviously the corporate world is a

reflection of society. As a result, thelevel o f acceptance of womenexecutives varies by country and region.However, there are common elements.

Vanessa Moriel, Head of ExecutiveSearch Division at Fiducia ManagementConsultants in China, believes that “animportant component is the socialstructure and the societal paradigmsthat exist, predefining the appropriate

roles of what a wife, mother andprofessional should be. Breaking thisbarrier is probably the hardest toovercome.”

Joanna Czarnocka-Tworzyƒska,Managing Partner of Czarnocka-Tworzyƒska Executive Recruitment(CTER) in Poland, describes that menand women have certain prejudices.“Although they are politically incorrectand we deny them, they are deeplyi n g r a i n e d i n t o o u r ‘ s o c i a lconsciousness’ and this evolves muchslower and with more resistance thanthese dynamic times require.”

Nevertheless, this is changing.Louisa Wong-Rousseau, Founder andManaging Director of Bo Le Associatesin China, explains that as more womenoccupy more key business andgovernment posts, the landscape andthe mindsets will also change.

Hilary Sears, Vice President at ATKearney Executive Search in the USwho has been in executive search for22 years, describes the enormousstrides that have taken place in regardto more women being accepted asequals, and therefore, being able toobtain those top jobs that previouslywere reserved for men. At the sametime she points out that, “the profile ofsenior executives in some companiesis still skewed towards males becauseof the old boys’ network, the limitedexposure women are given, and thestereotypes and prejudices that exist.Although more women are coming upthe ranks, the number of women insenior roles is still low.”

According to Ka thy Murphy,Managing Director of Gilbert TweedAssociates in the US the reason thatthere are so few women at CEO andBoard levels is a combination of the‘glass ceiling’ and a limited, butgrowing, supply of talent. At these levels,there is simply not enough supply ofsenior executive women in thecorporate world. Over the last decadea lot more women have made it to theC level and that will create, on a forwardgoing basis, more opportunities forwomen executives to go into the CEOand Board level positions.”

Joëlle Warren, Founder and ManagingPartner of Warren Partners in the UK,states, “Perhaps women don’t definethemselves by what they achieve intheir career as much as men, but aremore likely to view success in termsof family and relationships, their

contribution to the community, and soforth. If they don’t get to the top it isusually because they don’t choose to.”

“Women want to balance their jobsand lives more,” explains IsabelleCarlnäs, Managing Director of Boydenin Sweden. “Socially, women are raisedwith the responsibilities of taking careof children and the house, devotingtime to the community, and so forth.Meanwhi le men are ra ised tobe the providers, driving them tosucceed. Men need to work to befulfilled while women are satisfied inother roles. Women work because theychoose to.”

Rae Sedel, who heads the GlobalTechnology Practice in the UnitedKingdom for Russe l l Reyno ldsAssociates, believes that generally,women sometimes have a problemdealing with power and doing what ittakes to succeed. “It has nothing to dowith capability. It is about doing whatit takes to succeed. A successful leaderhas to be able to be mobile and worklong hours. Because of children and

Vanessa Moriel

Rae Sedel

other social responsibilities sometimeswomen are not able to.”

E ls De Cremer, D i rec tor o fBorderless Execut ive Search inBelgium, explains, “The first 10 yearsmen and women are promoted equally.The discrepancy arises later on ascombinations of factors begin toinfluence the rate of advancement.There are certain sacrifices thatfemales have to make to continuedeveloping in the corporate world, andnot all women are willing to make it.”

S u s a n V i n n i c o m b e i n f o r m s ,“Because of the sheer numbers,women often find that they have to fitin with existing culture and that canconstrain their natural leadership styleand ideas. This becomes easier asmore women join and that make iteasier to be more natural andcontribute more.”

Barbara Stupp, Consul tant ofBorderless Execut ive Search inSwitzerland, agrees as she states, “Thefirst 10 years to be a woman in this fieldwas an advantage. Then you continueto climb, and when you reach a certainlevel, you begin to feel exposed as aminority. In a room full of grey suits,being the only woman you can’t helpbut stand out.”

ATTITUDE IS KEY

Can the corporate culture reallyaffect the selection and retention ofwomen executives? Els De Cremerexplains, “During the good times,companies promote diversity and thus,p r o m o t e w o m e n e x e c u t i v e s .N e v e r t h e l e s s , w h e n t h e r e a r eeconomic difficulties and companiesbegin restructuring and shedding 25-30% of the workforce women have agreater chance of not being selecteda n d / o r r e t a i n e d b e c a u s e t h ecompetition becomes more intense asdemand is further limited. It 's notattitude, it’s just that men still appearto be a safer choice and there are moreof them to choose from.”

For Joanna Czarnocka-Tworzyƒska,“It is still mostly men who decide thehighest positions. Similar and familiaris safe, and, for many, simply better.

The masculine style of managementand leadership is often seen by menas more valuable only because it’sfamiliar and well known to them.”

Janice Reals Ellig, President ofGould, McCoy, Chadick & Ellig in theUS and co-author of "What EveryS u c c e s s f u l Wo m e n K n o w s - 1 2Breakthrough Strategies to get thePower & Ignite Your Career", reports,“During the recent AESC meeting, Iled a panel about why there arenot more women leaders. Someof the findings were that existingleader at tr ibutes reinforced the

machoculture. Female attributes aredifferent. Since the 80s, women haveobtained MBAs and have been trained,but they have not necessarily beentapped. This culture requires a newparadigm for more women leaders toemerge.”

Joanna Czarnocka-Tworzyƒskabelieves, “The ‘glass ceiling’ factorstill holds women away from thehighest positions. We recently did ap r o j e c t f o r a S c a n d i n a v i a npharmaceutical company who decidedto employ a new Logistics Managerwho was a woman, although they knewshe’d been pregnant a few weeks.When we worked with a large Germanconstruction company, they refused torecruit a woman as a Branch OfficeManager although she was a far bettercandidate than the man who eventuallygot the job.”

Susan Vinnicombe believes, “Whatmakes the key difference is the attitudeand the commitment of the Chairmanand the CEO. It’s not the sector variantor how many women they employ; it’swhether they are personally committedto diversity.”

S h e e l a b o r a t e s , “A l t h o u g hcompanies do not maliciously excludewomen, i t is just that they areuninformed about how subtle sexismt a k e s p l a c e i n o rg a n i z a t i o n s .On a hiring basis, for example,companies think that they target malea n d f e m a l e g r a d u a t e s o n t h esame basis. A Cranfield doctoralstudent conducted an in-depth studytwo years ago which showed thatthe attributes male graduates lookedfor in an attractive employer weredifferent to the attributes femalegraduates looked for. Males are drawnparticularly by the salary; meanwhilefemales are attracted by the culture ofthe organization."

The same occurs when companiesp r o m o t e i n d i v i d u a l s . S u s a nVinnicombe reports, “Each companyhas a stated pol icy to promoteemployees. What we find is that inreality how those decisions are madegoes beyond that set criteria. Men canget promoted on potential while



Els De Cremer

Barbara Stupp



women really have to demonstrate theirstellar performance.”

It is evident that men and womenare looking for different things fromthe work environment and as such,organizations must provide differentofferings to attract, retain and developboth genders.

Nancy Guida states how Catalystconducted a study, “Women in U.S.Corporate Leadership: 2003” whichfound that 40% of women in 2003believe that men have difficulty beingmanaged by women. Women andCEOs now agree that a lack ofsignificant general management or lineexperience is the key barrier to womenadvancing into senior leadershiproles…Women still battle stereotypesabout their commitment to work,willingness to take risks, relocate,make tough decisions, and so forth.”

Susan Vinnicombe and Janice RealsEllig advocate that search consultantscould be more proactive as catalystsfor change; they should help clientsu n d e r s t a n d t h e a d v a n t a g e s o frecruiting more women when they arethe best candidates and widen thescope so that more talented womencan be included in the selectionprocess.

SEARCH: IS IT PARADISE?

Although the search industry mirrors

socie ty and corpora te l i fe , aninteresting development is that all ofthe consul tants we intervieweddescribe the search industry to bemore equal and based more onperformance and results.Caroline Nahas, Managing Director ofK o r n / Fe r r y I n t e r n a t i o n a l ’ s U SSouthwest Region, describes, “Theattractive, compelling feature of ourprofession is that performance is theleveler. I t is a profession thatdistinguishes between performers andnon-performers...the rest is important,but secondary.”

Hilary Sears recalls when in the mid1980s she had just begun in theexecutive search business, “One clientsaid he did not expect to deal with awoman, but tha t menta l i ty haschanged.”

Donna Cornell, Founder and CEOof Cornell Career Center in the US,reports, “When I began executivesearch it was difficult to establishmyself as a qualified resource and asa technical professional. I faced theunspoken resistance and assumptionthat I could not possibly evaluate andassess the technical acumen of thecandidates they needed… Over theyears with a portfolio of successfullycompleted searches to refer to, thatresistance has faded.”

“Senior consultants were quiteskept ical unt i l I made my f i rs tp l a c e m e n t , ” r e m e m b e r s S a k i eFukushima, Member of the Board andRegional Managing Director ofKorn/Ferry International in Japan. “Itwas the highest fee the firm had everhad in Asia at that time; therefore, Isoon received their full support.”

For Donna Cornell, “Once thecorporate client has made a decisionto use your firm, they entrust you to dothe job without further considerationof gender.”

How do candidates react to workingwith a woman consultant? Some areindifferent. For Joëlle Warren whatcounts is that the consultant does anexcellent job and makes an effort tobuild a good rapport with them.

Donna Cornell reports that, “Often

the candidates are the ones morereluctant to place their employmentchoices, their earnings and their futurein the hands of a woman.” The bestway to combat this is to be persuasiveand deliver results.

Sakie Fukushima admits that a smallnumber of male candidates wereinitially put off. “However, in Japan,where there were very few womensearch consultants, being a woman hasoften been an advantage." Andrea Redmond, Co-head of theCEO/Board Services Practice andfounder of the Insurance Practice forRussell Reynolds Associates in the US,recalls: ”In the mid 1980s there werenot too many women partners inexecutive search. I decided to joinRussell Reynolds Associates becauseI could relate to the culture, the waythe firm operated and because it wasone of the few search firms where therewere women partners who ran offices.Russell Reynolds Associates mirroredwhat I could at tain, and I haveremained here for 18 years forprecisely the same reasons. Whilesome questioned why we were hereand if we were able to do the jobcompetently, I thank God that nobodyin the firm held me back. They put mein the front of the client and now withdiversity, i t ’s not really an issueanymore.”

Joëlle WarrenJanice Reals Ellig

For Caroline Nahas, “Women arenow market leaders in their respectiveindustries and functions, and that is asignificant advancement.” In fact, the16 consultants interviewed are amongthe top billers in their respectiveregions and industries.

All of them described how theirclients, regardless of the industry, arer e q u e s t i n g t h a t m o r e w o m e ncandidates be included on the short-list.

THE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE

Can being a woman bring otheradvantages to executive search?Barbara Stupp and Els De Cremerreport how a competent woman canbe more memorable in an environmentdominated by men. According toBarbara Stupp, “When you are in aroom full of senior male executives,speaking to a competent female is abreath of fresh air. It’s a novelty.”

Els De Cremer adds, “We presenta different attitude, we look different,we sound different and therefore ourdelivery is different. Clients andcandidates are obviously happy withthat.”

Andrea Redmond believes that oneof the reasons why some of the largestproducers are women is because theycan be more empathetic, articulate andare excellent in building long-termrelationships, which is vital for apro fess ion tha t i s based on aconsultant’s reputation and referralsystem.

Rae Sedel, Hilary Sears and KathyMurphy underline multi-tasking as aparticular skill set women have, makingthem excellent at balancing priorities,project management and jugglingvarious assignments and clients at thesame time.

Kathy Murphy also views intuitionas key. "We tend to be more intuitive;we have an excellent way of evaluatingcandidates and determining their fitwith the company's culture. This iscritical; we have all seen talented andcapable executives that have failedbecause they did not 'fit' in a company'sculture."

Hilary Sears reports, “Women dobring unique skill sets. When askedwhat you enjoy most from executivesearch, women consultants tend todescribe obtaining the right fit, havingthe ability to assess and understandthe culture that in turn, brings the rightperson for that job profile. Men mightrespond that they enjoy the hunt andwinning the business.”

Sakie Fukushima believes thatwomen tend to be very persistent andperfectionists. “Although these aretraits that are not exclusive to women,they are traits that women tend to have

and if a woman does have them, thenshe can contribute" enormously to thisprofession.

Louisa Wong-Rousseau states,“Certain qualities inherent in mostwomen do translate to concreteadvantages as a woman consultant. Intuition, relationship and listeningskills, for example... However, suchqualities are not the monopoly ofwomen, much in the same way thataggressiveness and assertiveness arenot the monopoly of men. Doublestandards will always exist but it isbecoming increasingly easier for eithergender to break them whenevernecessary.”

Vanessa Moriel points out that thereare certain attr ibutes that makeconsultants successful, but it is basedon experience, and not on gender. Thismeans having the “appropria teprofessional exposure to be able toreally understand the nature of thebusiness, your clients’ requirementsand then be able to find the rightcandidate.”

JUGGLING IT ALL

E x e c u t i v e s e a r c h i s a v e r ydemanding profession. Statistics fromvarious s tudies depict that thedemands are so rigorous that manywomen consultants have consciouslysacrificed their personal lives, althoughthere is evidence that illustrates thatthis may be beginning to change assome of the younger consultants aretrying to balance their personal liveswith having a successful executivesearch career.

Women consultants employ anumber of strategies in their quest tobalance career and personal life. ForJanice Reals Ellig, it implies jugglingher time to allow her to execute andbuild her search firm, devote to non-p r o f i t a c t i v i t i e s a n d s p e a k i n gengagements as well as increasing therole of women leaders.

Isabelle Carlnäs reports that heractivities revolve around building herbusiness, charity work and spendingtime with family and friends.

Kathy Murphy states, “It’s not an



Sakie Fukushima

Lorenza Raya Clouthier



easy balance, but you become goodat project and time management. I ama single mom of a little girl I adopted,and so I employ a nanny who runs mypersonal life.”

For other consultants, it meanshaving a supportive husband andfamily. Vanessa Moriel describes,“While I was growing up, my motherand aunts served as role models ofwomen that had managed to balanceb o t h c a r e e r a n d p e r s o n a lresponsibilities. This has encouragedme to want to do the same. Currentlymy husband plays a vital role inallowing me to fulfill my full potential,personally and professionally.”

Sakie Fukushima comments howher success is largely a result of herhusband who has stood by her for 32years. He not only supported andencouraged her to expand herhorizons, but also provided variouscontacts that she approached and laterworked with.

Andrea Redmond admits thatbalancing both can be very difficultand it implies a lot of communicationand coordination between her husbandand herself, or more precisely betweenboth of their assistants, especiallywhen i t comes to shar ing theresponsibility of their 10-year old son.

Joanna Czarnocka-Tworzyƒska

explains how she works very hard tojuggle it all, but counts on a supportivehusband, her parents and her in-lawsto care for her son. “If it wasn’t for themI would have felt really torn.”

Then there are some womenconsultants, such as Vanessa Morieland Joëlle Warren, who enteredexecutive search after having workedin corporate life and thought that thislifestyle switch, although it is verychallenging, allowed them to feel thatthey were more accountable and incontrol.

All the consultants report that theymust r igorously pr ior i t ize theircommitments in order to administertheir time efficiently and be able tomanage all the activities that are ontheir plate.

Joëlle Warren states, “I’m veryconscious that no one ever wrote ontheir gravestone ‘I wish I’d spent moretime at the office’ - when all is said anddone I’m not just prepared to settle forbeing money rich and time poor, whichmeans making choices. I’ve had topractice saying no and I have a coachwho helps me get the balance right.”

According to Donna Cornell, “Thereis no real balance on a daily basis. Oneday or week work looms large andshadows one ’s l i fe w i th du ty ;conversely another day or week familycommitments impede ones ability toreturn that phone call or email. You canimplement every tool – electronic orp a p e r, i m p l e m e n t e v e r y t i m emanagement approach ever developed– and yet the reality is that some dayswe are in control and other days weare not. Life is to be l ived, notbalanced.”

WHERE TO FIND THE ASSETS

Previously, most women began theircareer as a Researcher, then movedthrough the ranks to Partner and if youwere exceptional, could aspire to beManaging Director of an office. In fact,many of the veteran consultants, sucha s M i l l i e M c C o y a n d Va l e r i eBaxendale, followed this route.

Nevertheless, none of the searchconsultants that we interviewed came

from research. Of the 16 searchconsultants interviewed: 10 came fromvarious industry sectors, 2 came fromconsulting, 3 from human resourcesand 1 from psychotherapy. Why hasthis trend changed?

Janice Reals Ellig and Vanessa Morielbelieve that the dynamics of executivesearch are so intense that consultantsthat come from an industry backgroundare usually more qualified and are ofhigh caliber. They already understandthe business, organization dynamics,different cultures – which means notonly knowing the right people, it meansthat you have been successful in yoursector and you understand exactly whatit takes to succeed.

Kathy Murphy explains, “ I t ’soften difficult for senior managementto see these individuals' potential todevelop business. Although thereare some search f i rms who dodevelop some researchers into moreof a business development role,it ’s not as viable as in the past.The skill set of business developmentis so different than for research,which adds to the challenge of thetransition.”

‘THE OLD BOYS’Although women have made a great

deal of progress there are still areas

Andrea Redmond

Kathy Murphy

that women cannot bridge, and the oldboys’ network is one of them.

Louisa Wong-Rousseau states, “Theold boys’ network is precisely that, anetwork designed to protect an innercircle of ‘old boys’ or the establishedcaptains of industry, who are mostlymen. Hence, it is pointless for a womanto penetrate such a rigid system whosebasic premise is fast becomingobsolete.”

In fact, Catalyst’s recent studydepicts that the old boys’ networkholds considerably less weight withtoday’s CEOs.

Many women take the pragmaticview that there is enough business togo around. There are so many topbillers that one can have a productivecareer without penetrating the oldboys’ network.

Within this context, Kathy Murphyreports, “The clients we target and thatare obviously pleased with our work,are progressive in their thinking andare clients that are looking for top talentand do not perceive gender as anissue.”

Many of the consultants say thateven though this still exists, there is anew generation replacing the old boys’network, which is more comfortabledealing with women as equal partners.

In fact, the whole process ofnetworking is evolving. Els De Cremer

explains, “Briefings are shorter as mostconsultants, clients and candidates arefully loaded as professionals are nowdoing three times more than they did15 years ago. Therefore, there is morepressure to deliver results. You stillc rea te your ne tworks , bu t no tnecessarily do you spend the sametime that you did before wining anddinning.”

As a result, women are learning howto network more effectively. Accordingto Joëlle Warren, women are becoming“better at building their networks.Not in the traditional environment ofthe club or golf course, but throughbuilding relationships – getting toknow and understand the wholeperson.”

Janice Reals Ell ig agrees andbel ieves , “ Women associa t ionsas well as professional associationsare important to get to understand them a r k e t , k n o w k e y p e o p l e ,k n o w p e o p l e ’ s m a r k e t w o r t hand create opportunities to tap into toptalent.”

Susan Vinnicombe reports, “Womenare joining women’s networks and thathelps overcome women’s sense ofiso la t ion. I a lso th ink a lo t o fo rg a n i z a t i o n s h a v e e m p l o y e dmentoring schemes which have helpedsenior men have closer contact withtalented women.”

SMALL OR LARGE

There are some women consultantswho are tired of the corporate and fast-t rack environment , bel iev ing about ique can a l low them moreflexibility, professional growth, power,compensation and the ability to serviceclients better.

Janice Reals Ellig considers thatlarge search firms mirror the corporateworld, meaning that they can be toopol i t ica l . “As a ra inmaker andentrepreneur, you want to build yourown business. Then there is the issueof off limits, tailored services and asmall team that collaborates togetherto serve clients better.”

Joëlle Warren adds, “I’ve gained thei m p r e s s i o n t h a t t h e s e l a r g e

consultancies tend to have a stronghierarchy. It’s a very rigid model int e r m s o f c o n t r i b u t i o n s a n dexpectations. For an independentconsultancy, there is no need to stickto a rigid business model. We can bemuch more flexible and creative, totallyopen to change and new ideas. Linesof communication are shorter and wehave a team rather than a hierarchicalstructure.”

Nevertheless, there are otherconsultants that thrive in the largesearch firms believing that this offeringis more suitable with their lifestyle.

Lorenza Raya Clouthier, ManagingConsultant of Ray & Berndtson inMexico, who founded and managedher own search boutique and has alsoworked at a large search firm, statesthat the latter has represented morechallenges, professional developmentopportunities and an internationalreach.

Hilary Sears has also worked thefull spectrum and believes that whethera consultant works at a small boutiqueor a large search firm all consultantsare measured on their successfulplacements.

Donna Cornell adds, “If one is anoutstanding performer in search, onewill f ind the growth, power andcompensation that correlate to thatperformance.”



Louisa Wong-Rousseau Donna Cornell



THE KEYS TO SUCCESSIn order to succeed, women must

develop a series of strategies. All theconsultants report that it is importantto strive consistently for the highestlevels of service, exceed your clients’expectations and be willing to workextra hard.

Caroline Nahas describes, “WhenI started 27 years ago there was aninitial skepticism by clients because Iwas a woman and at that time, most ofthe decision-makers were men. Butonce I performed and they saw theresults, they became my greatestchampions.”

Some consul tants d iscusseddeveloping a style with which maleclients, candidates and colleagues arecomfortable.

For o thers , a h ighly v is ib leassignment helped prove their worthand ga in the respect o f the i rcolleagues, candidates and clients.Caroline Nahas remarks, “I wasfortunate that my firm was ahead ofothers in allowing me to take on thesechallenges to add value.”

Sakie Fukushima agrees andexplains how she had very goodmentors in her firm that have allowedher to exploit her full potential.

Yet others have proven theirsuccess by changing their workenvironment to suit their leadershipstyle.

Joanna Czarnocka-Tworzyƒskad e s c r i b e s , “ I h a v e w o r k e d i ncompanies friendly towards womenand in one where I always felt guiltyfor not being a man. I did not want tostruggle with masculine skepticismand a lack of trust. To be honest, I feltfrom the very beginning that my“ f e m i n i n e w a y ” o f b u i l d i n grelationships in business, based oncloseness and trust, had never beentruly accepted by my colleagues. Theywere sure I was 'too nice to people toearn money’ . So I changed theenvironment, instead of changingmyself.”

All the consultants articulated theimportance of taking advantage of theopportunities that arise.

Vanessa Moriel remarks, “Findingthe right environment - no matter if thatmeans changing jobs, countries, andeven continents - will result in thefulfillment of your career.”

According to Hilary Sears, it isi m p e r a t i v e t o “r e s e a r c h t h emarketplace and make sure youunderstand what is expected of you.”

All the consultants report how vitalit is to create rewarding relationships. For Joëlle Warren, “Search is one ofthose careers that you get better at asyou get older! Your network expandsand with it your reputation.”

Sakie Fukushima explains it isimportant to “not only add value as aprofessional, but learn to challenge theclient. Study the market and know thebusiness, make key contacts, gain in-depth depth knowledge, advise clientsas partners and always be willing tolearn from candidates, colleagues andclients. Above all, maintaining integrityis most important.”

Accord ing to Lorenza RayaClouthier, “Proven results in a highlycompetitive market will boost yourconfidence level,” and end any queriesabout your gender.

Isabelle Carlnäs adds, “It is crucialthat you have strong values and a greatdeal of confidence in yourself and inyour ability to deliver results.”

Joanna Czarnocka-Tworzyƒskarecommends, “It is your time now! Thisbusiness needs not only effectiveness,but also empathy and openness. Theseare your strongholds” as a womanconsultant.

For Kathy Murphy, it is vital that “youdon’t let the issue of being a womanact as an obstacle to your success butinstead see it as a benefit. Stay focusedon providing excellent service toclients and you'll have a successfulpractice."

Louisa Wong-Rousseau explainshow her professional motto has alwaysbeen, "Everyone is born with the rightto learn and succeed. However,o n l y t h r o u g h p e r s i s t e n c e a n ddetermina t ion can one un lockthe power of knowledge. Hence,never give up, be honest wi th

yourself, trust your instincts andintuitions and never compromise yourprinciples.”

For Caroline Nahas, " I t is anextraordinary profession where if youare passionate about your work, it canbe extremely fulfilling and financiallyrewarding. From day one, think aboutevery interaction and experience asb u i l d i n g b l o c k s t o w a r d y o u rr e p u t a t i o n . M a x i m i z e y o u ropportunities, be determined, investin establishing relationships andunderstanding your clients business,and deliver results."

The ‘glass ceiling’ faced by womenin the workplace remains a reality thathopefully will be shattered as moreindividuals become aware of thesediscrepancies and work on findingways to eliminate these barriers. Toptalent should be based on provenresults and nothing more. The womenconsultants we have interviewed areexamples that this can be achieved.They are all optimistic that in searcha n d i n t h e c o r p o r a t e w o r l d ,performance will be the sole factor indetermining your success.



Web: www.search-consult.com

Joanna Czarnocka-Tworzyƒska

amily owned businesses (FOBs) area major driving force in today’smarketplace, accounting for virtually

80% of all businesses worldwide. In fact,approximately 35% of the Fortune 500 arecomposed of family enterprises. FOBsaccount for 75% of US and Europeanbusinesses, 80% of Latin Americancompanies and more than 80% of Asianfirms.

A FOB is obviously a firm in which afamily has a significant percentage ofpersonal equi ty/estate investedin a business. These companiestend to prioritize family values in themanagement style and there is usually anextremely fine line between managementand family.

Marriott, Nordstrom, BMW, Ford, TheNew York Times and Cadbury Schweppesare some examples of successfulfamily enterprises. Ivan Lansberg,Co-Founder of consulting firm Lansberg,Gersick & Associates, believes that oneof the reasons "...these firms have been soeffective in high quality niche markets isbecause families really leverage theirreputation on their identity – which is theelements that make up the core of theirbrand and is at the forefront of theirstrategic thinking.”

Many FOBs have begun to wrestle withhow to stay competitive without losingtheir identity. Ivan Lansberg describes,“As these companies grow, they merge,they acquire, they create joint ventureswith larger companies that do notnecessarily understand the nuances ofbeing a FOB, they must decide how bestto do this without giving up some of theirvalues that make up their identity. They

must determine how to grow at a rate thatis economically feasible for them to keeptheir market share without ‘selling out’ tothe more toxic effects of a capitalisteconomy.”

The global izat ion of marketsand the dynamics of a quick-pacedbusiness environment are making morefamilies that own large enterprisesrealize that in order to increasetheir companies’ competitive advantagethey must begin to recruit for seniorpositions, such as CEO and President, thatwere previously reserved exclusively fort h e f o u n d e r o r c l o s e f a m i l ymembers. Although these familybusinesses are conscious of thebenefits of including non-family talent, itis not a decision that is taken lightly by thefamily.

HOW TO ADVISE THE KINGWhen working with FOBs consultants

must have certain skills, talents and anunderstanding of the family business thatdiffers tremendously from the corporateclient.

Ivan Lansberg explains, “The mosti m p o r t a n t d i f f e r e n c e i s r e a l l yunderstanding that the success of a FOBcan only be accomplished if you are ableto meet two factors, which are not alwaysin alignment: satisfying the needs of theowner while at the same time satisfyingthe demands of the marketplace.”

Due to the delicate nature of balancingthese two intertwining issues, it is crucialthat the advisor be able to satisfy both setsof requirements. Ivan Lansberg states,“Family business consultation requiresgeneralists who are able to understandand empathize with the family owners.”They must be able to advise on thechallenges that these companies face sothey are able to walk a fine line "...betweenthe soft issues of the human drama of thesefamilies and at the same time, the hardissues of the strategic and organizationalchallenges that their businesses face inan increasingly competitive world.“

Luis Conde, Chairman of The AmropHever Group & the Head of the FOBPractice in Europe, describes how AmropHever is composed of small search firms,individually owned and managed by localentrepreneurs, which make themunderstand first-hand the implications ofoperating a business. In fact, Luis Condeexplains how Amrop Hever is the onlyglobal search firm that has set up a FOBpractice to deal exclusively with thedemands of the family enterprise.

S E A R C H - M A R K E T


Family Owned Businesses:The Magic Kingdom

By Pilar Gumucio

F

Luis Conde



Luis Conde continues, “With FOBs, weare dealing directly with the owner(s) ofthat firm. From one entrepreneur to another,we discuss strategy, the vision for the firm,organizational structures, policy changes,competencies, and as a result of all thesediscussions, we are able to identify whatthe needs of the family business really arein regard to selecting a new executive.”

Ivan Lansberg reports, “Many familyenterprises are beginning to realize thatif they want to compete in a global worldand if they want to grow, they must bringin directors that are both top-notch in termsof their skill but at the same time respectfulof the values and traditions of the family.Finding people that incorporate both is amuch tougher task. As a result, familiesare looking more and more to search toprovide a more systematic, rigorous andmethodological way of finding this talent.”

THE KING

Tetsuji Montanaga, a Partner andconsultant responsible for FOBs at JomonAssociates/Amrop Hever in Japan, explainsthat when you deal with a multinationalcorporate client you usually speak to anexecutive who can be the Director ofHuman Resources or the head of aparticular department. “With FOBs you aredealing directly with the Founder or theCEO, who is the ultimate decision-maker,and will still be there in five years time.”

Luis Conde describes how "...the firstgeneration of entrepreneurs’ success isbased on a very clear vision. They arepassionate risk takers, very intuitive, veryhard working and although they startedwith very little capital, have created asuccessful family enterprise.”

Since their success is based on theirintuition and passion, they continue to usethe heart rather than the head when makingdecisions, especially when choosing asuccessor or placing an executive atDirector or Board levels.

Luis Conde reports how sometimesthey may be more demanding andthoroughly depict what is required. Healso describes how they can be moreemotional and "fall in love” faster withsome candidates instead of systematicallycomparing them with other candidates.

“Personal chemistry,” informs Tetsuji

Montanaga “is very important in thisselection process.”

At the same time, there is a level ofdistrust as emotions run high. Some wantto continue with the same old habits andfollow family tradition. Others may beapprehensive with how an ‘outsider’ mayaffect the family enterprise.

All three consultants have expressedhow families tend to be hesitant until youhave proven yourself and earned theirtrust. Nevertheless, once this has beenachieved, a long-term relationship isestablished. It is built on loyalty, trust andcommitment. As owners, they have avested interest in what happens in theirfirm and, therefore, will make decisionsbased on this long-term perspective.

THE BATTLE OF SUCCESSIONFamily enterprises are at a critical

juncture as simply inheriting the topposition is no longer the most appropriatecourse of action. Luis Conde and TetsujiMontanaga explain how most of their firm’sFOB clients are first-to-second generationowners, starting their businesses afterWorld War II, and in the case of Spain afterthe Spanish Civil War. Luis Conde remarks,“This generation is about to retire and theymust pass on the torch to the nextgeneration.”

Ivan Lansberg describes how two-thirds of FOBs are going from a singleentrepreneur to shared ownership by a

group of siblings or by a group of cousins.One of the huge challenges thesecompanies face is that "...as thesesystems transmissions are controlledthrough their children, their governancemechanisms have to become morecomplex and pluralistic in terms ofdecision-making, and that calls for adifferent approach.” FOBs must determine,"... how to create institutionalizedand managed governing structuresabove the CEO, and non-family talent canbring a wealth of experience at thatlevel.”

THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE

Search consultants are obtainingassignments for CEOs and GeneralDirectors, but also Non-ExecutiveDirectors, Directors to sit on familyfoundations and also for people to act asTrustees for many of the legal entities thatthese families own.

Luis Conde and Tetsuji Montanagadescribe how Amrop Hever notonly helps clients with the recruitment ofexecutives, but will advice FOB clients onother family matters such as the creationof a family council, the creation andimplementation of a family protocol,mentoring heirs for positions ofresponsibility, leadership succession plansand governance issues.

Luis Conde reports that in fulfilling anassignment there are some family ownedcompanies that do not request advice onfamily matters. Nevertheless, there aresome FOB clients that do ask for this typeof service.

There are some FOB clients that do nothave any family member in the topmanagement ranks while others may haveonly one or ten family members present.Luis Conde explains how in a FOB theorganizational structures vary dependingon the company’s level of professionalismand the level of family involvement inbusiness.

Ivan Lansberg agrees as he considersthat, “It is very important that theprofessional search firm be versed in thegovernance structures that are needed forthe continuity of complex familyenterprises, such as a family council andfamily foundation.”

Tetsuji Montanaga



THE FIRST KNIGHTAs more openings emerge in FOBs,

search consultants are tapping corporatemultinational executives, a pool thatpreviously was not draw upon. Thecompensation packages were not asattractive and since the top jobs wereinherited, many multinational executivespreferred to climb the corporate ladderor venture off and establish their owncompany.

Since then, the situation has drasticallychanged. Compensation packages arenow more appealing, non-familyexecutives are being welcomed andvalued, and, if they prove their worth, thenon-family executive can continue todevelop professionally for many years.

The mindset required to succeed at amultinational corporation is very differentfrom that required at a FOB. Ivan Lansbergdescribes how, “The Jack Welch’s of thisworld, as wonderful as he may be as anexecutive and as a leader, probably wouldfail in a family enterprise” because theprofile of a FOB executive requires an"executive that is respectful of thosetraditions; values a particular accumulatedwisdom that a family may have; respectsthe rights, responsibilities and privilegesof the owner while at the same timebringing all his experience to the task athand that any senior executive must take.”

An important benefit for executives thatmake the switch is the stability a FOB canoffer. Ivan Lansberg explains, “This notionof your being a part of the machinery of amultinational that can be moved at will,relocated to another country just becausethat is the new strategy plan without anyconsideration or implications that has foryou and your family, doesn’t happen at afamily enterprise. The owners will put thatup on their decision-making agenda.”

Luis Conde remarks, “There is nogreater training ground than a multinationalcorporation. The skills, the experienceand the wisdom acquired are exceptional.But there comes a point in one’s life thatchanging locations every 3-4 years growstiresome for the executive and for theexecutive’s family.” As a result, it becomestime to explore other venues, and a FOBcan be very attractive.

For Tetsuji Montanaga, “If you define

yourself and fit perfectly with the founder’svision, and you are 10 years younger thanthe CEO, you can stay at the FOB for 10or more years. It’s enough time for an ablebusiness person to achieve his or her owngoals.”

SELECTING THE RIGHT KNIGHT

In making the right fit, Tetsuji Montanagadescribes how “in addition to looking atcapability, skills and making sure that theindividual is a seasoned business person,we look to see if that candidate shares thesame vision and values as the family.”

According to Ivan Lansberg, “When anon-family executive works for a FOB, thebenefits of being treated as a human being,of having a set of owners whose valuesyou endorse and a family that you have asense of pride working for can beexhilarating.”

Amrop Hever conducted a study to seewhat Spanish executives who had madethe switch from multinational corporatecompanies to family owned companieshad to say. The results depicted thatoverall, executives were satisfied with themove. Key factors that contributed to theexecutives’ satisfaction included:geographic and professional stability;better remuneration; a higher level ofappreciation for their results; moreautonomy and the ability to influencedecisions that go beyond the limits of amultinational.

In fact, Luis Conde reports that five

years later 100% of his firm’s successfulplacements still remain with the same FOBclient. “If the placement is successful, it is100% certain that they will still be there. Ifthe placement was not successful, theexecutive is out of that company within thefirst six months. In any rate, the level ofchanging jobs is still very low.”

How can one make sure the placementis successful? Luis Conde states, “On onehand, it is vital to understand the familyenterprise in depth, to know the ownerand to comprehend his values. On theother hand, it is important to be able toexplain to the candidate exactly what ourclient’s expectations are, the benefits andalso the drawbacks so that all parties areaware of the situation beforehand.”

The particularities that a candidatecontemplating the switch should look intoa r e : t h e c o m p a n y ’ s l e v e l o fprofessionalism, the level of familyinvolvement, whether the family has a rolein management as well as who and -withinthe chain of command - where is thesuccessor.

Ivan Lansberg sums it up best bystating, “The issue in FOBs is not so muchshareholder value, it is shareholder valuesand how well that family is able to articulateits values and translate those values intosuccessful strategies in the marketplace.”Executives who not only understand thosedynamics, but also can embody thosevalues are the ones that will really fit in.

CAMELOT’S MAGIC

Family owned businesses representimportant elements of the world economyand today offer search firms an invaluableopportunity. At the same time, FOBsdemand a great deal of understanding,tact, loyalty and commitment. If thisbalance is achieved both can establish alifetime relationship. You must alwaysremember that you are more than anadvisor or a matchmaker; you must be aseffective as Merlin was in advising KingArthur about Camelot.

Ivan Lansberg



Web: www.amrophever.comwww.lgassoc.com

hile few would argue that thesearch industry is not on theup, many firms are operating

in a growing market with the same,slim line infrastructure which they feltnecessary to get by during theslowdown. This places the director ofthe search firm in a difficult situation. Demand may be up. Business is outthere; however, deep cuts in theresearch department were necessaryto survive the recession. Is now thetime to rebuild? In a turbulent geo-political environment and with USelections around the corner, is thedecision to increase your fixed cost -that is research - based on the currentdemand, the right one?

In times like this, many firms turn toindependent researchers. As the namesuggests, an independent researcheris someone (usually an individual, butcan occasionally be a firm) whoprovides contract research work onbehalf of many search firms.

While the decision to use anindependent researcher may bringfinancial advantages to a search firm,it can also bring operational issues. Most search firms will not allow theresearcher “direct access” to the firm'sdatabase. This is not due to technicalreasons since the Internet will allowcheap and easy remote access tomodern systems, but merely to the factthat the researcher may well bework ing fo r a compet ing f i rmtomorrow.

This means that, traditionally, thesearch firm has had to retype third

party research into i ts companydatabase - a task that is both dull andinefficient.

THIS IS NO LONGER THE CASE. Dillistone Systems has launched

“Virtual Researcher” as a FREE toolfor independent researchers. This willallow the researcher to enter the datainto a “FILEFINDER like” front-end. Itcan then be emailed to the clientcompany where it may be validatedand then imported automatically intothe database.

This is good news for the searchfirm; it is also equally good news forthe researcher. The “beta” version of“Virtual Researcher” is available FREEof charge for a limited period.

LEARNING MORE:If you are a researcher and would

like to use the free, beta version ofV ir tual Researcher, s imply vis i twww.dillistone.com/ffvr, register anddownload.

If you are a search firm wishing toimport data from Virtual Researcher; you will need to have both FILEFINDER6 and FFImport installed. If you are onan earlier version of FILEFINDER, youmay be entitled to a free softwareupgrade – contact your local supportoffice to check.

If you are a search firm and are usinga system other than FILEFINDER thencontact [email protected] to learnmore about Virtual Researcher and themany other benefits of switching toFILEFINDER!

S E A R C H - T E C H N O L O G Y


IT in SearchHow Virtual Researcher Works:W

The FILEFINDER user opens the research data inFFImport. This validates the data (to avoid duplication)and allows the user to merge the incoming informationwith any existing person or company records.

The researcher enters the research information intoVirtual Researcher.

Upon completion, Virtual Researcher produces a filewhich is emailed to the search firm client.

That’s it! FILEFINDER now carries records for bothcompanies and people.

Virtual Research – Made EasierBy Jason Starr

S E A R C H - T E C H N O L O G Y


Maintaining accurate and up to dateinformation in your database has alwaysbeen an important task for the searchprofessional. New Data Protection rules– which in many countries require regularcontact to be made if you are to keepcandidate information on file – havesimply formalized a long standingheadache.

The good news is that technology canplay a part in facilitating this process. FFRSVP – a new product from DillistoneSystems – allows database contacts toupdate “business card” type informationvia the web, without an expensive webinvestment by the search firm.

Until recently, for a candidate toupdate his or her information online, a“live link” was required between thesearch firm database and an InternetServer. This was both expensive andproblematic for smaller firms that maynot have the internal IT expertise requiredto implement this facility in a securemanner.

FFRSVP avoids this by usingMicrosoft’s latest “’NET” technology. Thesearch firm simply selects the peoplewho they wish to update and exports an

XML data file (it sounds complex but it’sa quick search and two clicks to export). This is then uploaded to the DillistoneSystems RSVP Server. The search firmthen emails (or writes, if they wish) to theappropriate people.

From this point, the process is simple. The candidate clicks a link within theemail, enters a username and password,and updates his or her “business card”. The new information is then sentimmediately back to the search firm'sadministrator via email. The updatedinformation can then be uploaded intothe database via FFImport.

It’s quick, simple and, as it is “pay peruse”, it is highly cost effective. Noexpensive infrastructure is required andthe update may be run as frequently orinfrequently as required.

If you are using FILEFINDER andwould like to learn more about anFFRSVP campaign, simply contact yourlocal office.

Export screen (Alt-X, showing list of macros)

Contact the candidate

FFImport - list of incoming candidates from webforms



Email:Web:

[email protected]

Staying in Touch

Screen search results showing list of people

S E A R C H - S T R A T E G Y


wo different search firms madet h e d e c i s i o n t o o p e n a ninternational office, one in Europe

and the other in the US. This casestudy follows the challenges theyfaced.

A US based

search boutique,

specializing

in Life Sciences,

is opening

its first

international

office in Europe.

After conducting a search to find theright person in Copenhagen, localcountry implications were the next

considerations. They needed adviceon international tax, the best way to setup the European company for futuregrowth and a full understanding of thelocal terms of employment. Gatheringinformation on tax issues and localemployment laws was certainly timeconsuming but necessary.

The Royal Danish Consulate Generalwas contacted in New York (theequivalent to any country’s embassy). They supplied initial free advice andcontact information for approvedprofessional services companies.

As with most European countries,there is an independent advisorydivision to aid foreign businesses toopen an off ice in their country. Knowing the right questions to ask isa start. Getting free and accurateadvice and embassy approvedcontacts is a terrific bonus. In this case,a group of professionals called Investin Denmark made the exploratoryprocess easier than expected. HelleMeinertz is the primary contact and

her colleague Christian Hogsberg wasprofessional, helpful and responsive.

CONTACT DETAILS (Helps foreigncompanies set up a new office inDenmark)Helle Meinertz

Director, North AmericaInvest in DenmarkRoyal Danish Consulate GeneralOne Dag Hammerskjold Plaza885 Second Avenue, 18th FloorNew York, NY 10017-2201, USAPhone +1 212-705-4951 Web www.investindk.com

Invest in Denmark sent currentinformation on local employment legalrequirements, including the number ofholidays (6 weeks in Denmark, inaddition to public holidays) and theliability in the event of the candidate’stermination.

Invest in Denmark offered contactsin the Danish offices of Deloitte &

By Georgina Tremayne

Emerging Search Firms:part II

T

OpeninganInternational Office

S E A R C H - S T R A T E G Y


Touche and PricewaterhouseCooperswho advised setting up a private ApScompany wi th l imi ted l iabi l i ty. In addition, PricewaterhouseCoopersbased in the UK have a divisionspecializing in international tax.They are knowledgeable, friendly andapproachable. Their initial advice isfree of charge.

PricewaterhouseCoopers advisorsare Mel issa Chris topher, SonalChandarana and Neil Drury.

Melissa is a tax manager whospecializes in advising companiesexpanding overseas, including inwardinvestment to the UK and otherEuropean expansions. She spent a yearworking in Boston on US clients withoverseas investments, and also spenttwo years working with the UKGovernment 's inward investmentdepartment.

Neil is a senior tax managerproviding corporate tax advice for USand UK groups with operations inEurope.

Sonal is a tax consultant, workingon both personal and corporate tax.He is part of Melissa's group, and theyspecialize in providing a service called"Pathfinder". The aim of this service isto provide a one-stop shop forcompanies expanding overseas, fromproviding structuring advice to settingup overseas and completing localregistrations.

CONTACT DETAILS (International Taxand Company set-up advice from PwC)

Melissa Christopher Email [email protected] +44 118 960 7899

Neil Drury

Email [email protected] +44 20 7804 5661

Sonal Chandarana

Email [email protected] +44 20 7213 5931

Invest in Denmark also gavecontacts at an approved Danish lawfirm Rønne & Lundgren. Any referrals

may offer initial free advice with theexpectation that future business, suchas incorporating the local companywill be handled by them. They canadvise if the candidate offer lettercontent is proper and correct underlocal law.

A UK financial services search firmis opening their first US office. NewYork City was always their targetlocation so they were able to educatethemselves on local expectationsahead of finding the right candidate toopen their office.

US candidates may have differentexpecta t ions f rom a Europeancandidate. For example, healthcarecosts and other benefits will beexpected to be covered 100%. Andit’s also important to get the officelocation right. Although Wall Street(downtown) is natural ly thoughtof as the financial center, most searchfirms are based in midtown and so aretheir f inancial cl ients. Potent ialand future employees commute to thecity from New Jersey into Penn Stationand from Connecticut into GrandCentral station. Both stations aremidtown so a mid-town office locationis generally preferable, otherwise anadditional 30 minutes will be added tothe commute time.

Search firms that expand to theUS from overseas may choose to stafftheir offices, at least initially, with oneor two existing employees from otheroffices.

It guarantees immediate operationalsupport and a quicker integration ofb e s t c o m p a n y p r a c t i c e s a n dprocedures that are adopted acrossthe firm – with the clear notion that thenew office head can concentrate onbusiness development and searchexecution, rather than trying to findtheir way through potential companypaperwork.

A p o t e n t i a l h u r d l e m a y b ef inding the r ight v isa to a l lowinternational employees to transfer tothe US for a longer period of time. Post9/11, the visa process has become

more complicated than in previousyears and is constantly changing.C u r r e n t l y t h e H 1 B ( s p e c i a l i s tknowledge) is unavai lable unt i lOctober 2004.

L1 visas are the most commonfor first time visitors working in the USand there is the E2 investmentvisa as another option. Any companyc o n s i d e r i n g a n i n t e r - c o m p a n yemployee t rans fer shou ld ta lkto a specia l is t v isa lawyer assoon as possible. Preferably find av i s a l a w y e r t h a t h a s b e e nrecommended to you. The followingf i rm works wi th c l ien ts ins ideand outside the US and comes highlyrecommended from two peoplewho have previously used theirservices.

CONTACT DETAILS (US Visa Lawyer)Protima Daryanani, Esq.

Eric M. Bland, PC, Attorney at Law

430 West 14th Street, Suite 305New York, NY 10014Phone +1 212 431 5576Email [email protected] www.eblandlaw.com

The decision for a search firm toopen their first international office isundoubtedly exciting. It also takestime to get it right. The investment fora small to mid-sized boutique searchfirm is substantial both in time andmoney and it is unlikely that the firstyear wi l l y ie ld a prof i t in theinternational office. Be prepared for along term investment.

RM International is a retainedSearch f irm that special izes inrecruiting Partner and Principallevel search professionals for retainedsearch firms. They conducted thesearches for the companies profiledabove.



Web: www.rminternational.com

t’s a familiar scenario: you think youmade a great hire. The guy’s resumeis fantastic, he did great things at his

last position, and nobody’s been able todig up any dirt on him. The process tookmonths but it was worth it; his experienceis a perfect match.

But before you pat yourself on the back,flip a coin. Why? Because there’s a 50/50chance your fabulous new hire is going toleave or be asked to leave—within a year.

Sound far-fetched? Fifty percent ofnewly hired executives either quit or arefired within the first 12 months, accordingto a recent survey conducted by theCorporate Leadership Council inWashington, D.C.

For today’s hiring decision-makers—whether you are a hiring manager orhuman resources professional—thescenario is a painful one. Replacing a topexecutive is a pain most businesses justcannot afford, especially now whenbudgets are being squeezed more tightlyand profit targets are more demandingthan ever before. Early attrition is a critical,but often undercalculated component ofthe total cost of replacing an employee.According to research by the consultingfirm Hay Group in Philadelphia, the costcan be as high as 150% of an executive'ssalary.

Time-honored hiring techniques aresimply not enough to ensure successful

hires in today’s pressured market. Butimplementing an innovative techniquesuch as personality assessment can helpprovide the solution, by heightening theaccuracy of the evaluation process anddiminishing the risk of the unknown. Usedalone or in combination with other provenapproaches, the more scientific techniqueof personality assessment can radicallyeliminate the guesswork that plagues thehiring approach.

Personality assessment is standardizedtesting that identifies an individual’s innertraits and motivation to determine if aperson will succeed in a job, regardlessof previous experience.

The seeds of this type of pre-employment evaluation were planted inthe early 20th century, when the businessworld became interested in usingknowledge of the human psyche toincrease workplace productivity. So-calledprojective techniques—where someoneis presented with a situation on which toproject his feelings and the way he seeslife—were translated into “pen-and-paper”inventories. Scoring became objective.Standardized personality assessment, aswe know it today evolved and was refinedover decades of growing enthusiasm forthis approach, to improving individualperformance and company productivityand profit.

Now, hiring decision-makers are

discovering that the attitude and aptitudeof a job candidate may be just as importantas experience—if not more so, accordingto Bill Bliss, President, Bliss and Associates,Inc. in Wayne, NJ, whose firm helpscompanies improve the performance oftheir senior executives.

With more than twenty years experiencein the business world, and a keen observerof emerging trends, Bliss says that for acompany’s goals and strategies to becomereality—and for the company to becomesuccessful—an employee’s keypersonality traits and commitment mustbe engaged. “Which leads us to theimportance of finding out what motivatesa person,” he says. “And to discover whatmotivates a person, we must understandthe personality of the individual.”

A recent Business Week article abouthiring practices today points out that thetraditional face-to-face hiring interview isa fairly weak predictor of performance,with only a 7% accuracy rate in predictingperformance. Personality assessment,however, has a 44% success rate—nearlyseven times more successful than the mosttypical hiring technique. When usedtogether with the behavioral-basedinterview, these tools enhance each otherfor an even greater success rate.Unquestionably, professionals with hiringresponsibility owe it to themselves andtheir companies to take greater control of

S E A R C H - C O M M E N T


By Hayes Reilly

I

ofTo the ArtEffective Hiring

Bringing Science

S E A R C H - F O C U S


the hiring process by looking into thesenew techniques.

The Princeton, NJ-based Caliper testis one I have used as part of my searchprocess. Bill Bliss also likes it, in partbecause responses cannot be faked(something personality testing as a fieldmust be careful of). The Caliper profile isa “richer tool” than many others today,Bliss notes, because it measures morethan 20 different traits, requires the test-taker to choose between four descriptors,and includes an aptitude component. “It’sbetter than offering a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ optionor a scale of 1 to 7, as other tests do,” hesays.

The testing also meets equalemployment opportunity criteria, as anypre-employment test must: that the test isvalid; that it is fair; and that it is job-related.

As the business environment getstougher and tougher, organizations needto identify top talent that can change andgrow as their positions do. Personalityassessment can uncover the innerworkings of a candidate to determine ifthey will be successful in a given job. It isalso a valuable tool for predicting if aperson will respond well to the demandsand stresses of a particular companyculture—a fascinating and a cost-effectivecomponent of a comprehensive executivesearch.

Why ‘flip a coin’ over something ascrucial as a new hire, when by using atool such as personality assessment youcan diminish the risk and ensure theretention of a new executive’s long termgrowth and commitment with yourcompany?

In other words, you can win, heads ortails.

Your toss!

Hayes Reilly is President of HayesReilly Associates, Morristown, NJ, USconsultants in executive search that usean innovative blend of techniques in thesearch and hiring process.

Peter Gullström is Founder andManaging Partner of Headlight Internationalbased in Stockholm, Sweden. He is ageneralist, but has mainly worked withsenior executive search in the IT,Manufacturing and FMCG industries.

I spoke to Peter when he was in theSouth of France with his family. He tooktime out from his well-earned holiday totalk to search-consult.

How did you get into Search?After I received my degree in BusinessAdministration I worked in Mexico andLondon. When I wanted to move back toSweden I gave my CV to Search contactsI had and instead of pitching me forwardfor jobs, they offered me a role at their owncompany as a Researcher.

What do you enjoy the most?I work in a fun, positive environment andenjoy talking to people about their careers. I get a kick out of talking to successfulpeople.

High point of your career?Yet to come! I am proud of what we haveaccomplished so far. The concept isgenuine so I want this to develop further.

What are your top priorities for this year?Our long term aim is to become a Europeanboutique, so this year we hope to open thefirst non-Swedish office. The location isnot so important, more that we have theright consultant running it. We will also be

further developing the Swedish market andrelocating to bigger premises.

What is important to you about having yourown company?I enjoyed working for Korn/Ferry andNicholson for ten years but I wanted tohave something smaller, concentratingmore locally and making my owndecisions. To not be so concerned abouthaving targets of a certain amount invoicedbut have the value of my company showthrough.

What sort of leader are you?I think I lead very much by example. I havea wealth of experience and people aroundme can watch and learn.

What do you think it takes to be a ‘$1,000,000Biller’ in Search? It would take a top class support team, butwe are not actually volume driven. I haverespect for that approach but I don’t feel itis a criterion for success. With too manysearches also comes less individualattention. I am happy with long term brandbuilding and then, perhaps, gently raisingfees to increase revenue, rather thanincreasing the amount of projects.

Where would we find you out-of-hours? Time out of work is spent with my threechildren. I also like to play tennis and usedto be quite good - in my youth I even playedwith Stefan Edberg.

Headlight International was establishedin 2000 as an alternative to the larger, morevolume-driven search companies. Themajor difference is that consultants areonly allowed to handle two parallelassignments in an active phase. Despitethe recession within the industry, the pastthree consecutive quarters have reportedrecord figures.

By Theresa Dorrans



Web: www.headlightinternational.com


You can contact him at:

Email:Web:

[email protected] www.hayesreilly.com

Peter Gullström

Focus on...

hen organisations have acoaching culture they get betterresults. There is no real

mystery in this. People who get honestand constructive feedback are likely tobe more productive, and, whatever thelevel of management, appreciation,encouragement, acknowledgement andreward are the cornerstones of effectiveteam management.

Smart organisations, therefore, lookfor across-platform solutions to get thebest possible return on one of the mostvaluable assets in a business - its people.Without a doubt putting a coachingculture in place is a supremely wiseinvestment for the continuation ofcommercial success.

Of course, the creation of a coachingculture can only be successful where allstakeholders are fully supportive and fullyinvolved; where communication is clear

and consistent, and where monitoringand evaluation processes are put intoplace. A good coaching company willachieve this by working alongside theorganisation and assisting with each stepof the required transition period whileoffering objective and non-judgmentalsupport.

Thereafter, a coaching company mustacquit its role to motivate and encourage;to challenge and advise; to assistwith issues arising out of appraisal; to putlong term processes into place and finallyto pass actively the mantle of leadinga coaching culture to the in-house HRteam.

Let us not forget that in all of theseareas it is vital that a framework is putinto place that supports the coachee intheir quest for improvement indevelopment and performance. Fromday one a coaching organisation must

understand this, after all improvedbusiness results from individuals, teamsand organisations are the drivers thatshould bring focus to the coachingapproach.

Given all this, you may not besurprised to learn that executivecoaching is the most dynamic growtharea in developmental support for seniorexecutives within the organisationalworld. After all, CEOs face changingscenarios and unpredictable outcomeson a daily basis. Add to this the fact thatthey are required to deal in increasinglycomplex and t ime-cons t ra inedchallenges while leading from the top,and all too often their own essentialdevelopment is ignored.

This can be damaging personally,professionally and commercially.

Working one-to-one at this level isdemanding. Good coaches are not there

S E A R C H - C O A C H I N G


By Helen Pitcher

W

COACHING:The Fulcrum of a Succesful BusinessThe Fulcrum of a Succesful Business

COACHING:



to act as “yes men”, rather they mustclarify thinking and motives withchallenging questions and insights. Itis important, therefore, that those in therole of coach have also had some highlevel experience in business. Executivecoaching is at its most effective whenthere has been a real matching of coachand client skills and experience in thebusiness arena.

Top level coaches will deploythemselves to provide perspective onindividual strategy as well as helpingindividuals face the important challengesof life balance issues.

Being a woman in a senior positioncan bring added challenges since theyare frequently required to run a careerand a family side-by-side. This may beexacerbated when the family begins tofly the nest as they can find themselvesat a career crossroad. Organisationscan support their female high flyers bysupplying a coach who can provide anexternal perspective, a posit ivechallenge and a resource to facilitatethinking about the medium term as wellas being a custodian of the longer termgame. This case history shows how:

Perceived as a high-flyer andexcellent performer, this coachee wasalso regarded as a “super manager” byher colleagues. For her sake, thecompany felt it was important to coachher not to attempt to be all things to allpeople, to understand the impact ofdoing this on her own team and thebusiness culture; and to achieve a betterwork/life balance. In other words, howto drive at a pace without it driving her.

CEDAR coached her to think thingsthrough and broaden her view in orderto optimise success on several frontsrather than just the commercial.This helped her to establish a frameworkas a method of managing her very busyl i fe wi th pract ical and provenmethodologies which she could buyinto. She was able to take charge of hercareer and family life by jointlydeveloping goals and routes into herday-to-day routine.

These days, the building of a positiveperception of the CEO within theorganisation and to the outside world is

also highly relevant,even more vital whenthe City watches every move. Shareprices can be badly damaged by theperception that a CEO is wayward andout of step with his or her organisation.

Only coaching can ensureclarity of the individual and

collective capabilities of the team

as well as whatpotential supportmight be neededto maximise the chancesof business success.

This situation is exacerbated whenprivate investors step in to work with acompany. In any business environment,there is no question that Board efficiencyis greatly enhanced by individualmembers being coached to gain insightinto the component parts and criticaldynamics of the whole Board as well asthe management teams below. Howeverthere is increased pressure on the Boardto add quickly financial value for newinvestors, and business assets must beactively managed over a period of timein order to deliver returns for thoseinvestors consistent with an overall plan. Coaching to improve the performanceof this type of team is probably the singlemost important ingredient when it comesto the success or failure of the businessplan.

It is vital to remember that there is nosuch thing as “catch-all” executivecoaching; any coaching organisationworth its salt must offer bespokeprogrammes to match the very individualnature of its corporate clients.

N a t u r a l l y, d i s c r e t i o n a n dconfidentiality are watchwords in theworld of executive coaching, this is bothto avoid any conflict of interest, and toaddress the feeling in some quarters thatcoaching is for the needy. Luckily thissentiment is very much in decline and

in fact nothing could be further from thetruth – one has only to look at world-class sport coaching to see thedifference it can make to leveragingperformance. For this reason, the mostsuccessful CEOs avail themselves to avariety of methods to improve theirperformance and that of their company.

Coaching is able to address severalissues within a company, for example;retention of high-impact employees is amajor driver in resourcing executivecoaching. It is an important competitivestrategy for companies to keep keypeople and there needs to be ademonstrable investment in theindividual. The following case study wasdemonstrably beneficial both to theorganisation and the coachee, and thisis not untypical.

Having ascertained that their mid-thirties Operations Director was apotential high flyer, his employers – alarge corporate - brought in CEDARboth to keep him challenged and todevelop a parallel strategy in readinessfor a big move into a major role whichwas to be developed by the company.

In the event this took over 12 monthsduring which he learnt how to grow intoa larger role and how to ready himselffor this; to understand how he wouldbuild relations with those who were oncehis peers; and how to demonstrablypresent active leadership.

Helen Pitcher

The next big role turned out to beManaging Director of the organisation,by which time he was more than readyto take on the mantle. During his presentstewardship the organisation hascontinued to grow and prosper.

As a result, having experiencedcoaching themselves, senior managersare likely to have a very clear view as tothe wisdom of putting coaching intoplace at the earliest opportunity.

One of the prime areas they mayconsider is the attraction and retentionof new talent. Those companies that dobest are those who are likely to haverecognised the areas in which they arein control - specifically, the ability tomanage and nurture more effectively thecareers of their new managers.

Joining a management team within anew company immediately presses therequirements of the firm upon theindividual, and those promoted to sucha position will unequivocally beexpected to hit the ground running.These are stressful times that needcareful handling to maximise the successof the individual.

Programmes like First 100 Daysenables new managers to gainimmediate access to a depth andbreadth of coaching experience duringone of the most crucial three monthperiods in their career, and this directlybenefits their transition to a more seniorrole.

Coaching in this way also enablesthem to define their boundaries ofinfluence and responsibility and helpsthem to manage upwards anddownwards with assertion and influence.This, of course, means that not only arethey more effective managers within acompressed time frame, but that theyare able to manage people, developmentand performance better, which will inturn help to retain key talent workingunderneath them.

Of course, this is also a most effectiveway of getting individuals to addimmediate value by being more efficientand effective at business developmentand other key areas that drive revenuegeneration.

Industry leaders must understand thatbusinesses that do not managerelationships at work - and how theyultimately have an impact on businessperformance, these areas - will notsurvive. They do need to prioritize sometime in making their executives awareof their personal responsibility tomaintain an effective and efficientworking environment.

One area that needsto be quickly addressedis that of embracing

an ethos

that supportsand acknowledgesdiversity and equalopportunityand where harassmentof any kindis not tolerated.

This takes organisations beyond thebest practice approach of a coachingculture and into the legal obligation thatmeans organisations can be heldresponsible for the actions of their staffas well as the staff themselves beingindividually responsible.

Even those employers who mayconsider themselves comfortable witheffective management of diversity mayfind themselves being caught out by thelatest regulations in the most apparentlyinnocuous of circumstances. Theseaddress discrimination in employmentand vocational training on the groundsof sexual orientation and religion orbelief respectively. They protect therights of employees and apply to allemployers/businesses whatever theirsize and whether in the public or privatesector.

Spec i f ica l l y, t hey re la te torecruitment, terms and conditions, pay,

promotion, transfers and dismissalsthroughout the employment relationship- during the recruitment process, in theworkplace, on dismissal and, in certaincircumstances, after the employmenthas finished.

These regulations will require carefulthought and application and it is perhapsrealistic to understand that someorganisations will regard these as furtherhindrances to just getting on with theday-to-day business. However, the factis that it is worth getting to grips with thelatest legislat ion since tacklingdiscrimination helps to attract, motivateand retain staff. It also helps employersmake the best use of skills andexperience and it can obviously lead toa more diverse workforce, new ideasand access to wider markets.

No wonder then that diversityprogrammes are worth their weight ingold. They ensures clarification of theissues of diversity within an organisation;they heighten perception of thelegislative framework; they assist inbringing about what is required for goodmanagement and pract ice, andobviously avoid the possibility of legalwrangling and compensation.

There are bound to be differentrequirements from one organisation tothe next and this is why coaching shouldbe carefully designed around the needsand objectives of each client. Whetherdealing with Board Executives or newmanagers, start-ups or long establishedcorporations, best practice or legalobligation, coaching is the key to anycompany looking to maximise its impactin today’s shifting conditions; and mostsuccessful business leaders havealready added this to their armory ofproven business strategies.

CEDAR International specialises in thedevelopment of individuals, teams andorganisations and works with leadingorganisations around the world.





Web: www.cedar-plc.com

search-consult issue 19

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