One (More) Headhunter “Secret”: “See Me”

An Ifugao warrior with some of his trophies; I...

There are “secrets” in the executive search trade that anyone who hopes to be headhunted (or hire a headhunter to fill an opening) should know.

A set of 10 tips are here; another 7 more are here.

Here’s an 18th tip: what you do in the search process can stick with you for a lifetime.

While the world is incredibly small – Wendy Yanowitch’s saying that “The world is made up of (just) six people and lots of mirrors” is pretty true- what you do in the search process or even what you do outside of the search process can find a home in any record a search firm keeps.… Read the rest

[Life Back West] March 2014 – The Six O’Clock Club

Ask any priest, competitive athlete like Michael Jordan, or experienced traveler.iStock_000019334536Medium

Rituals done with intent bring meaning to life.

They also work, doing things like boosting performance and making things go better.

Francesca Gino and Michael I. Norton noted in Scientific American that “investigations by psychologists have revealed intriguing new results demonstrating that rituals can have a causal impact on people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.Read the rest

[Work Locations] Hit the Sweet Spot

It’s not Flo Rida, but like a lot of little things that add up to make a huge difference, where you put offices and people is critical for all sorts of reasons.

R.O.O.T.S.

You want to hit the sweet spot.

Time zones, for example.

A recent call with a colleague left me chuckling as she walked me through the logic of her Shanghai-headquartered company putting their US marketing and sales office in New Jersey.Read the rest

What Would Santa Say?

Santa Checks the Naughty or Nice List

Gary Allan Hertzberg, the American musician known professionally as Gary Allan, has a song line of  “Let’s be naughty and save Santa the trip.

For the “naughty or nice” standard, it’s a pretty good way to gauge behavior, and one for all of us (you too) to follow.

Exemplary behavior in one person – think Nelson Mandela – is rare.Read the rest

[Life Back West] October 2013 – Kismet?

Kismet” the CEO asked?shutterstock_139117229

Yes, kismet,” I said. “The not-so-accidental fact that I’m working with someone who has some of the same strengths and challenges that I have. The good news? I know them well.”

The CEO’s direct report was the client, someone I’ll call “Bob,” did indeed have a skill set that reminded me of me; hardworking, a nose for the business, great rapport with people below him on the corporate pecking order, broad interests and knowledge, smart (well, maybe not that part) and the ability to be too candid when greater diplomacy was in retrospect warranted.Read the rest