Our Blog
Insights, tidbits, musings, and hard-learned lessons during my years in business and recruiting all written and cataloged to hopefully, provide assistance.
Insights, tidbits, musings, and hard-learned lessons during my years in business and recruiting all written and cataloged to hopefully, provide assistance.
The vast majority of candidates have nothing to worry about
Read More
Stay professional, always, no matter what
Read More
Most executive level jobs are filled through personal connections
Read More
To nail your next interview, resolve to be a great listener
Read More
When done well, references are as important as the interview
Read More
Running a company with a dysfunctional board of directors is impossible
Read More
The best recruiters I know are grinders
Read More
Brains, work ethic, and education are never enough.
Read More
Are you making an effort to grow your relationship equity?
Read More
For candidates, calibrating the right balance of buying and selling can be tough
Read More
Is your company taking advantage of this buyer’s market?
Read More
Clients range in size from raw startups to $2B+ and are located all over the country
Read More
Referrals and networking will continue to be the best was to hire and get hired
Read More
Running a subsidiary company can be interesting, fun and extremely rewarding
Read More
AI will make high touch professional services even more highly differentiated and valued
Read More
Finding a healthy balance is essential to long term success
Read More
Looking for an executive level job is still all about leveraging personal relationships
Read More
The Wizard of Oz: That's what I call a prospective candidate who's impossible to pin down for a meeting.
Read More
Houseplants stop growing when they reach the limits of the pots in which they are planted.
Read More
A psychology degree does not guarantee its holder has any special insight into people.
Read More
Leaders who churn employees are chaos agents
Read More
Owners who focus on control always hit a ceiling
Read More
Without exception, the CEOs expressed deep dissatisfaction with hybrid work
Read More
One sector continues to thrive, while another is severely depressed
Read More
Sooner or later, we are going to have a recession. When that happens, young office workers will be in for a very rude awakening indeed.
Read MoreThere are several paths to the top job. I outline them in this 1.5 minute video.
Read More
If you are dragging your feet, you will lose most of your candidates.
Read More
We’re in the early stages of a historic change in how work gets done.
Read More
Many people think they want to work in a startup. Most of them are wrong.
Read More
How can you land that first board seat? It’s a lot more difficult than it looks.
Read More
Starting at the beginning of the second quarter, however, I foresee a rapid acceleration of executive hiring as the coronavirus is brought under control and companies dial up spending.
Read More
Companies that don’t treat candidates well eventually earn a reputation that repels talent.
Read More
When it comes to teams, superstars aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.
Read More
With the end of the pandemic in sight, businesses will spend more freely in order to position themselves for the recovery.
Read More
All of my European clients wrestle with that question. Usually it becomes a question of East versus West.
Read More
Yes, remote work brings some advantages, but they are far outweighed by the downsides.
Read More
How do you come up to speed when you can’t meet colleagues in-person or go to the office?
Read More
Look at your own executive team. Is this the group you need to lead your company through the coming years?
Read More
Not long ago, the market for medical device executives was red hot. Things have changed a lot in the last 8 weeks.
Read More
Why have so many managers failed to master this fundamental skill? It's simple: they're never taught how to do it. Most companies don't realize their employees need help. On the surface, interviewing looks like a simple skill that doesn't…
Download PDF
There's universal agreement that diet and exercise are the key to good health, but few people have the discipline to change their habits. Similarlt, everyone agrees that references are critically important to the hiring process, yet very few people…
Download PDF
In today's challenging business environment companies must exploit every competitive advantage. One of the most important is having a skilled and engaged board of directors.
Download PDF
Hiring them, however, is easier said than done. The best are rare, difficult to find and hard to attract. Competition for them is intense. When companies need to recruit the best executive talent, they retain an executive search consultant. Executive…
Download PDF
Everyone knows it’s hard to hit a moving target. In the world of recruiting, there’s a common problem I call Moving Target Syndrome (let’s call it MTS). In the classic presentation of MTS, the hiring company keeps changing…
Read More
Videoconference is great for a call with your mom. But it’s not great for judging candidates, or for convincing them to join your company. I understand why Skype and its peers are increasingly popular for interviewing. Everyone wants to…
Read More
The Wall Street Journal continues to report on the saga of Theranos, the former Silicon Valley darling that continues its epic self-immolation. On March 24, Christopher Weaver and John Carreyrou reported that Theranos is offering investors…
Read More
If you’re a hiring manager, you know the job market is as hot as it’s been in years. Competition for talent is intense. That means it’s harder to attract great new employees, and harder to keep the ones you already have. What…
Read More
The candidate had a solid background, but there were some strange transitions on his resume. He’d landed a big overseas posting with a prestigious company, then abruptly left a year later for a lesser position back in the US. It didn’t…
Read More
Back in September, I attended MassDevice DeviceTalks Boston. As usual, the MassDevice folks put on a terrific program. One of the featured speakers was Jeff Burbank, Founder and CEO of NxStage Medical, the dialysis company. In…
Read More
I’m recruiting a CEO for a medical device company that’s owned by a private equity firm. Last week, I was talking with one of the partners about his phone call with one of the candidates. He said, “The thing that distinguished…
Read More
Networking is easy — except when you make it hard on yourself. Last month I ran into a medical device executive I’ve known for a couple of years (let’s call him Peter). He’s considering a job change and a couple months…
Read More
Business Insider reported on a presentation by Kennedy School Professor Iris Bohnet at the Financial Times Women at the Top Conference in London. She spoke about decreasing bias in hiring. Bias is a real problem, and not just for candidates…
Read More
The Wall Street Journal published an interesting piece on the challenge of finding job candidates who have soft skills. The author, Kate Davidson, writes: “Companies across the U.S. say it is becoming increasingly difficult to…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More
Many up and coming leaders aspire to become a CEO. Landing that first CEO job is tough, and I'm often asked for advice on how to do it. It's a tricky question. In my own work on CEO searches, it's unusual to see companies willing take a risk on someone…
Read More