Acumen Executive Search

Bob Bedritis, CExP?, CRC?, CEPA? joins Suzanne Hanifin as a guest on Profiles in Leadership, sharing his wisdom and what “Hiring for Good” means to him. “When I was in business school, I learned something about—the prof was named McGregor. And he had what he called the Theory X and Theory Y. Theory X assumes that your employees are all lazy imbeciles, and that you better have high command and control over them and make sure they always know who's in charge and micromanage every moment of their lives. Theory Y believes that you have confident, competent, self-motivated people to work for. And working those eight and a half years for a Theory X guy I went way out in the other direction of Theory Y—of hiring and trusting people. You know what? 90% of the time it is wonderful, and it pays. And people thrive and are passionate in those roles. However, it all comes down to what you do—making sure you have the right hire, the right fit.” See the full recording at: https://lnkd.in/e3pUc7dZ #ProfilesinLeadership #HiringforGood #Leadership #Podcast

Thank you Tanis Morris and Soho House & Co for hosting our Monday Morning Team Meeting. Suzanne Hanifin Michelle Satter Molly Norton Christine Gunter

Read our latest blog post "Finance Leader's Rapid Impact at a Global Beverage Manufacturer". #ExecutiveSearch #RetainedSearch #Leadership #LeadershipHiring

How Not to Lose Your Job to AI: Lessons from a Mac’s List Event ? Instead of fighting it, professionals should lean into uniquely human skills that are hard to #automate. ? AI is coming for your job. Or is it? ? At a recent Mac Prichard Mac's List and University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication School of Journalism & Communication sponsored event exploring #AI in the world of work, panelists tackled this question head-on. ? Esteemed Panelists Included: ? Gary Grossman, EVP, global lead of Edelman AI Center of Excellence Sara Roth, former senior editor, digital for VERIFY Megan Notarte, partner, VP at Cloud Four | co-founder of AI Portland ? Here are a few of the valuable insights panelists shared: ? The Human Advantage: What AI Can’t Do ? While AI can get you part of the way there, the part that requires #EQ, strategic thinking, judgement, and foresight—still belongs to us humans (thankfully!). In a world where AI lowers barriers to entry, making competition fiercer, the ability to anticipate change and position yourself ahead of it is more valuable than ever. ? Some of the human skills needed in an AI-driven world include: ? 1. Emotional intelligence?(AI doesn’t do relationships) 2. Strategic thinking?(helping clients see around corners) 3. Storytelling and story-mining?(AI can generate content, but it lacks narrative intuition) ? Click on our blog link to see a full list of skills and further insights to help future-proof your career. https://lnkd.in/gY73cjnr Photo by Andie Petkus

How Not to Lose Your Job to AI: Lessons from a Mac’s List Event ? Instead of fighting it, professionals should lean into uniquely human skills that are hard to #automate. ? AI is coming for your job. Or is it? ? At a recent Mac Prichard Mac's List and University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication School of Journalism & Communication sponsored event exploring #AI in the world of work, panelists tackled this question head-on. ? Esteemed Panelists Included: ? Gary Grossman, EVP, global lead of Edelman AI Center of Excellence Sara Roth, former senior editor, digital for VERIFY Megan Notarte, partner, VP at Cloud Four | co-founder of AI Portland ? Here are a few of the valuable insights panelists shared: ? The Human Advantage: What AI Can’t Do ? While AI can get you part of the way there, the part that requires #EQ, strategic thinking, judgement, and foresight—still belongs to us humans (thankfully!). In a world where AI lowers barriers to entry, making competition fiercer, the ability to anticipate change and position yourself ahead of it is more valuable than ever. ? Some of the human skills needed in an AI-driven world include: ? 1. Emotional intelligence?(AI doesn’t do relationships) 2. Strategic thinking?(helping clients see around corners) 3. Storytelling and story-mining?(AI can generate content, but it lacks narrative intuition) ? Click on our blog link to see a full list of skills and further insights to help future-proof your career. https://lnkd.in/gY73cjnr Photo by Andie Petkus

Scott Belt of Impact CFO Services joins us as a guest on Profiles in Leadership, sharing his wisdom and what “Hiring for Good” means to him. “But you have to have a vision to where you're gonna go. And, once you have that vision, you have to hire people that want to execute on that vision. And then, once you have people who want to execute on the vision, then you have to give them the tools to do their job and get out of their way. So, hire the best people possible. If you hire the best people, you give them the tools, you give them the vision, and get everybody going in the same direction—you can accomplish anything. It doesn't matter what it is.” Listen now: https://lnkd.in/g6FUF-az #HiringforGood #ProfilesinLeader #ExecutiveSearch?#communityleaders? #Portland

One Year of Hiring For Good: A Celebration of Leadership & Connection Last week, we gathered at the Acumen Executive Search offices for a long-overdue celebration of a major milestone—over a year of the Hiring For Good Podcast! Seeing our incredible past guests, thought leaders, and business visionaries, including those we’ve featured on our secondary podcast, #ProfilesinLeadership, come together in one space was truly humbling. From C-suite executives to founders, executive directors, and dedicated community leaders, the room was filled with people who are shaping industries, building strong teams, and redefining leadership. To Suzanne Hanifin Tanis Morris, and the entire Acumen team, this gathering was more than just a party—it was an embodiment and validation of our original goals for the podcast. Hiring For Good is about amplifying voices, sharing lessons in leadership, and fostering meaningful conversations. Seeing our guests connect, exchange ideas, and inspire one another in person brought that mission to life in a whole new way. A heartfelt THANK YOU to every guest who has shared their journey with us, to our listeners who engage with these stories, and to our incredible production team—the true backbone of this podcast—who ensure each episode is as impactful as the people we feature. If this first year has shown us anything, it’s that leadership isn’t just about what we accomplish—it’s about how we show up, support, and grow together. Here’s to another year of powerful conversations, deep insights, and hiring for good! Paetra Orueta Kendra Cox Christie Dudenhoefer Ali Migaki Ndeye Makalou, Pharm D Dr. Randall Kinnison Smriti Agrawal, Ph.D. Cameron Madill Calvin Russell Walsh Krishna Walker Andy Mendenhall M.D. Warren (Skip) Newberry Jr. Laura Salerno Owens Darren Marshall Namrata Saroj, OD Ryan Buchanan (The Script) Dawn Jagger Gary Mortensen Marcella Vail Amina Moreau Mya Chamberlin Anja Taylor Charles "Matt" Swatzell Nicole Chen Stan Hanks #HiringForGood #Leadership #Podcast #Gratitude #Community #ThoughtLeadership #ExecutiveSearch #C-suiteexecutives, #founders #executivedirectors, #communityleaders #executivesearch, #Portland

This episode of Hiring for Good - Profiles in Leadership features a conversation with Bill Nootenboom, Managing Director of Pragma Group, LLC. Bill loves to help business owners stick the landing upon exit.?For 30 years Bill has been starting, running, growing, and exiting business.?He has a passion for helping business owners do meaningful, important, and difficult things with their life’s work.?During his career Bill has served as a trusted advisor in a number of capacities: as a board member; a CEO/COO; strategic consultant; an M&A advisor and an attorney.?But his favorite thing to do is to help business owners find the exit that best matches their values. For most people, it’s something they only do once in a lifetime, and it will be the thing everybody remembers. “What I realized was that, you know, those key values are what drive the brand. You know, those symbols of value is what drive the brand. So, the successful businesses, the successful brands, are the ones that can communicate those values quickly and easily. That means being able to articulate those values. A lot of people aren’t able to articulate what drives them every day—what’s important. So just being able to be really clear about that. And you know I’ve found that people who have personal mission statements, you know, those are people who are able to stay focused on what’s important.” Watch the full video: https://lnkd.in/gm_i_haP #HiringforGood #ProfilesinLeadership #Hiring #Leadership

On the latest episode of Hiring For Good Podcast, we sat down with John Morris, a Streaming Media and Ad Tech Architect, Inventor, and Leader. With over 23 years of experience, John has pioneered groundbreaking innovations in digital audio, cloud-based streaming, and ad monetization—helping shape the way content is distributed and monetized today. Give it a listen and get inspired by a true pioneer in streaming and ad tech! ??: https://lnkd.in/gV5PS_GH #HiringForGood #Leadership #StreamingTech #AdTech #Podcast #ExecutiveSearch #Hiring #DigitalInnovation