Growth by Design Talent

Last night was all about connections and conversations as GBD team, Adam Ward, Jill Macri, Kat Brown and Jay Joshi joined forces with our friends at Metaview and Ashby to host a very fun happy hour at Transform 2025! ?? It was a pleasure to bring together so many brilliant minds from all over the world and across the recruiting tech ecosystem. The energy was electric as we shared insights, swapped stories, and explored new possibilities for collaboration. A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by - your presence made the evening truly special! ??? And special thanks to our co-hosts and sponsors: Siadhal Magos, Stephanie Tsimis, Andrew Olsen, Ryan Ramans, Jimena Abejon Fuertes,? Darcy Dobis, Harriet Johnston, Benjamin Encz, Kat Fergerson ??, Shannon Ogborn, Willem Wijnans, Jim Miller, Luke Richter, Noah Holmes & Nikki (Galusha) Coll - partnering with you continues to inspire us. ?? Here's to the relationships strengthened and the new connections made. #Transform2025

Adam Ward recently shared insights on recruiting leadership with Rani S. Mavram at Complete (YC W22). During their discussion, Adam highlighted several key perspectives on leadership development: - Leadership should emerge as an outcome of doing great work, not pursued solely as a career milestone - Successful recruiting leaders embody four essential qualities: curiosity, growth mindset, business alignment, and focus on quality work - When evaluating career opportunities, approach them like an investor while ensuring authentic personal connection - Taking the long view in leadership development: those who find intrinsic motivation in mentorship and growth will see leadership as a privilege rather than just another "to-do" Which of these leadership principles resonates most with your experience? We'd love to hear your thoughts. We're grateful to Complete (YC W22) and Rani S. Mavram for the opportunity to share these perspectives! You can view the full conversation on their blog.

In a recent HR Heretics podcast appearance, GBD's Founding Partner Adam Ward shared with Nolan Church, a common theme we are seeing from our 6+ years of executive search experience: "The #1 characteristic we've seen in successful people and talent leaders is being business-driven. They think about how people and talent in the organization will help drive business outcomes. That's the lens through which they operate – they're business leaders first who happen to run the talent function." This perspective shift transforms talent leadership from a support function to a strategic driver of organizational success. The most impactful talent leaders we've placed understand this distinction and consistently demonstrate business acumen alongside people expertise. What's your experience? Have you seen this business-first approach make a difference in talent leadership? #TalentLeadership #BusinessStrategy #PeopleAndTalent

??? Exciting News! ?? Congratulations to our client, Middesk, on appointing their new Head of People, Kenyon Cory! We loved working with Kyle Mack and the team at Middesk throughout this hiring process! Every search we do is the result of a ton of collaboration from our awesome team members at GBD, so special shoutout to: Adam Ward,?April Himel, Cate Taylor, and Abigail Mesgana! #executivesearch #talentacquisition #hiring #leadership

? Last night, Jill Macri, Kat Brown and Jessie Becher from GBD hosted a Happy Hour with People Leaders in the Bay Area with our friends at Multiply Mortgage, Aditi Shankar and Caleb Langston. It's so nice to gather peers together to discuss challenges and support one another. ? ?? Big thanks to everyone who made the effort to come out and invest in the community: Brynn Thomas Harrington, Faranak R., Jay Shankar, Jessica Mowry, Jevan Soo Lenox, Kim Broadbeck, Lauren Pollini, Leia Marshall, SPHR, Missy Ballew, Meg Makalou (she/her), Rachel Kleban, Simina Simion, Stacey Chin, & Tia Gordon These in-person connections remind us why we do what we do! #peoplecommunity #peopleleaders

?? Our February newsletter is now live! GBD Founding Partner, Adam Ward, shares updates on how the talent market is finally beginning to stabilize in 2025 after years of extreme fluctuation.? Check out the full newsletter to learn why opportunities are increasing but less visible on the surface and tips on how to navigate the job market through strategic networking and specific career goals. ? #TalentMarket2025 #CareerInsights #RecruitingLeaders #TalentLeaders

?? We had an amazing time last night as GBD Founding Partner, Jill Macri and GBD Principal, Nadia Mistry, hosted dinner with an amazing group of NYC's Talent and People leaders. Nothing beats good food over even better conversation with peers who get it! ?? Big thanks to our awesome friends at Gem, Ani Sapru and Amy Bellara, for sponsoring this dinner! ?? And extra thanks to everyone who braved the snow to join us: Audrey Koh, Courtney Lane-Milligan, Hagos Mehreteab, Jacob Mark, Jamie Sterrett, John Woody, Kate MacAllister, Kristi Robinson, Elizabeth (Liz) Speight, Michael Goldman, Monica Althoff, Nissa Booker, Rosalind Rattan, Ross P, Sarah Leora Hagai & Stacey Olive #TalentCommunity #PeopleLeaders #TalentLeaders

What we’re seeing in 2025 so far: talent teams are being asked to do more with less, while maintaining quality and efficiency. Through our work with talent teams, we've observed that strategic training programs are often the bridge between these competing demands. Yet the landscape of training delivery is evolving rapidly. From traditional live sessions to on-demand platforms, companies are experimenting with different approaches to upskill their teams. We're conducting research to understand: - Where teams are focusing their training investments - Which delivery methods are proving most effective - How companies are balancing standardization with customization Share your perspective through our survey or provide additional insights in the comments. We’ll share the aggregated findings exclusively with participants.?

We're excited to welcome Kat Brown to Growth by Design Talent as Executive Search Partner! ?? Kat brings deep expertise in executive search and will be partnering with our clients to build exceptional leadership teams across People & Talent functions. We're thrilled to have her join our executive search practice and can't wait to see the impact she'll have for our clients! #GBDTalent #ExecutiveSearch #TalentAcquisition

?? GBD Founding Partners, Adam Ward & Jill Macri, along with GBD Executive Search Partner, Kat Brown, will be at #Transform2025 and love would to meet up! Let us know if you will be there via the survey in the comments!