They Hired A Renegade
When you challenge everyone to think at a higher level, what usually happens is that it causes frustration to bubble to the top, to be uncovered or exposed so it can be addressed in the best interests of the search, we refer to this as “Six Sigma Search." The bottom line is that this unique approach is more often than not a determining factor in making the impossible - possible, and serves to aid in driving continuous improvement. To Redmond, you either go there or, the search ends there.
One of the issues that bubbled to the surface during Sandstorm's search, is when Sandy expressed her desire not to target candidates from within her industry. Her objective was to usher in a new way of thinking, fresh eyes that would bring a non-existent perspective to her space and to the culture that Sandstorm was founded on. While remaining sensitive to Sandy's objectives and personal outlook, we knew that this is where the imprint of trust and transparency in our relationship would play its hand.
We began laying our observations on the table bringing several key factors to light. For one, there were fewer mid-sized firms than larger or smaller companies (meaning less than 40 employees), and at these small firms, the individuals responsible for the operational aspects of client and service delivery tended to be the CEO, President or occasional Chief Operating Officer. It actually isn't until you get to mid-sized firms of (50-100 employees), that you see a trend towards an executive class solely focused on managing client/service delivery. At larger agencies, it simply gets more difficult to find people with the breadth of experience needed to be a Chief Operating Officer, simply due to the fact that job responsibilities tend to get divided among specialized disciplines, but we didn't let that stop us. Inside these firms we looked for candidates whose responsibilities encompassed the entire office or cut across multiple accounts, including:
- Managing Director or GM of Chicago office
- Regional Leaders (responsible for multiple offices)
- Client Service/Delivery Executives
- Group Account Leaders (responsible for multiple teams and accounts)
- Program Management Executives (responsible for driving initiatives across account teams. They tend to have been account leaders in the past)
- Strategy Leaders (not brand strategy, but agency strategy. They tend to be individuals who are being groomed for senior leadership)
So what were the key factors that guided our evaluation process and secured in our minds that this was the path that we needed to follow, a path that Sandy could trust-in and subscribe to?
Rapid Growth - We identified marketing/consulting/analytics firms in the Chicago metro area who were experiencing rapid growth. Our target? Mid-sized companies with an average 5-year revenue growth of 500% and average 2016 revenues of $43 million. It was our belief that the executives at these companies would have overseen the kind of growth and transformation Sandstorm was after.
Next, Analytics/Technology Orientation - We took steps to identify marketing and digital transformation firms offering data analytics solutions (with a strong technology emphasis). We used the type of analytics services/products offered as well as the language used to describe their company and solutions as the key guiding points for inclusion.
In our collaborative effort we knew that it was our responsibility to balance our own rhyme and reason with Sandy's vision. In the end, we offered Sandy the most viable and strongest targets for Sandstorm's COO / CGO role with the added benefit of providing a baseline for Sandstorm to compare their own offerings, and in the process, moved our conversation away from skillset to focus on "mindset" and “intent”. This is critical to note, because it brought the conversation back to the initial foundation of Sandy’s “vision” of the search -- hiring a leader who would ultimately aide her in accomplishing her vision and be on her side as her right hand for many years to come.
We have found over time that it is far too easy to fall back into old thinking, tunnel vision focused solely on skill sets with very little attention paid to what truly makes someone a high-performer or ideal for a position. Everything being equal, the difference is how a person can truly problem solve with you. Of course not everyone has the POWER to make things happen, but how do you know? Here’s a sample litmus test we often leverage to check the "pulse" of a candidate that has proven time and again to be extremely useful:
- Resiliency – can effectively adapt to changing business circumstances and priorities.
- Perpetual student of learning
- Navigate a complex and ambiguous environment with limited guidance
- Strong emotional intelligence. Diplomatic counselor
- Decisive but encourages opposing perspectives
- Sense of integrity – honesty
It's important to note that many of our “hot prospects” (the strongest talent we evaluated) came from the list of target companies that we provided and were identified “sourced” before we even began looking at revenue growth. In our minds, it wasn't coincidental. In addition, the analytics solutions that we uncovered at these companies, ranged from simple website analytics to marketing analytics and business intelligence utilizing machine learning/AI, all the way to Uptake’s platform for industrial IoT.
After a long and exhaustive journey, we found that candidates resonated with Sandy's vision for Sandstorm. They were overwhelmingly intrigued with the opportunity and the challenges that Sandstorm would soon be facing and truly connected with how the position was branded.
"Thank you so much for taking the time to walk me through the Sandstorm opportunity more in depth. I truly enjoyed our conversation. The fact that you have such a clear vision for what is needed in this role to ensure both a successful match and delivery on the long-term outlook for the company really impressed me."
As they say... All in a days work. The end result... Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Sandstorm's new Chief Operating Officer, Ms Andrea Wood!
About Steve Diedrick...
Steve is the founder of Redmond, a global executive search firm whose clients include world renowned brands and start-ups that are shaping tomorrow's world. As a highly respected authority and pioneer in the field of human capital with close to three decades in the space, his progressive ideas on search-excellence reflect a profound understanding/passion for the global economy and the ever-evolving mindset of the unique talent that propels companies forward. He has personally reached out to more than 100,000 professionals and interviewed over 35,000 potential candidates throughout his career. His personal drive, perspective, discipline and focus is a culmination of his life experience living abroad and the 27 years spent mastering the Martial Art of Qi Gong. His Mantra: There is nothing like direct experience that takes you from knowledge - to knowing.
Email me at: [email protected] or Text me at: 947.222.9200 and let's discuss how Redmond can help you.
? Redmond Research, Inc. 2019