Think of the most successful and dominant companies you know, in any industry. Regardless of their individual advantages, the one characteristic they have in common is exceptionally talented leaders and employees. Not to underestimate the importance of such things as capital, technology, products and processes, but today your most important resource is the people who optimize those competitive advantages. Corporations who see this reality also understand the significant performance differential between an “A” level player and less-gifted executives.
Competition for that small group of the best and brightest performers in the P&C industry is intense. These individuals have temptations thrown at them constantly and, as a result, tend to become somewhat jaded by it. Despite the hype about the use of internet-based recruiting through websites, social networking and the like, executive recruiting is still a contact sport. Successful executives are busy and don’t bother with internet or email distractions. We have access to them and the persuasive skills to engage them in discussions about a strategic career change.
It follows that the ability of business leaders to make perceptive choices about people provides an incredibly important competitive advantage in building and nurturing world-class companies. These are complex multivariate decisions and making the right call on a new executive produces wonderful results. Making a bad call has a devastating and lasting impact. We give decision-makers the deep background information on each candidate’s experience, competencies and psychological make-up to help them solve the puzzle. Clients and candidates alike have told us that we’re the most thorough consultants they’ve ever encountered and we’re proud of that distinction.
Investing in the services of a retained search firm obviously involves paying professional fees and expenses. Beyond the return-on-investment that the hired executive brings to offset that cost, there’s another factor known to savvy companies. Executive time spent in the interviewing and screening process is the largest single variable in the acquisition cost equation since an hour of a senior leader’s time easily reaches into five figures (i.e., total cost of the leader's compensation, employment taxes and benefits plus the leveraged value of time which could otherwise be spent building revenues or reducing expenses). Factor in the hourly expense of the other executives on an interview panel and the financial wisdom of not having to meet a large number of candidates to make an on-point hire becomes abundantly clear.