As an executive search professional, it’s my job to locate qualified candidates, conduct interviews and psychometric assessments and check references with an eye to presenting a set of candidates to the client. However, it doesn’t matter how thorough this search process, there is always the matter of whether or not the candidate will successfully fit into and thrive in their new environment. This is known as cultural fit.
The Canada Winter Games, held in Prince George. B.C. this past February, brought together a collection of Canada’s finest Junior Athletes across a multitude of sports. Individual athletes and teams competed to attain personal bests and medal achievements for their provincial organizations. For some, these Games would bring them one step closer to possibly representing their country at the next Olympics. From the start of the Opening Ceremonies, to the daily meals in the dining hall, to the conversations heard at the Athletes Village, Prince George was a bevy of excitement, pride and positive energy that everyone could feel – including the local residents and volunteers. Each training day and each competitive event was evidence of not simply the best of the best on display, but of the many hours, determination and dedication needed to get each and every athlete to that point.
Technology is a wonderful tool. For instance, today, almost every person has some sort of technology gimmick in their right hand while organizations, businesses and/or not for profits have their own websites and landing pages. They also often have a Facebook page where news and events are regularly posted in order to keep clients and/or customers up to date.
Volunteerism is a big deal. For instance, approximately 47 per cent of Canadians older than 15 volunteered in some capacity for a total of 2.07 hours in 2010. According to Statistics Canada, this figure was equivalent to 1.1 million full-time jobs.
As an executive search professional, one of the key high profile concerns in the current US Presidential election is the issue of personal character. While I lament the unfortunate focus on distributing disparaging remarks about each candidates’ character, I have to admit that character is indeed an essential component of a successful leader. What do I mean by character?
It’s not good news to start the New Year, 2017 but unfortunately, research is continuing to show that candidates recruited for an executive level role for an organization are failing at rates anywhere from 30-40% after only 18 months on the job. Of those who stay on the job, at least 50% are struggling. So, what’s the problem?
Employers are once again concerned about a capability gap appearing in the marketplace, as it seems the gulf between candidate skills and the needs of employers is widening.
We’ve all grown up learning the golden rule, “don’t talk to strangers!” For the most part, there’s truth to this saying and it has served us well!
