high profile executives Archives - Page 11 of 11

The Treasure of True Grit

By Angelica RainsCareer Guidance

“Tell me about a time when you failed, and what you learned from that experience.” Think of the most successful employees you’ve ever worked with, the individuals you’ve mentored who excelled the most, or the leaders you’ve studied who seem to achieve every goal they set for themselves. Undoubtedly, a common thread between them all will be that those individuals have the strength to learn why they failed, what to do in the future to succeed, and the willpower to get back on the horse and try again. But what exactly is it that leads one person to try again when others just give up? True grit.

Industrial and organizational psychologists have spent decades researching this very subject. Angela Duckworth, assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and her research focuses on a personality trait she calls “grit.” She defines grit as “sticking with things over the very long term until you master them.” She writes that, “the gritty individual approaches achievement as a marathon; his or her advantage is stamina.”

Success and Talent

What causes an individual to experience significant success? The obvious answer: success is about talent. Successful people can do something – hit a golf ball, dance, trade stocks, write a blog – better than most anyone else. This answer begets another question: What is talent? How did that person get so good at hitting a golf ball or trading stocks? Although talent can appear to be based on inheritance, it turns out that the intrinsic nature of talent may be overrated.

The problem is that a major contradiction exists between how we measure talent and the causes of talent. In general, we measure talent using tests of maximum performance. Imagine tryouts for most any sports team; players perform in short bursts under conditions of high intensity and motivation. The purpose of the drills is to see what players are capable of and determine their potential. The problem with these drills is that the real world is not set up for short bursts of work ethic under conditions of high motivation. Instead, professional success requires sustained performance, spending hours upon hours perfecting your craft, deliberately and methodically staying the course during times of frustration or exhaustion.

In his book, Self-Made in America, John McCormack references a trait studied by Kathy Kolbe: conation. Conation is “the will to succeed, the quest for success, the attitude that ‘to stop me you’ll have to kill me,’ that elusive ‘fire in the belly’ that manifests itself in drive, enthusiasm, excitement, and single-mindedness in pursuit of a goal – any goal. All consistently successful people have it. Many well-educated, intelligent, enduring, and presentable people don’t have it.”

Interviewing for Grit

A segment of the workforce is made up of smart people who aren’t high achievers, and others who achieve a lot without having the highest test scores. In one study, Duckworth found that smarter students actually had less grit than their peers who scored lower on an intelligence test. This finding suggests that people who are not as bright as their peers “compensate by working harder and with more determination.” And their effort pays off: The grittiest students, not the smartest ones, had the highest GPAs.

So how can we start to understand an applicant’s or an employee’s grit? Try some or all of these questions to identify the trait:

What experiences do you feel had the most impact in shaping who you are today?
Share with me the details of a time when you stayed with an idea or project for longer than anyone expected you to.
Tell me about some of the obstacles you have had to overcome to reach your present position.
Give me an example of a time when you had to finish a job even though everyone else had given up.
Describe a time when you were asked to complete a difficult task or project where the odds were against you. Were you successful? What did you learn from the experience?
What goal have you had in your life that took you the longest to achieve? What did you learn from that experience
Describe how you set your goals for the last year and how you measured your work. Did you achieve your goals? Why or why not?
Give me an example of a time you made a major sacrifice to achieve an important goal.
Give me an example of how you have taken control of your career.
What has been the biggest obstacle you’ve overcome in life? What about in your career?
When you found yourself faced with that obstacle, what steps did you take to begin the process of overcoming this challenge?

September 25, 2019

Career Planning: The Value of Self-Knowledge on Your Career Path

By Angelica RainsCareer Guidance

For young professionals, self-knowledge makes career planning much easier. Yet even for the experienced self-knowledge can also help prepare for future career steps and make the transition significantly less painful. The key is to know who you are and what you want so that you can identify the type of work and environment that will be fulfilling.

Course of Education

One way self-knowledge helps is that it makes it easier to decide on an educational course. Education can be expensive and time consuming, so it is best to know what you want before committing to a program. Knowing more about your natural strengths, as well as areas where you want to expand and grow, will help clarify a track more quickly. That way you can avoid going down a path that is not a reflection of your authentic self only to have to switch gears further down the road.

Online Presence

Self-knowledge also helps guide you on what to do (or not do) online. Awareness can help you establish healthy boundaries online. It is surprising how many people lose out on job opportunities due to over sharing on social media. People forget that potential employers often check social media for red flags before making hiring decisions. Without a clear sense of self, your resume and professional profiles can also suffer. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses can help you craft a custom resume that is unique and attractive. Hiring managers see so many resumes and LinkedIn profiles that setting yourself apart can give you an advantage.

Authentic Relationships

People who have self-awareness think before they speak and are honest about their feelings. You can build more meaningful relationships with coworkers if you present yourself authentically. Being authentic and vulnerable helps to build a network of professionals with true connections. In time, you will be able to help each other grow and succeed through mutually beneficial engagement.

Whether you are just starting out in your career or you’re looking for a change, self-knowledge can make career planning much smoother. If you know who you are, it becomes easier to determine what you want and how to achieve that.

September 18, 2019

Opportunistic Outsourcing: Career Path Advancement for Key Contributors

By Angelica RainsHiring Strategies, Interviews

Business coach Peter Drucker was known for dispensing some sage advice that still rings true decades later: “Do what you do best and outsource the rest.” What comes to mind when you hear that mantra? An immediate list likely appears of all the tasks you know are not the greatest use of your efforts and energy. In the few seconds you spent thinking about what pops to mind you may already have vowed not to waste time any longer on select mundane projects or responsibilities that fill your plate and don’t leave room for much else. “I really need to hire someone to manage my schedule” or “someone else should be responsible for compiling our weekly reports” are certainly reasonable solutions, but the outsourcing we will cover next is far more strategic.

Instead of viewing outsourcing as a chance to create more time for you, shift instead to think through how outsourcing could actually create an opportunity for others within your team.

The Shift

Stop thinking of outsourcing as the things you no longer want to do and look instead at the opportunities you could create for others. A great leader is always one step ahead of career path advancement for key contributors. Take a moment (or a few hours) to evaluate each direct report you have; who are they each capable of becoming over the next few years and beyond? Now, what do you need to teach each of them to advance their responsibilities and skillsets?

You have now defined your first round of opportunistic outsourcing.

Think less about performance management and think more about professional development. Do you spend the same amount of time talking about where you see a key contributor’s career going as you do talking about how they are doing with deadlines or quotas? Is your coaching equally dedicated to skills that will help them achieve in their current role just as much as prepare them for the next step you believe they could grow into? Do you purposefully put key contributors in situations in which they may fail, but that failure propels growth?

At times, you may need to believe in others a little more than they believe in themselves. The best leaders help their team members discover their genius.

Survivorship Bias

When you focus too heavily on the “survivors” of a given group, you tend to ignore essential qualities about the rest of the population. Take entrepreneurship; we tend to gravitate toward the most successful entrepreneurs in the world when we study examples. Richard Branson, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg all dropped out of school; after learning about them many people conclude that a college education is not necessary to succeed.

But for every Branson, Gates, and Zuckerberg, there are thousands, if not millions, of other entrepreneurs who dropped out of school and failed in business. We just don’t hear about them, and so we don’t take them into account. The misconception is that you should focus on the successful if you wish to become successful.

How does this relate to our topic at hand? Until now, we have been focusing on key contributors – those whom you feel strongly will continue to play an integral role in the success of your organization. What about those who hover just below that line?
One option is certainly to “top grade” and perpetually focus on proactive hiring that improves the strength of your bench, not just hiring that fills empty seats. Spend less time addressing reoccurring performance issues and instead craft a hiring plan that proactively attracts the “A” or “B+” contributors to the team.

An additional option is to opportunistically outsource. Give others the chance to take on tasks and responsibilities they can succeed with and are passionate about. Be sensitive to the skills and interests of individuals; match the dreamer with more creative tasks and the perfectionist with the detail-oriented projects. Just think how much more would get done if people only did jobs for which they had a talent and a passion. Don’t focus only on the already successful individuals within your team but outsource thoughtfully to those to whom you are still trying to uncover their fullest potential.

Just Ask

Not sure what to outsource, and to whom? Challenge yourself to get to know those on your team. Ask questions to assess the present and design the future:

When you come to work each day, what things do you look forward to?
What are you learning here? What have you not yet been given the chance to take on, that you’d like to?
Is this what you want to do?
What can I do to make your experience here better?
What would you be excited to take on? (projects, responsibilities, clients)
When was the last time you feel like you massively over-delivered on something? What was it, and why did you work so hard?
What would make you listen to a call you’d get from a recruiter? Be honest; no judgment!
What’s on your personal and professional bucket list?
Fast-forward a year (two years, five years) from now; what would you be most proud of having accomplished?

Even when individuals are assigned difficult challenges, when they are involved in the decision there is a huge increase in performance. Those who volunteer look at projects as developmental, while those who are assigned regard the task as hard labor. Take the initiative now to truly engage the hearts and minds of your team, so they one day will have the ability to outsource opportunistically to the next generation of future leaders within your firm.

September 11, 2019

How to Use Behavior-Based Questions to Gauge Emotional Intelligence in the Interview

By Angelica RainsHiring Strategies, Interviews

One of the goals of an interview is to assess whether the candidate has the emotional intelligence needed to succeed in the job. An emotionally intelligent person demonstrates self-awareness, empathy, motivation, and strong social skills. These tips will help you develop behavior-based questions that can effectively gauge emotional intelligence during the interview.

Facing Challenges

An important aspect of the candidate that should be assessed is how they face challenges. One way to do this is by asking about professional demands they have faced. Have the candidate tell you about past trials they encountered in their job and have them explain how they overcame it. This will give insight into how they approach problems. The focus of this question should be on finding candidates who are excellent problem-solvers and aren’t afraid to take on new challenges. Finding employees who can take a difficult situation and turn it into a positive is essential.

Resilience and Stress Management

The ability to bounce back from adversity is a powerful life skill to have. One way to assess a candidate’s resilience is to ask them about past projects that required them to work under pressure. Have the candidate talk about professional projects they have worked on that were stressful or that ultimately failed. Executive support positions come with a certain amount of stress. There are deadlines and goals that need to be met. It’s important to understand how a candidate behaves under pressure. Do they shut down when things become too tough, or do they push through and make the best of the situation? The goal is to find talent who has the emotional maturity to thrive in intense situations.

Proactive Drive

To ascertain a candidate’s level of drive, ask them whether they have ever assisted in establishing new goals for a company. Allow the interviewee to discuss a time where they helped establish new goals or objectives for a company they worked for. This can reveal a lot about a candidate. Are they proactive? Can they identify shortcomings within the company? If they managed to convince management to implement a new objective, this shows they are persuasive.

Growth and Leadership

In executive support roles, it’s vital that candidates have great leadership skills, adaptability, and a willingness to grow. To get an understanding of their strength in those areas, ask them if they changed the scope of their role in their last job. How did they redefine the position and why did they feel like they needed to? Did other coworkers follow suit and redefine their own roles? It’s helpful to see how well the candidate can adapt and grow. A candidate who is confident enough to take on additional responsibilities and has strong leadership skills will rise to the challenges of a new position.

Behavior-based questions are the most important questions you ask during an interview. These questions allow you to understand how a candidate would perform if they land the job. One of the goals of behavior-based questions is to assess the candidate’s emotional intelligence– how they handle stress, if they are proactive, and if they have the skills to readily adapt to change.

September 4, 2019

Professional Attention Deficit Disorder

By Angelica RainsCareer Guidance, Leadership

foIn the manufacturing economy, time was the currency. Systems were designed for maximum efficiency, and effectiveness was simply how much time could be dedicated to the process. The assembly line is a perfect example! In today’s information environment, directing our attention in the right places for the right amount of time and focus is the key to effectiveness.

Curious if you suffer from Professional ADD? If you have already been distracted at some point during the first paragraph, no assessment is necessary!

You are frequently distracted from your current activity, by others, or by your own lack of focus
You finish your day and are surprised how little you actually accomplished despite the fact that you felt “busy” all day
You have a to-do list of important items but always seem to be distracted with more “urgent” activities
You find it difficult to fully focus on another person without thinking of other matters
You check and respond to your email, text messages, instant messages, etc. constantly
You feel a sense of “information overload” frequently
You think you are a great multi-tasker
You are addicted to urgency and pride yourself on being the best “fire fighter”
You love being in the “zone” but are frustrated by how infrequently you truly find yourself in that place of maximum effectiveness

If you checked the box to most of these then you may be suffering from Corporate Attention Deficit Disorder. The good news is that it is curable, and you can fill your own prescription.

Create Golden Hours

Establish certain times each day when no one can distract you or each other. The only distractions or interruptions should be emergencies; educate your environment when it is best to get with you by phone or in person for activities that are not both urgent and critical.

Loosen your Electronic Leash

At least four times per day, set 45-minute time blocks where email, instant messages, and any other electronic distractions are turned off. Each time block should be dedicated to fully focusing on a specific activity that you have predetermined for that time. Very rarely is anything so urgent and critical that it cannot wait for a reply within an hour; you may even find that issues solve themselves without you having to.

Prioritize Long-Term Projects

Make a list of all your current important projects that are not urgent. Now, assign at least two one-hour slots a week to do them. Keep these appointments with yourself the same way that you would with a client; do not allow yourself to book anything during those times unless it is a true emergency. If you don’t begin to do some of the strategic work now, when will you? An attic is easier cleaned a few boxes a week rather than the entire attic in a weekend.

Minimize Multi-tasking

There are some times when multi-tasking and bouncing from one activity to the next is both unavoidable and necessary. However, the majority of periods you find yourself busy, multi-tasking, and rushed are self-created and counter-productive in the long run. Practice being fully present and engage in one activity at a time. If someone stops by your office while you are typing an email, ask them to send you an email to schedule a meeting so that you can truly focus on their needs when it is mutually convenient.

Create Blocks of Similar Activities

A doctor does not check emails in the middle of surgery, and a lawyer is not accepting incoming calls while the opposing counsel is grilling his client. What makes the critical responsibilities of your role less deserving of your own concentration? We all like diversity and variety but do your best to plan activities in such a way that complementary activities can be done in groups for maximum effectiveness.

Find the Right Work/Life Balance

Just as your time at work should have focus and intensity in each activity, so should your time away from work. Being fully present in all your interactions includes those outside of work. When you find your mind drifting to work related activities while with friends or family, remind yourself to focus back on the people or activity at hand.

August 28, 2019

How to Work with a Search Consultant Effectively

By Angelica RainsCareer Guidance

When considering a job in C-level support, it is beneficial to know how to work with a search consultant effectively. Partnering with a placement firm can open the door to sought-after opportunities, but only if the partnership is approached strategically. Below are tips for working with a search consultant to maximize chances of landing a key support position.

Share as Much Information as Possible

The quality and frequency of communication largely determines how effective the relationship between job seeker and placement professional will be. Sharing likes and dislikes about past and present jobs, career growth goals, current function and compensation, and preferred change in those areas are all important for a search consultant to know. This information will guide the search for a career that’s the ideal fit for both company and employee.

Direct and Clear Communication

For a partnership to run smoothly, it’s essential to have clear and timely communication. Prompt responses within 24 hours and immediate feedback following an interview allow a search consultant to adjust the strategy for a more tailored fit. The more a recruiter knows about the perceived benefits and drawbacks of a company, the easier it will be to find an opportunity that meets all needs.

Be Smart about Online Presence

When working with a placement professional, social media accounts should be set to private. Employers look closely at candidates’ posts. Anything that could possibly be considered oversharing, inappropriate, or rude could cost someone a job opportunity. In general, avoid anything that could potentially harm the first impression of a potential employer.

Ask for Constructive Feedback

Search consultants have seen countless resumes and applications during their careers. They also have a deep understanding of effective interview preparation and follow through. Job seekers should ask for feedback in any area they want clarification or improvement. The recruiter can review a resume for ways to improve the content and format, practice interviewing skills, and assess ways to improve.

Working with a search consultant is an excellent way to land an executive support position in line with personal career goals. To make the most of this partnership, candidates should take advantage of their experience, communicate objectives clearly, and share as much information possible about current roles and responsibilities.

August 21, 2019

Good Leadership Can Help You Overcome the Challenges of Onboarding

By Angelica RainsHiring Strategies, Leadership

Retention of high-quality, motivated professionals is essential for an organization’s success. This is particularly true for C-level support. High turnover adds to expenses and can lower the morale of the entire company. It’s important to develop the full range of competencies needed to successfully onboard new talent and establish them in your organization. Here are some helpful tips on how solid leadership will help overcome the challenges of onboarding and improve overall retention.

Communication Challenges

A prominent challenge many leaders experience is making assumptions about expectations without actually communicating them directly. While intuition can be an important part of success, it can never be a substitute for clear communication. During the onboarding process, leaders need to speak with new employees often to learn what they need to feel comfortable. Most new employees want to set goals and milestones. Onboarding is a good time to set expectations so they have a clear sense of direction from the start. Talk with new employees regularly to learn about their career goals, current objectives and help them develop a plan. Search consultants can support managers with appropriate questions to ask as they understand the concerns of new hires as well as client companies and can align intentions to a mutually beneficial outcome.

Expectation Challenges

Another important issue for transitioning new hires is time management. Often managers who are new to onboarding think it’s a one-week process. Many new leaders grow frustrated because the process requires more time than they expected. A search consultant can help establish some guidelines for the process. They can make sure both parties understand what to expect from onboarding and training. Even the most qualified candidates will require thoughtful training and communication. They have an entire organization to become acquainted with.

Onboarding Tips

An effective onboarding process often takes several months to a year. In the first 90 days, the goal should be to make the new hire comfortable, while establishing clear expectations and ensuring that everyone understands objectives. An executive should have a 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day meeting with their new employee to review goals and share feedback in addition to daily action items and priorities. Our search firm offers a post-placement program where we meet with the leader and new hire on a monthly cycle, through some of the most difficult challenges and then move to a 9-month and 12-month check-in. The goal of the meeting is to exchange feedback and foster a connection and sense of shared accomplishment.

Good leadership and direct communication will enable a thoughtful and effective onboarding process ensuring your new employee is established in a timely manner and can begin meeting the goals and priorities you set together. Providing clear communication and immaculate guidelines are essential keys to a smooth onboarding process. Once an employee trusts you and feels supported, they’re much more likely to be productive and stay loyal to the organization.

August 14, 2019

Career Advancement: Why Should You Take a Recruiter’s Call?

By Angelica RainsCareer Guidance

Many people reject calls from recruiters because they are unaware of the many advantages of working with them rather than job hunting alone. Even for those not seeking a new job, search consultants can open the door to exclusive opportunities that others don’t have access to. Taking the time to speak with a recruiter could result in an unexpected career advancement. Below are some of the excellent reasons to work with a search consultant.

Recruiters Have an Expansive Network

Niche recruiters are extremely well connected. They have exclusive, confidential access to some of the most desirable jobs in the field of executive support. High profile executives frequently work with search consultants, which means that the jobs are not advertised or accessible to the average person looking for employment. In addition, working with a recruiter is particularly important in high profile executive support because of the specialized skills and experience required.

You’ll Learn Valuable Insights about Your Marketability

Well-connected recruiters have worked with hundreds of candidates, so they can help job seekers assess their skills, compare to the competition, and have an informed idea of appropriate compensation. For those who are already employed, recruiters can introduce them to opportunities for career growth, gauge salary based on current rates, or find a better fit. Regardless of employment status, search consultants can give a better view of their function and market value.

Everyone Benefits from Career Consultation

It’s beneficial to get advice from an expert, whether happily employed or looking for a job. Niche recruiters have more data about that career than anyone else. They understand what function those in executive support provide to an organization, their value in terms of compensation, professional potential, and the marketplace as a whole. They can help negotiate a raise or a promotion or find a company that’s the ideal fit. Whether someone is happily employed or not, speaking with a recruiter is a wise choice.

August 7, 2019

Trends in the High-Profile Executive Support Market

By Angelica RainsIndustry Trends

The high-profile executive support market is exploding, and demand is higher than it has ever been. Executive assistants are critical members of an organization. They function as part of a strategic alliance where they provide support to CEOs which allows them to perform more effectively in their busy lives. Here are some of the leading trends in the executive support market.

Every CEO Has an Assistant

As more and more executives build successful global companies, there is a higher demand for skilled executive assistants. For high-visibility professionals, life moves quickly, and there are many aspects to their personal and professional lives that need to be managed. In the past, some CEOs could function without an assistant. But in today’s tech-driven, fast-paced world, this no longer holds true. Increasingly, high-profile leaders will have C-level support. While some worried the popularity of AI and virtual assistants would negatively affect this niche, the reality is that this function is an essential resource that organizations need to run smoothly, and this is true now more than ever before.

The Role of the Assistant Is Expanding

Historically, the function of executive assistants (EAs) mainly involved managing the CEO’s schedule and travel plans. But this function has expanded over time, becoming more strategic. EAs and Chiefs of Staff execute on the goals of the business and partner with the CEO to increase productivity and effectiveness. They are skilled in strategic time management, project management, board operations, and managing direct reports. They analyze how leaders are spending their time and strategize ways to make them more productive, making them essential members of the organization.

Family Office Management

Notably, as the number of high worth individuals continues to grow it has increased the need for family office management. High-profile CEOs are looking for skilled professionals who can manage their personal lives and do this with care and confidentiality. They are entrusted to manage estates, philanthropic efforts, family trusts, operations, private travel, security, LLCs, HR, hiring and much more. Eventually executives find it difficult to manage all of the functions of a family office on their own. A support staff is essential and often includes HR, accounting, staffing management, legal and financial expertise. Executive support staff can help set up LLCs, corporations, organize property taxes, hire staff, manage operations and deal with HR challenges. Some bring other professional experience to the table such as interior design and event planning. They often bring a high-level of talent and a diverse range of skills. They are also capable of managing the support staff and assuring everyone performs at their best.

High-profile executive support professionals are in high demand in today’s market. They provide a strategic partnership to high-profile executives, keeping an eye on the big picture and ensuring that CEOs are productive and effective.

July 31, 2019