Our CEO Checklist continued

In continuing with our musings on what a CEO should be, we came up with a second trait that every one of our successes displayed: Entrepreneurial mentality.

Entrepreneurs are known for their wide reaching abilities, for trying things that haven’t been tried before and not being afraid to do so.

Entrepreneurs reach out beyond their own orga­nization and industry; they listen and talk to people from a wide range of backgrounds. They encourage, support and solicit off-the-wall ideas and then use experi­ence and imagination to make the idea come to life. Boards like a CEO with an entrepreneurial bend who can ‘think outside of the box’—who is not afraid to try out new ideas that come from beyond the association management norm.

To be entrepreneurial, demonstrate that you are on the lookout for—and open to—innovative management and leader­ship ideas from anywhere; from other CEOs, other industries, even other countries. Boards often say they need a CEO with new “energy” and ideas that will either bring in new income or cut costs with­out sacrificing services. So do just that, come equipped with some innovative ways in which you can effect positive change in the association through unconventional and creative means. If you never considered yourself as a particularly inventive risk-taker-type, then make sure you surround yourself with people who are.

If Only They Knew...

A Top-Tier US University asked us to speak to their students about the whole job acquisition process from the very beginning; writing the resume and cover letter, to the final stages of the interview. We have been compiling information we thought would be beneficial to them but realized that we have a useful resource in you. We would like to ask you to comment to this blog with suggestions for us.

What do you wish had been taught to the recent college graduates you have had experience with?

If you could give them one piece of advice, what would it be?

What was good about interviews with college students or recent graduates? What could be better?

Your comments and responses would be greatly appreciated by us and the students. Please don't hesitate to contribute.

Our CEO Checklist- Do you have what it takes?

We recently were approached by a magazine to write an article on the three or four traits that we found all successful CEO's exhibited. We've been brainstorming in the office as to what the some of the most important traits are and one that immediately struck us was: Strong Communication Skills.

Everyone can communicate, that's a no brainer, but not everyone can communicate well.

We recently had a highly reputable executive completely confuse the Search Committee to the point where nobody knew what he was talking about. After having rambled on for a few minutes he stopped (to our relief) just to ask "What was the question again?" He was not an effective communicator that day! We have found that the best CEO's are clear and concise. It's the simple premise; less is more. Say what you need, with no ifs, ands, or buts. This is the case in most any career path, especially one requiring dealing with a lot of people. You need to be able to get your message across quickly, in a way that everyone can understand. Communication skills and having them are make it or break it when it comes to getting that position.

Stay tuned for the rest of the entries in this series, we will continue it until the article is complete.

Found this quote today, after locating an exec on the links yesterday.

"No sane CEO would dare brag about his or her golf game during these difficult economic times. CEO reputations are extremely vulnerable, and CEOs are hypersensitive about bad PR. Why throw oil on the fire?" --Leslie Gaines-Ross, reputation strategist.

Not sure I agree 100% with the quote, but timing is everything in life, particularly now.

Strategies for Association Managers

We work with boards that retain our executive search services to replace out-going CEOs (whether he or she is retiring, leaving voluntarily, or being nudged out). There have been a few instances where we've been surprised by the volunteer leaders who think the CEO’s job is easy and that they could do it themselves. But managing an association can be a very fine “art” and is usually not as cut and dry as it may seem to those not involved in the day-to-day goings on of such an organization.

However, today's challenging economic times call for changes to the way associations are managed. As a result associations’ communications, presentations, and overall business strategies have to change, too. Members who may have been flourishing in 2004 are now floundering in 2009. That creates substantial tension in their lives and that tension, particularly if the member is on your board, is going to spill on to you and your staff.

To keep your association strong, to calm anxiety, and to keep your job secure, members must feel they are getting tangible value from the association, particularly in these times, and that you are in it with them.

So how do you do that?

1. Communicate
Your mantra must be communicate, communicate, communicate. Nine times out of ten, when the Search Committee wants a new CEO, they always want one with better communication skills that the last CEO. Yet, it's a delicate balance between pompous horn blowing and selfless, graceful informing.

2. Become Transparent
To make sure that your board and members respect you, they must appreciate the complexity and hard work that your job entails. If you do your job well, all that members ever see are smooth running meetings, fancy hotels, and nice meals at restaurants. Today you need to your board and members see some of the inner workings of your association. Let them know you were running around like a crazed gerbil trying to fix a meeting, update a teaching session, or handle a tax problem that jumped up in the legislature. Make sure they are aware that you, too, are working hard every day on their behalf. It also doesn’t hurt for you to be in the office answering phones personally now and then before 8 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m. Members will comment on that to each other when they get you instead of a voice message recording.

3. Establish New Channels
Don’t overwhelm your board or the members with newsletters and e-mails detailing challenges and accomplishments. Take a more personal approach. Try establishing a ‘kitchen cabinet’ of close advisors beyond just your regular Board committees. Pick prominent, trustworthy, up-and-coming members with whom you have established a solid rapport. Get their buy in and let them be your disciples. Entrust them with the facts of the issues the association faces and seek their advice on how best to tell the rest of the board and the membership. They will have much more credibility than any newsletter you mail.

4. Market Your Value
Next, reassess the breadth of all you are doing for the members and imagine what could be misperceived or not appreciated. [Remember Murphy’s Axiom --- if it can be seen in a wrong light, it will.] Then develop materials (print, online, video, etc.) that detail your offerings and communicate these regularly on all levels with the membership so they come to appreciate what you and the staff are doing for them every day.

Craft a new sensitivity about how anything you say or do, or how you present yourself or the association, can be misread or perceived as insensitive to members that may be in financial stress. For example, one successful CEO was riding around in a limousine at the association's last convention while members were in a jitney bus. The hotel gave the CEO the limo to use for free since he had directed this meeting to the hotel. The limo cost nothing, but the Board and the members did not know that. They thought it was an overdone extravagance. Now is a good time to scale back the spending on food, hotels, travel, and anything members could perceive as perks to you or your staff.

5. Be in it Together
One CEO we know looked down the road six months ago and, before the Board said anything, announced he was taking a temporary 10 percent pay cut. A month later, his senior staff followed suit, and a month after that all the staff took a similar temporary cut. They did it to preserve their jobs, to cut costs, and to demonstrate to the members, who were obviously hurting, that “they were in this battle with them” and willing to give up some of their income, too.

6. Only Today Matters
You may remember was an old ad from Eastern Airlines. The tag line was: we are only as good as our last flight. It used to seem a bit arcane to me, but now I get it. Your association is not in financial trouble because you spent years building reserves and managing it carefully, but that's quickly forgotten when members are facing tough times today. Remember you are only as good as your last success; you are only as good as the last time you helped the members.

It is not your association; you work for your members. Remind yourself of that every day.

WSJ Article: How to Ace a Phone Interview

The Wall Street Journal ran an article today on the increasing use of in-depth phone interviews by recruiters during the interview process. We have been using in-depth, potentially hour long phone interviews as a candidate screening mechanism in our search assignments for quite a while, not just recently given the economy, etc. The phone call serves as a very good screening of candidates and if they pass, we then meet with them face-to-face for a second round of conversations.

The WSJ gives a few tips on how to prepare for these phone conversations. I would add to that list 1)
taking the call from a land line, 2) do not to use the speaker phone feature and 3) further emphasizing for candidates to ask questions, including a snapshot of time line of the search (if the recruiter doesn't volunteer it). Don't be afraid to ask questions. If we don't know the answer, we'll find out and get back to you. Also, be mindful of your tone and rambling on and on and on and, well, you get the idea.

Hopefully this is some helpful advise if you find yourself preparing for a phone interview. Look forward to speaking with you!

I recently read an article questioning how corporations and Boards should 'measure' people and results. One of several lines that caught my eye was: So, would you ever mistake the measure—profits—for the success they purport to measure? Do profits really equal success?

My repsonse was:

In brief response to your article, profits are important, without them the organization, even the not for profit, eventually disappears. However, profit is not everything --- some times, it is a nice ‘bonus’ on top of accomplishing the mission! We always look for the passion in the executives we recruit to be new CEOs, CFOs, etc. We want to hear their 'war stories' about how they led other organizations, and in doing that we get a sense of how much they care about what they do, how well they do it, etc.
When they care about quality and doing it right, in addition to making money, we really perk up. It is their ability AND their passion that makes them successful --- and that is what our Board clients have come to expect us to show them in new, potential CEOs, COOs, etc.

Holler Back!

I've read a few articles on "why no one comments on blogs", etc. So if you happen to land here and read something you like, please feel free to comment or shoot us an email to let us know what you think. Praise, critique, ideas for blogs, etc. are all welcome.

ASRT and AAMI Welcome New CEOs

American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT)
Albuquerque, NM

ASRT is an 128,000+ member professional society for medical imaging technologists and radiation therapists. After a national search, the ASRT Search Committee selected Sal Martino as their new CEO. Sal replaces long-serving chief executive Lynn May.

Sal's background includes experience as an RT and Professor, Allied Health and Associate Dean of Allied Health at Hostos Community College of the City of New York. Sal was recruited to ASRT to be the Director of Education and rose to role of EVP and Chief Academic Officer. Sal's passion for the RT profession will certainly be a great asset in growing the profession and helping ASRT to continue to thrive.


Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI)
Arlington, VA

AAMI is an international association whose members include health care institutions, medical device manufacturers, government agencies and related professions. AAMI is the primary resource for information on medical technology and setting national and international standards and regulations, and best practices worldwide.

AAMI was seeking a new President to replace the career-long serving Mike Miller. We conducted a national search and the Search Committee selected Mary Logan.

Mary's career highlights include 2 "tours of duty" with the American Dental Association first as General Council and then as COO. She also served as General Council to the United Methodist Church. Mary's combination of skills, standards knowledge, leadership style, and passion will help take AAMI to the next level and improve medical technology and ultimately patients' lives.

Congratulations to Sal and Mary! We were glad to help ASRT and AAMI with these searches and important transitions to their organizations.

Thoughts beyond a normal resume critique

We were approached recently by ASAE (the association for association people) to spend some time on the phone with their job seeking/ career transitioning members. It was advertised to the members as "20 minutes with an executive recruiter at no cost to them". (Wow, what a deal!) We were asked to counsel them on their resume, job search strategies, salary negotiations, and how to deal with "headhunters" like us, among other things.

While we are retained by employers to find employees, from time to time we get these "critiquing" requests. Most of the individuals I spoke with had ties to the association/ not-for-profit world. It was easier, based on experience, to give them advice and potentially have them as candidates for a search down the road. Others I spoke with were with corporations, so my advice was more general and off the cuff based on their resume. Below are a few suggestions/ pointers I found myself giving...some new, some standard.

1. Consider adding your profile to LinkedIn if you are not already there. It's free and you can join interest groups. Also, recruiters have profiles on there and I know they look for candidates on there as well.

2. Become more active in a committee/interest group in those professional associations/ volunteer organizations you list on your resume. Consider a committee where you can learn new skills or enhance the ones you have. Be strategic about it.

3. Use the phone. If you see a job listing you are interested in that looks old or you have a general question about it, call the organization, ask for someone in HR (or the recruiter) and ask. Be curious and you will get to tell them your name. Don't forget to get their name as well. Bonus points if you get direct contact information. Best to call in the morning or towards COB.

4. Though you should have a 30 second elevator speech prepared, everyone else has one too. Add something interesting about yourself or something cool you've done lately to it (raised $5,000 for a 2 Day walk to support breast cancer, attended South by Southwest Festival, had a purple ticket to the inauguration AND got in, etc.). Chances are you will be better remembered.

5. Have multiple resumes. (I prefer them written in chronological order w/ most recent first) At least one should be geared towards your current industry/line of work. Another should place more emphasis on your skills in the event you are applying for a position in a different industry. And do have one comprehensive ("master") resume for historical purposes. The one you send to recruiters/hiring managers should be a shorter version of this. Remember, you only get ~30 or so seconds of review time. Make it count.

6. Consider adding no more than 2 to 3 sentences at the top of your resume that summarize your qualifications. They usually begin with something like "Industry professional with X years of experience in....Proven track record of..."

Implement some of these and hopefully results will follow!

Tips for Writing a Good Resume

As executive recruiters we see thousands of resumes, some generic and some for specific searches we're working on. However, only once in a while do we come across a resume that has all the desired information. Consequently, with the competition heating up for jobs [lots of applicants; few openings], it's even more important to make sure that your resume has all the pertinent information that a potential employer or a recruiter would need.

Below are some suggestions that we feel are the essentials of a good resume. According to statistics, the average resume gets approximately 30 seconds of read time, so your goal should be to make the most of the few seconds that your resume is being reviewed.

Complete Contact Information
We consistently receive resumes that do not have complete contact information. If you are looking for a new position, whether it is at an executive, middle management, or entry level, it would be smart to make it as easy as possible for a potential employer to contact you. Include the best email address and phone number to reach you. Ask for discretion when leaving a message if the best way to reach you is via a work email or phone number.

Education/Credentials
Include the name of the school, city and state and the degree (years optional). Include any other pertinent information such as subject matter or major accomplishments (i.e. Deans List, sports, student government, etc.) if you feel it relevant to the position you are seeking.

Work History In Reverse Chronological Order (Dates MM/YY Preferred)
Some resumes are laid out by subject matter expertise (financial skills, communications, strategic, management, etc.). This might be helpful in some instances, but the people reviewing your resume want to clearly see your job history and career progression and what you did in each position. Present your detailed experience in reverse chronological order dating back at least 10 years or as far as the “years of experience required” calls for in the job description.

Length and Style
Limit your initial resume to 2 pages. It is always a good idea to have a more detailed, multi page document ready should a recruiter or potential employer ask for it. We have found that the ideal resume is in a bullet format which is the easiest to read. Remember, the longer it takes to read and decipher, the less of a chance that it will get picked up again after the initial review.

Content
Focus on your achievements and strengths versus the day-to-day tasks you were required to perform in the job. Think of the things you have done that you are most proud of. Try to include a few bullet points that highlight those achievements/strengths under each job title. Use “action” verbs such as: improved, created, launched, increased, etc. If you have managed budgets or staff, make sure you include that too.

Pay Attention To Directions
Carefully read the job description or advertisement. If you are applying for a specific job, please pay close attention to the experience required portion of the job listing. Add anything to your resume that you’ve done that relates to the job description. Remember, you have to get the attention of the person initially reviewing your resume. On the other hand, if a job requires “certain“ industry experience and you don’t have it, please don’t apply for that job unless everything else you have done throughout your career is completely relevant to what the company is looking for. Receiving a resume that is not relevant shows that you did not pay attention to the directions.

Spelling and Grammar
Make sure that the document you submit is free of typos. You do not want to give the wrong first impression.

TO CAP OR NOT TO CAP

The government is insisting on executive salary caps for all the companies that they lend money to in the economic bailout. Normally I would vigorously disagree with that. If someone has provided superlative performance on the job and their employer has the means, than I think they should get a 'superlative' reward for work well done. We have been aggressive advocates for many years on this subject with Boards and individual clients nationwide. There are many not-for-profit executives around the USA that now enjoy performance bonus plans because of some interesting (and at times intense) conversations we had with their Boards 5, 10, even 15 years ago.

The key word here is "performance". Introducing the novel concept of a performance bonus plan in the N4P (not-for-profit) world was often a simple discussion that most Boards agreed to after some thought. Because constant salary increases could eventually price CEOs and other senior executives out of their jobs, we suggested that the Boards give small annual increases but give the executives who performed "serious" bonuses. We defined a “serious” bonus to one Board recently “as something that will make the executive take notice”. That attention getter is dependent on salary level and overall circumstances. If the CEO could add $50K++, or $25K or even $15K [all depending on base salary] to their income at the end of a good year, they would push hard to achieve the annual goals established.

Now the Feds want to limit high salaries in those corporations that received bailout funding. [Remember, what happens in the corporate world will quickly trickle over to the N4P world.] It is sad that some CEOS are so 'over the top' that they order $11,000 waste baskets for their offices. When a few corporate CEOs do things like that, it seems we all have to suffer a bit. Thus, I cannot easily argue against the President’s cry for salary caps, though I hardily disagree with the concept. In these times of excess by a selfish few, we all suffer because of this inevitable backlash.

We may need the President’s temporary salary cap to reestablish some sanity, some sense of fair play, and some sense of trust in all our markets, charities, corporations, and institutions.

About Us: Leonard

We thought you might like to get to know us a little better, so we'll begin with Leonard...

In December 2001, Leonard opened his own recruiting firm with the goal of providing corporate and not-for-profit clients with better personal service. Prior to 2001, he was a Managing Director at two of the world’s largest recruiting firms. He's recruited 190 CEOs and conducted over 300 searches overall for corporations, national societies, associations, and not-for-profits, Leonard has amassed more than 25 years of experience in the executive search industry. He’s seen a lot and can be very helpful to boards worried about the complexities of hiring a new CEO.

He's recruited CEOs, Executive Directors, and senior executives with backgrounds in finance, general management, government relations, legal, telecommunications, etc. Some of these searches you may have heard of, such as the CEOs for: Country Music Foundation, K.I.D.S., Medic Alert, National Association of REALTORS, Osteoporosis Foundation, Special Olympics, United Way of America and 2 Postmaster Generals for the Postal Service. (That was a tough one.) He also recruited CEOs, CIOs, SVPs, senior executives, and General Counsels for: ALCOA, Champion, Fleetwood, Lafarge, Mars, McDonalds, and Sprint.

Prior to relocating to Washington, Leonard was an executive recruiter in New York. There he focused on recruiting assignments for Bankers Trust, Citibank, and Goldman Sachs. Prior to New York, he managed the San Francisco office of a management-consulting firm and opened their operation in Honolulu. (That was fun!) Previously, he was on the executive staff at American Express.

Leonard has given speeches at major universities and conventions and authored various news articles on ethics and executive recruiting. He has served on the Boards of not-for-profits and understands their dynamics. His board service includes: National Blood Foundation, National Building Museum, Center for Missing Children, Special Olympics Men’s Committee, and on the Finance Committees of the National Symphony, Project Hope and the Head Injury Foundation.

Leonard, the oldest of 7, learned group dynamics at an early age. He grew up in suburban New Jersey, holds a BA and MBA from Harvard, and was commissioned a Lt. in Military Intelligence. He skis, attempts to play tennis, and sometimes does aerobics. Earlier in his career, he was a choker-setter in an Oregon logging camp (of course, we all know what that is!), and baled hay on a horse ranch in Montana.

About Us: Zara

Zara Sulayman - Senior Associate Recruiter

Zara is a senior associate recruiter at LP&CO and has been working with Leonard Pfeiffer since 1996 when she started working with him at Korn/Ferry International and subsequently moved with him to Heidrick & Struggles.

In 2002, when Leonard opened LP&CO, Zara joined him as an associate and was instrumental in helping him get the business up and running. As a senior associate, Zara works closely with Leonard and the respective clients and candidates, and is an integral part of the search process from research to writing job descriptions to developing target candidates and conducting initial screenings to participating in the actual client interviews and final negotiations.

Zara has worked on CEO searches for a variety of associations around the USA such as the Association for Corporate Growth (Chicago, IL), American Orthotics and Prosthetic Association (Alexandria, VA), Building Owners & Managers Institute, International (Annapolis, MD), Instrumentation Systems and Automation Society (Raleigh, NC) and the National Association of REALTORS (Chicago, IL & Washington, DC) to name a few.

Prior to 1996, Zara worked in Accounting at a large Washington DC law firm. Zara grew up in Europe and went to school in the UK.

When not working on searches, Zara enjoys reading and listening to music.

Congratulations to these new execuitves!

We've wrapped up a hand full of searches and wanted to share the good news.

National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA)
Tampa, FL

NMEDA is a trade association representing mobility equipment dealers, driver rehabilitation specialists, and other professionals dedicated to broadening the opportunities for people with disabilities to drive or to be transported in vehicles that have been modified with mobility equipment such as chair lifts or hand controls.

The mobility dealership industry is rapidly expanding. NMEDA was seeking a new CEO/ED who can take them to the "next level" including strengthening their Quality Assurance Program, focusing on local and state licensing of products, and providing members with continuing education programs. Dave Hubbard, formerly of ShowMax Marketing Affiliation, was selected as the new CEO/ED.

Arizona Association of REALTORS (AAR)
Phoenix, AZ

AAR was looking to replace a long-standing, well-liked CEO to run their 53,000+ membership, $8M+ professional association. Although, financially healthy, AAR was facing challenges due to the state of the real estate market. They needed someone who could identify business trends and opportunities, shape AAR's position with regards to public policy, and continue to build strong mutually beneficial relationships with various constituencies related to AAR.

After a nation-wide search, AAR selected their Vice President, Government Affairs, Tom Foley, as CEO and to continute to build upon the strenghts of AAR.

Building Owners and Managers Institute, International (BOMI)
Annapolis, MD

Founded in 1970, BOMI International is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit education institute. They are the trusted educational resource of choice for today's top corporations. BOMI's mission is to provide learning opportunities that enhance individual performance and add value to organizations in the building and facilities industry.


BOMI was seeking a new President & CEO. Jeffery Horn, formerly CEO of the Somerset County Business Partnership, was selected.
Congratulations to Dave, Tom and Jeffery. LP&CO is glad to have had the opportunity to work with these organizations and help them accomplish their goals.