How to be a great Executive Search Consultant

Though not necessarily the perfect inclusive answer, I strongly believe the professional considered to be a great, high flying executive search consultant is someone who is a brand by him or herself. In almost every case this person will bill high fees and have both highly satisfied clients and placements.

As a result, the one major benchmark setting the great search consultant apart from the others is a consistent and growing level of billing that does not depend on the brand name of the firm he works for (with the disclaimer that although in the current crisis a great consultant will still be able to eke out an income, it will be reduced as everywhere else).

I do not say that factors such as pro-activeness, intrinsic and social intelligence, empathy, confidence and other aspects are less relevant. However, they do not cause the consultant to be a great consultant; neither do stylish, Italian office furniture; or a fancy suit, a well-ironed shirt, silver cufflinks, expensive eau de cologne, a 200$ hairpiece and a white flashing smile.

All these traits and accessories are necessary to the success of a Search Consultant. What they do is diminish significantly; very significantly the role chance or luck will play in the consistency and growth of the search consultancy business. BUt they are by far not sufficient.

So what does matter? As I said earlier, a great consultant is able to build a brand around his work, and he or she will very likely be a brand by themselves. This means his name and person are a guarantee to the hiring organization that his services will lead to highly satisfactory results.

I formulated above traits and accessories as factors in diminishing the role chance will play, because if a consultant is employed by a global blue chip search firm, the brand and global service provider agreements of these companies will compensate (at least initially, sometimes in perpetuity) for the lack in returns on personal business development. I was told more than once that the great consultants employed by those firms are frustrated by the uneven business development activity performed by some of the older more senior peers, who’d rather work on execution and client relationship management.

Therefore great consultants will be able to build business and billing without a sterling brand behind them. Hence they always seem able to create new clients, even win clients away from the competition, despite the fact their organization and resources are dwarfed by the larger global competitors.

(1) They will have a mild obsession (mild because true fanatics tend to know more and more about less and less) to add value to the business of their customers. Adding value is core to winning and keeping customers. Great consultants are praised and remembered for their value add.

(2) They will put focus in their work, talk and walk. Some will work within the narrow confined of a specific sector or practice, others within the borders of a defined geography. Regardless specialization, activity, or geography, a clear and sharp focus will always be discernable. No one can do everything for everyone; any attempt in this direction will fail to achieve its goal.

(3) They work with a high and consistent level of energy, usually fueled by a passion for what they are doing. When one loves a job, usually he or she excels in what they do.

(4) They will keep themselves always highly visible to buyers and potential candidates. This could be through the internet, (of which this blog is an example off), press interviews, public speaking engagements, membership of professional non-profit organizations, etc….

(5) They will be confident without being arrogant; though unfortunately those to attributes correlate more often than not. The best consultants are confident with grace, and keep themselves humble and modest, though have the talent to make people feel comfortable, smile, talk and listen.

(6) They will display an eclectic, creative intelligence and resourcefulness, which implies flexibility and adaptability to new clients and mandates; but also deadlines and available resources.

(7) They will have integrity, and never ever compromise on the ethics of the business, and on their agreements with both clients and candidates. They will walk their talk, they will be people who are respected and will respect others.

When all this has sunk in, remind yourself again that the great Executive Search consultant will always ask, search and look to add value for his customers.