Last week I met someone in Turkey who requested a meeting, and asked me towards the end of a lengthy monologue of achievements, ambitions and dreams if I could give him a "CEO position". Every once in a while I come across an individual who not only asks, but also tells me to give him a "GM position". They make the statement with such conviction that the matter of being CEO of a large or small company, GM of a local or international firm, family owned, private or public; and oh, which sector: technology, hospitality, media, real estate, banking etc.... doesn't really matter. It's only a small issue for afterthought.

Great candidates put position content first, and this to a significant extent. Only after agreeing my client has the right environment and culture to accommodate them, they will look into package, contractual clauses and terms. Position content is what great candidates are after, not position titles. The great search consultant will be able to match content perception on both candidate and client side, in fact this is one of the greatest value-adds search consultants can provide.

Those asking or demanding a "CEO position"  give the message they identify strongly with their position as if it is a literal entitlement, not something which has to be earned. In fact a majority of them only want entitlement, and are not after job content or achievement. They not only lack a basic humility, but also a sense of integrity when it comes to self-assesment: most will skillfully turn failure into achievement, or cherry pick a number such as market share growth as if related to brilliant performance. Once I was told by someone how he grew market share 20% YoY twice in a row; when I casually remarked both IDC and Gartner figures showed the overall market grew 30% those years, I was met by brief silence and the accompanying "deer staring in the headlights" expression. We continued the conversation as if nothing happened.

I answered the gentleman who asked me if I could give him a CEO position that most unfortunate I could not. I could not offer him a CEO position right now because he was overqualified for the particular role I was working on. He could not agree more, and thanked me profusely for the great discussion we had.

Marshall Goldsmith spends one chapter in his bestselling book about executive coaching "What got you here won't get you there" on the importance of listening. He rightly remarks listening is not a passive activity; on the contrary, good listeners regard it as a highly active process, one that is absolutely essential to a great conversation. Hence listening requires an amount of effort, especially when one is engaged in selling a  product, idea or service.

It is listening that builds trust; talking doesn't. There is no way of building trust quicker than to listen intently to what the other has to say. I read somewhere that the best sales people, actually 75% of the  very top, are classified as introverts on psychological tests: they talk and ask questions 30% or less of the time. They will ask engaging questions, allowing to steer and guide the conversation, giving them the opportunity to listen.

Listening also builds selfesteem, because to listen intently is to show one cares for another. Furthermore, individuals who can listen comfortably and attentively usually have high selfesteem, because they tend to be less preoccupied with their own thoughts and feelings in their interaction with others: they simply are not a quest to prove to others how good they are.

Goldsmith lists 3 traits good listeners do:

1) They listen with respect. It is the only way to learn from what the other has to say.

2) They think before speaking. What do people do when they're upset, surprised or shocked ? They talk. Telling your brain and mouth not to do something is no different than telling them to do it. Mastering this means you can listen effectively.

3) They ask themselves "if it's worth it". It forces one to consider how the other person will feel after hearing your response; which engages the listener into thinking beyond the discussion to consider how the other person regards you, what he or she will do afterwards, and how she or she will behave the next time you talk. That's a lot of consequences resulting out of if it's worth it.

After interviewing hundreds of professionals, I came to see that the truly great executives are great listeners.  The very best managers I have placed, without exception, always showed great listening skills. They listen intently and they will always tend to listen more than they will be inclined to talk. Moreover, they will always take the opportunity to ask questions.

It is their questions, much more than their answers, which will unveil the depth of their knowledge, experience, and the sophistication of their thinking. I am always surprised how some indiduals go into great lengths talking about their achievements, have nothing to ask beyond the name of our client and the package details. The great ones (which also includes also search consultants), always leave you with the feeling of a great conversation, where both sides had the opportunity to learn something.

 

Many people asked me how I would list the elements making a great leader:

(1) Personal humility fortified with professional will, which is much different from ego-drive, or the capacity for show-off combined with a large dose of personal PR. Humility leads managers to effortlessly take responsibility, but also naturally share success with their team.

(2) Integrity: walk the talk, and lead by example. These people do as they say. Such individuals always operate from within an aura of transparency and openness, as there is few or nothing they need to hide or shy away from.

(3) Passion, which I see as a combination of energy, creativity and focus. Passion allows leaders to develop vision, and the gives them the energy to implement it. It makes them mobilize their team to realize a shared mission.

(4) A genuine positive outlook on life and people, with a total absence of cynicism. Personal and organizational growth can only be sustained through optimism, or a deep positive belief that people and situations can change for the better. Its a main attractor for what one can define the good things in life: health and valuable friendships.

(5) Last but not least I would list intelligence, on both an intrinsic and emotional level. I once read an IQ test can account for one third of the success of an executive, and I do not completely disagree. Throw an equal measure of EQ and one will go a long way.

Great leaders develop a culture where the truth can be heard, and they do not devalue contrary views or idea's. On the contrary, like Jack Welsh, they will relish and promote candor in their organizations. As such they promote a culture where respect tends to be equally given as it will be received. Those leaders confront facts, ask the necessary questions, and will focus on what has the greatest impact;  they will be a major source for the job satisfaction of those working for them.

 

Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel wrote a book Only the Paranoid Survive on how the success of business creates the seeds of its own destruction.

"The more successful you are, the more people want a chunk of your business and then another chunk and then another until there is nothing left."

Hence, one needs to worry especially about competitors finding out how to run your business better, cheaper and more efficient. Managers therefore cannot be complacent, and should always be on their guard. In other words, a manager should always be on the look-out for strategic inflection points.

A strategic inflection point is a time in the life of a business when its fundamentals are about to change. That change can mean an opportunity to rise to new heights. But it may just as likely signal the beginning of the end.

Such points are deadly when unattended too. Examples of such strategic inflection points are the bank teller machine, the PC, the internet, VOIP and so on...

For instance, I believe a company like Microsoft today is faced with several such inflection points simultaneously: the slow demise of the importance of client computing, the emergence of open source software, the convergence of telephony, consumer electronics and enertainment devices. Yes, Microsoft has the XBOX, the Zune player and MSN. None of them however are category leaders, and still make losses since the time they were introduced. Their main competitors hoard huge profits and free cash flow. The verdict is still out on how Steve Ballmer, the shy, introverted and soft-spoken CEO of Microsoft is adressing those particular inflection points.

If such inflection point will lead to disaster or a period of new growth depends on the management of the company. Andy Grove stated in this regard that

A company cannot change when its management is not changed.

Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Difficult times require more than often a change of management to infuse an organization with energy, intuition, and more importantly, creativity and courage.

When companies come to us to help them change management, we must make clear we do not just bring a change of a person, but effectively a change of management, more specifically, a positive change of both the tangible and intangible value of a business.

At times this involves telling a client what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear. Prospective clients seeking out such advice have the potential to become great clients, and winners in their marketplace.

Great search firms can effectively help companies overcome strategic inflection points. They bring in the required change for the client company to start a new period of sustained growth instead of disaster. The search firms or consultants retained for this type of work are the ones at the height of their game. Therefore, the amount of trust, responsibility and professionalism required for such work can only be found with the best and most dedicated search consultants in the marketplace.