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We’ve all been there. Despite your best efforts to build and prioritize a thoughtful company culture, you somehow end up working under a less-than-stellar leader. Or maybe you’re the one in charge—leading a team of leaders—and you’re wondering how to spot warning signs before bad leadership negatively impacts your organization. Whether you’re a candidate trying to avoid a bad fit or an executive looking to build a winning leadership team, recognizing the early signals of problematic leadership can make all the difference. Leadership Red Flags: What to Watch for As a Candidate or Executive Spotting Issues Before You Start In the interview phase, you’re selling yourself and interviewing the company and its leadership. The dynamic of an interview can make you feel like you’re the only one under the microscope, but always present yourself with the confidence that you have the power and option to pass. Never underestimate your intuition or the vibes you feel from your interactions with leaders. If something seems off, even if you can’t spot it, follow that instinct. There are, however, some visible signs of bad leadership. Here are a few to watch out for: What If You Find Yourself Working Under a Bad Boss? Sometimes, even with the best efforts to avoid it, you end up reporting to a boss who just doesn’t cut it. If you find yourself in this situation, all is not lost. Here are a few tips for thriving despite difficult leadership: Red Flags When You’re Managing Leaders If you’re in a position where you’re overseeing other managers, you have the unique challenge of identifying problematic leadership from within your organization. Here are a few classic signs to watch for: Being a Great Boss: It’s More Than Just Being Nice A common misconception is that being a good leader is about being friendly or “nice” to your team. No one likes working for a tyrant, but leadership—especially at the executive level—goes much deeper than that. Great leaders empower their teams and take responsibility for their failure or success. What does that look like in practice? The most effective leaders balance clarity, accountability, and the ability to inspire their teams to push for excellence. At the end of the day, leadership can make or break an organization. With M Search’s 16+ years of experience, robust network, and white-glove concierge approach, we’re here to help your company identify and attract transformational leaders who will take your organization to the next level. Let’s ensure those red flags stay where they belong—outside your company’s leadership team. Are you looking to build a leadership team that avoids these red flags altogether, and can deliver what your organization really needs? Get in touch with us today!

As summer draws to a close and the back-to-school season kicks in, it’s the perfect time for business leaders to reflect on the future of work and how to attract and retain high performing talent. The traditional high-pressure, cutthroat environments exemplified by movies like Glengarry Glen Ross are a relic of the past. Today’s workforce, especially the younger generations, values environments where respect, empathy, and flexibility are prioritized. Understanding and adapting to these new expectations is essential for fostering a productive and loyal workforce. The Shift in Workplace Values Gone are the days when a harsh, competitive environment was seen as the only way to drive performance. Research consistently shows that people perform better when they feel valued and supported. According to the American Psychological Association, 88% of employees who feel valued report being engaged, versus only 38% of those who do not feel valued. This shift in workplace dynamics is significant when considering the preferences of younger generations, such as Millennials and Gen Z. These generations prioritize a healthy work-life balance, mental well-being, and a sense of purpose in their jobs. Gen Z employees seek environments where they feel supported and understood, both professionally and personally. They value authenticity and expect their employers to care for their employees’ well-being genuinely. The Benefits of a Supportive Work Environment Adopting a more supportive and inclusive work culture isn’t just about being nice—it’s a strategic advantage. When employees feel respected and valued, their engagement levels increase, leading to higher productivity and better job performance. A supportive environment can reduce turnover rates, saving organizations significant costs for hiring and training new employees. Fostering a positive work culture can enhance your company’s reputation, making it easier to attract exceptional talent. In today’s competitive job market, candidates often prioritize companies known for their employee-centric cultures. This underscores the critical importance of leadership that not only understands but actively cultivates an environment where employees thrive. Critical Values for Younger Generations Understanding what younger generations value is crucial for retaining and attracting talent. Here are some of the key aspects they prioritize: Flexibility: The ability to work remotely or have flexible hours is highly valued. This flexibility allows employees to manage their personal and professional lives more effectively, improving overall job satisfaction. Professional Development: Opportunities for growth and development are essential. Younger employees seek continuous learning and career advancement. Companies that invest in their employees’ development are more likely to retain their highest performing talent. Mental Health and Well-being: A focus on mental health support is critical. Providing resources for stress management, offering wellness programs, and creating a culture that prioritizes well-being can make a significant difference. Diversity and Inclusion: A diverse and inclusive workplace is not just a preference but an expectation. Younger generations want to work in environments where different perspectives are valued, and everyone has equal opportunities. Purpose and Impact: Gen Z, in particular, wants to work for mission driven organizations that align with their values and contribute positively to society. Having a clear mission and demonstrating corporate social responsibility can attract these purpose-driven individuals. Embracing Change for Increased Productivity Change can be challenging, especially for established organizations that use traditional working methods. However, embracing change can lead to significant benefits for both employees and the organization as a whole. By adopting new practices that align with the values of younger generations, companies can unlock higher levels of productivity and innovation. Implement Flexible Work Policies: Allowing employees to work remotely or offering flexible schedules can increase productivity. Studies have shown that employees who control their work environments are more engaged and perform better. Invest in Technology: Embracing new technologies can streamline processes and improve efficiency. Providing employees with the tools they need to succeed can enhance their performance and job satisfaction. Foster a Collaborative Culture: Encouraging collaboration and open communication can lead to better ideas and solutions. Creating spaces where employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and working together can drive innovation. Promote Continuous Learning: Offering training programs and encouraging employees to pursue further education can keep your workforce skilled and motivated. A culture of continuous learning ensures that your organization stays competitive in a rapidly changing market. The Role of Leadership in Driving Change For these changes to be effective, strong leadership is essential. Leaders must be committed to creating a supportive and inclusive work environment. This includes actively listening to employees, addressing their concerns, and making necessary adjustments to policies and practices. Having a dedicated team or individual who can facilitate these changes is crucial. This role involves implementing new strategies, monitoring their effectiveness, and making continuous improvements. By prioritizing employee well-being and aligning organizational practices with the values of younger generations, leaders can ensure their company’s long-term success. Building a Future-Ready Workforce As we move into the future, business leaders must recognize that the days of cutthroat competition and high-pressure environments are over. By fostering a supportive, flexible, and inclusive workplace, organizations can attract and retain the right talent that can determine your success, drive productivity, and stay competitive in an evolving market. At M SEARCH, we understand the importance of these shifts in the workplace. With over 16 years of experience in providing white glove executive search and leadership advisory services, we excel at connecting high-performing executive talent with organizations poised for growth. Our commitment to innovation, integrity, and inclusion helps us craft customized talent solutions tailored to your needs. Let us help you find the leaders who will navigate your company through the evolving work landscape, ensuring your continued success in any climate.

The 4th of July is still in our rearview mirror, and what is more American than exercising your right to vote? 2024 is an election year, which is always a challenging landscape for business leaders and employees to navigate. Election years are often marked by heightened emotions –look no further than the discourse around last week’s Presidential Debate – market volatility and significant uncertainty. As a business leader, reacting to the political climate by making drastic changes or aligning your company too closely with one political outcome can be tempting. However, it’s crucial to maintain focus and ensure that your business remains resilient regardless of the election results. Here’s why staying balanced and prudent during an election year and strategies to navigate this turbulent period effectively are essential. Finding Balance Market Volatility Election years often bring increased market volatility. Historically, what rocks the markets is a fluctuation between the probable outcomes of the election. It’s steadier when the election appears more one-sided –think 2012 and 2004, markedly less so on coin-flip elections such as 2000 and 2020. 2024, according to recent polling, looks to be another coin flip. So, brace for volatility. Unless you have a magic ball that will forecast what’s on the horizon (if so, feel free to let us know as we’re curious!), the best course leaders have to take is to find balance. Based on political news, candidate policies and election outcomes don’t fluctuate significantly. Overreacting to these short-term changes can lead to poor investment decisions and financial instability. Instead, focus on long-term strategies and maintain a diversified strategy to mitigate risks. Business Continuity Aligning your business too closely with one political party or candidate can alienate customers, employees, and stakeholders with different views. This can damage your brand’s reputation and lead to a loss of business. A neutral stance ensures that your business remains inclusive and welcoming to all. This balanced, nonpartisan business positioning is more challenging in today’s polarizing political climate. Due to this environment, leaders must take up the challenge and ensure inclusivity. Regulatory Changes While election outcomes can change regulations and policies, overcommitting to one side’s anticipated policies can leave your business vulnerable if the other side wins. In the 2016 election, which stunned many political prognosticators, many companies got caught up in this lack of balance. Don’t let the result side-swipe your business. Prepare for various scenarios and stay adaptable to navigate potential regulatory shifts smoothly. Strategies for Business Leaders Set Clear Objectives Define your business goals clearly, independent of the political landscape. Focus on customer satisfaction, product innovation, and market expansion objectives. These goals will provide a stable direction for your business regardless of political changes. Diversify Investments Diversification is critical to managing risk during uncertain times. Spread your investments across different sectors, asset classes, and geographical regions to reduce exposure to market volatility. Of course, you want to note the political tea leaves, but consult with financial advisors to create a robust investment strategy that aligns with your long-term goals and values. Stay Informed but Detached it may seem enticing to bury your head in the sand and avoid the often venomous political discourse, but it’s important for business leaders to stay informed about political developments and potential impacts on their industry. However, it is important to avoid making impulsive decisions based on political news. Holster your emotions and instead rely on data-driven insights and expert analysis to guide your decisions rather than reacting emotionally to election-related events. Communicate Transparently Maintain open and transparent communication with your stakeholders, including employees, customers, and investors. Reassure them of your commitment to the business’s core values and long-term vision. Address their concerns and keep them informed about how you are navigating the election year uncertainties. Plan for Multiple Scenarios Develop contingency plans for various election outcomes. Identify potential risks and opportunities associated with different political scenarios and prepare strategies to address them. This proactive approach will help you stay resilient and responsive to changes. Foster a Resilient Culture Cultivate a company culture that values resilience and adaptability. Encourage your team to focus on their roles and responsibilities, and provide support to help them manage stress and uncertainty. A robust and united workforce is essential for navigating turbulent times successfully. Maintaining focus during an election year is crucial for your business’s long-term success and stability. By staying balanced, setting clear objectives, diversifying investments, and planning for multiple scenarios, you can navigate the uncertainties of the political climate effectively. Remember, the key is to remain adaptable and resilient, ensuring your business can thrive regardless of the election outcome. This way, you’ll be prepared to succeed no matter what November brings. About M Search At M Search, we understand the unique challenges that election years present to business leaders. With over 16 years of experience in executive search and advisory services, we excel at connecting high-performing executive talent with organizations poised for growth. Our commitment to innovation, integrity, and inclusion helps us craft customized talent solutions tailored to your needs. Let us help you find the leaders who will navigate your company through this election year and beyond, ensuring your continued success in any political climate.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are more than just buzzwords; they are essential to a thriving and innovative organizational culture. However, achieving meaningful progress in DEI requires more than just good intentions. It necessitates strong and committed leadership that can navigate the complexities of DEI issues and implement effective strategies to promote inclusivity. As a leader, you play a pivotal role in setting the tone, establishing expectations, and driving the initiatives that foster a truly inclusive environment. DEI initiatives and attention are starting to slip within the corporate zeitgeist. With Pride Month kicking off and Juneteenth around the corner, let’s explore how you can create a workplace where diversity flourishes, and all employees feel valued and empowered. Set Realistic Expectations DEI issues are inherently complex, and expecting immediate, sweeping changes is unrealistic. Even with a leader who is all-in and ready to lead the charge, change is notoriously lead-footed. Leaders seeking to drive change must communicate that there is no one- size-fits-all solution and see the challenge as fluid and ongoing. Setting the stage with realistic expectations helps lay a foundation for sustainable andmeaningful progress. Set Small, Achievable Goals With your expectations set, the next task for a leader is to set a plan that features small, achievable goals to check off as you go. Leaders should set clearly defined, measurable goals instead of overwhelming the organization with broad, vague objectives. These goals should be distinct steps towards a larger vision of a more inclusive and harmonious work environment, allowing for tangible progress and continuous improvement. Don’t neglect to celebrate these small victories, as each one can build momentum and keep the team motivated. Communicate Regularly Communication is a critical attribute for a strong leader, and it’s not a skill to sideline during your DEI efforts. Regular communication about DEI initiatives is essential for sustained success. Leaders must consistently share updates, wins, hurdles, and areas for improvement with the entire company. Transparency keeps everyone informed and reinforces the organization’s commitment to DEI. Empower Others You won’t be able to do this alone. Influential leaders empower others to take action and assist you in your mission to drive meaningful DEI change. Leaders can create a more inclusive and dynamic workplace culture by fostering an environment where employees at all levels feel encouraged and equipped to contribute to DEI initiatives. Address Systems of Oppression Directly Ignoring systemic issues is counterproductive. Leaders must confront and address systemic inequities head-on. This means recognizing and tackling the structural barriers that impede equity and inclusion within the organization. Tackling these issues is never easy and will almost certainly cause some discomfort. However, great leaders are defined by their ability to push through and lead in the face of difficulty. You got this. Acknowledge Unconscious Bias Unconscious bias can subtly and significantly impact efforts to increase diversity and inclusion. These unconscious biases can include assumptions and judgments made on race, gender, age, or other characteristics—usually without the guilty party being self-aware that they’re doing it. Recognizing the pervasive nature of unconscious bias is the first step toward mitigating its impact. How can leaders root it out? Leaders play a critical role in this process by fostering team awareness and understanding. Implementing comprehensive training programs is essential to help employees recognize their biases and learn strategies to counteract them. Treat Employees as Individuals Avoid making assumptions about employees based on their backgrounds. Leaders must treat each individual as unique, valuing their experiences and perspectives. This approach helps build a genuinely inclusive environment where everyone feels respected and valued. Encourage Diverse Group Interactions Encouraging employees to work in diverse groups is not just a strategic move for business innovation; it’s a foundational step toward fostering a genuinely inclusive workplace culture. Diverse teams bring together various perspectives, skill sets, experiences, and problem-solving approaches, which can lead to more creative and effective solutions.Research consistently shows that diverse teams outperform homogeneous ones, particularly in tasks requiring creativity and complex problem-solving. Assembling diverse teams starts with inclusive hiring, but leaders can also scan their organizations for existing team members with unique backgrounds and roles. Connect Employees to Mentors Mentorship is a powerful tool for boosting the representation of underrepresented groups within an organization. By establishing mentorship programs, leaders can create opportunities for employees from diverse backgrounds to receive guidance, support, and professional development from more experienced colleagues. These relationships can be instrumental in helping mentees navigate their career paths, overcome challenges, and achieve their full potential. Additionally, they will increase their self-confidence, which will inform their development and career advancement, driving value to your organization. Involve All Voices Proactively involving all employees in DEI initiatives ensures that these efforts are comprehensive and reflect the entire organization. The most progressive and DEI-aware leader can only know and do so much. By tapping into your teams, you exponentially improve the power of your DEI initiatives. Leaders should invite input from diverse voices and create platforms for open dialogue and collaboration. Revise Job Descriptions Most organizations, and by extension, leaders, don’t appreciate the power language wields in a job description. Individual word choices can significantly impact the diversity of the talent pool. Leaders should ensure that job ads are inclusive and free of biased language that might deter diverse candidates. Examples of non-inclusive language include: Acknowledge Intersectionality Recognizing the complexity of people’s identities and experiences is crucial for leaders to foster an inclusive workplace. Intersectionality, a term coined by scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, refers to how various aspects of a person’s identity, such as race, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic status, intersect and create unique experiences of discrimination and privilege. Leaders should embrace the concept of intersectionality to understand how overlapping identities can influence an individual’s experience within the organization. Understanding intersectionality means acknowledging that the challenges faced by an individual cannot be fully understood by looking at single aspects of their identity in isolation. For instance, the experiences of a Black woman in the workplace are shaped not only by her race but also by her

Flowers are great, brunches are fun, and chocolates are sweet. But finding the perfect Mother’s Day gift for working moms is not something that can be accomplished with the click of a button. It requires a thoughtful and dedicated commitment to creating a work environment that is equitable, diverse, and empowering. This Mother’s Day, let’s explore how we can extend our appreciation beyond traditional gifts, focusing instead on providing structural support and an equal playing field that truly honors their contributions and leadership. Women in Executive Roles: A Force for Change The impact of women in leadership positions extends beyond their immediate circle; it echoes across their organizations and industries. When women lead, they bring unique perspectives and drive transformative change for the organizations they serve. There are countless stories of women leaders driving significant outcomes. When given the reigns, women are not only capable but exceptionally adept at steering their communities and companies toward progressive milestones and inclusive practices. They also inspire the women they lead through their leadership. As Lexi Corn beautifully points out, her experiences with a stay-at-home mom underscored vital leadership qualities such as empathy, resilience, and the ability to motivate and inspire—traits imperative to effective management and leadership in any field. Mother’s Day Action: Take inventory of the leaders in your organization and address any failures in representation that you find. The Necessity of Pay Equity Pay equity is not just a matter of fairness but also a crucial factor in ensuring that mothers can provide for their families without being unduly penalized. The gender pay gap remains a persistent issue, disproportionately affecting mothers, particularly those who are single or primary caregivers. In 2022, women earned 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. Addressing this gap is more than an ethical imperative; failing to do so opens up business risk. Disparities in pay can lead to legal challenges, including lawsuits for discrimination, which can result in potentially significant financial costs but can also damage an organization’s reputation. Mother’s Day Action: Create a culture of salary transparency and pay equity. Companies that demonstrate a commitment to pay equity are viewed more favorably by the public, consumers, and potential business partners. Creating Supportive Work Environments To truly support mothers in the workplace, organizations need to implement policies that recognize and accommodate their unique needs. This includes adequate parental leave for both mothers and fathers, flexible working arrangements like remote or hybrid options, and in-office accommodations such as nursing breakrooms. It’s not only about making these options available but also about ensuring they are accessible without stigma or penalty. Mother’s Day Action: Examine your benefits packages to see if your parental leave policies are competitive and compassionate. Offering short-term disability is not enough. Position Female Leaders to Succeed We noted earlier how impactful female leaders can be and how imperative their representation is, but you also must ensure they are set up for success and have the requisite support and resources. Do your leaders have the budgets and teams to achieve their goals? Are their affiliation groups (women in leadership, mothers forums/slack channels, etc.) in place? Are you recognizing women who have won awards in your organization? What is the gender ratio of your C-Suite and board? Mother’s Day Action: Not sure if the women in your organization are being supported enough or feel like they’re in a position to succeed? Ask them. Don’t assume. This Mother’s Day, let’s broaden our perspective and consider how we can truly honor and support mothers by advocating for and implementing policies that ensure their success and well-being. Gifts and cards are lovely, but nothing says “I appreciate you” quite like having the right leader in the right place. Need help securing a transformational leader? Get in touch with us today! About M SEARCH M SEARCH is a leading executive search and advisory firm with more than 16 years of experience helping organizations achieve their hiring goals. Our firm excels in connecting high performing executive talent with prominent organizations by focusing on innovation, integrity, and inclusion and crafting customized talent solutions that meet our clients’ unique needs. We aim to contribute to your success story by leveraging our expertise to identify the ideal leaders who can propel your company forward.

Do you know the biggest organization in the world? No, it’s not Amazon, Walmart, or the U.S. Department of Defense. It’s the Earth herself. Like the most effective companies, the Earth is an interconnected system of infinite parts working in harmony. Some firms last generations, but the sustainable ecology the Earth has developed has thrived for hundreds of millions of years. In the spirit of Earth Day, it’s fitting to examine how companies can use Earth’s ecological sustainability as inspiration for building their own sustainable, time-tested, and thriving organizations. Embracing Organization Sustainability At its core, ecological sustainability is about meeting our individual needs without compromising the entire system or the ability of others to obtain theirs—including future generations, who will ultimately pay the bill for our usage. This principle applies both to the natural world and the corporate sphere. Ecological sustainability focuses on conserving natural resources and ecosystems to maintain the health of our planet. On the other hand, organizational sustainability involves strategies and practices that ensure a company can operate and thrive long-term without depleting its resources or harming its community and environment. Resource Efficiency Another connection between organizational and ecological sustainability is not merely metaphorical; it is practical and intrinsic. Take resource efficiency, for example. Just as environmental sustainability emphasizes the prudent use of natural resources to limit the deterioration of our environment, organizations must manage their resources efficiently to ensure longevity. Rash spending on raw materials, financial assets, or human capital can significantly impact an organization’s health. Too much spending in Q1 can lead to layoffs or budget cuts in Q4. But so too can a lack of spending. The sustainability of your organization can deteriorate with a lack of resource allocation. After years of job growth, 2023 saw an unfortunate rise in layoffs. While job growth has shown signs of bouncing back in 2024, many organizations that were hit by high rates of layoffs have yet to adjust back – leading to overleveraged leaders who have been picking up the slack and covering multiple roles. This trend rolls downhill, leading to overworked and overstressed employees. Which of course, has a profound impact on both productivity and culture. Adaptability and Resilience Ecosystems thrive by being adaptable and resilient to changes in their environment. Earth has weathered countless dramatic climatological shifts. Can your business say the same? Sustainable organizations must be agile in their ability to adapt to market changes, technological advancements, and shifting societal values without losing their core identity and purpose. Interconnectedness Ecology teaches us that everything is connected; changing one part of the ecosystem can have widespread effects. Rising ocean temps lead to eroding coastlines and melting polar ice, which impacts coastal communities and polar habitats. In organizations, decisions and actions in one area can affect all others. For example, a cost-saving measure in the supply chain can have a disastrous ripple effect on production timelines. A wasteful and inefficient marketing campaign can impact both sales and customer success teams. Sustainable organizations must understand how these connections impact all of their different teams. Long-Term Thinking Ecological sustainability is inherently long-term, focusing on preserving the environment for future generations. Mother Earth doesn’t think in terms of monthly numbers or quarterly goals, she prioritizes the long-term health of the ecosystem. Organizations adopting sustainability must also plan for the future, making decisions that ensure their operations are viable and responsible over time rather than focusing solely on short-term gains. Learning from Nature Organizations can learn much from ecological systems, which have evolved over millions of years to optimize resource use, minimize waste, and create symbiotic relationships. Principles such as biomimicry, where businesses model products, services, and systems on biological entities and processes, illustrate how closely organizational practices can align with nature to achieve sustainability. A Unified Goal As we celebrate Earth Day, it’s crucial to remember that our planet’s health and our businesses’ prosperity are not mutually exclusive goals. By embracing ecological and organizational sustainability principles, we can forge a path that ensures our planet’s well-being while fostering economic growth and innovation. Ultimately, the journey toward sustainability—whether organizational or ecological—is about harmonizing with the systems we depend on. It’s about taking responsibility not just for the present but also for the distant horizon. As stewards of both the environment and economic systems, we can create a legacy of sustainability that will support generations to come. On this Earth Day, let’s commit to this shared path of sustainability, recognizing that our efforts to sustain our organizations and our planet are not just parallel but deeply intertwined. About M SEARCH M SEARCH stands out as a premier executive search and advisory firm. We’ve been in business for over 16 years and have been an essential part of helping organizations reach their organizational sustainability goals in a variety of market conditions. Our expertise lies in bridging elite talent with leading organizations. Emphasizing innovation, integrity, and inclusion, M SEARCH tailors talent solutions to the specific requirements of their clients, ensuring success and building enduring partnerships. We’d love to be a part of your success story and use our experience to find the right leaders who can help you get your company where you need it to be.

The AI Boom took off in the 1960s. After many setbacks and breakthroughs, the recent development of large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, has democratized the world of AI, creating new opportunities for adoption and making it easier to use. Experts in executive search and leadership advisory are ‘genetically curious’. What are the opportunities and risks of generative AI in our world? LLMs, built on googols of words and phrases on the internet, with all their built-in bias, conscious or otherwise, tribal ranting and other unfiltered contributions are relatively useful for basic research purposes, but a model such as ChatGPT is still primarily a search engine. Integrating ChatGPT with generative AI opens up a world of opportunities, with advanced machine learning algorithms supercharging disruption across all industries. In recruitment, it takes the time and fatigue out of sifting through resumés, with further capabilities such as candidate screening and creating interview shortlists transforming talent management. Disrupters are already using advanced data science, AI, and machine learning to match people to jobs, using a skills-based approach. “AI is making a massive impact on mid-level, junior roles, but for executive search, it’s a very different situation,” comments Tina Engineer-McRae, Founder and President of M SEARCH. “There may be something in the future, but where we are right now, we are light years away from replacing search consultants with an algorithm.” Why? First, because leadership is an art and a science. While science can track technical capabilities, the artfulness of the executive search consultant is mission-critical for a senior executive, C-suite or board-level search. Secondly, because once in the corner office, senior executives are rarely looking to move. They are typically well-established, taking the organization on a particular journey and locked in with highly attractive, performance-based remuneration packages. Getting a senior executive to make a move requires a sophisticated, discreet and influential approach, that resonates personally, professionally and with market trends. Could AI replicate this? It would need highly nuanced and personal knowledge of the executive, it would need to factor in company culture, reputation and the global economic environment. It would need to switch from informative to deferential, from listening to laying out a landscape, from confidante to ambassador. Then, the model, robot, or other as yet undefined ‘being’ would need to ask and understand questions such as: 1) How do you create a goal-oriented, performance driven environment? 2) How do you perceive risks to the business today and in the next three years? What will this mean for the senior executive talent you will need? 3) What about your style of leadership is especially helpful in building relationships and influencing people? There is also a major ‘anticipatory’ element in executive search. 1. “Executive search is future-focused, particularly in a world where faster tech cycles have super-charged the business cycle,” says Tina Engineer-McRae, Co-Founder and President of M SEARCH. “The ability to synthesize vast amounts of data and information is an incredible advantage with AI – hence the excitement – but synthesizing the multiple and varied inputs involved in an executive search would simply not be possible at this stage of AI’s development.” Valerie Derome, Senior Vice President, Leadership Advisory at M SEARCH agrees. “For our industry and how we work, there are too many variables, too many unique organizational and personal characteristics, to create anything other than a hallucination – the ‘perfect leader’. And we know they don’t exist, because all leaders live in the context of their industry, their organization, and the surrounding team.” Valerie continues, “However, at this stage it’s exciting to think about what AI could do. For example, if we could train a model to draw out from everything associated with a brand name the kind of culture that company has, the complexity of its environment, the types of projects people might have been exposed to, the capability they developed, that could be really valuable. But then culture is subjectively assessed, and how many companies have external profiles that are matched by the internal experience…?” So, how do we approach the world of AI? For every business, leveraging the potential of generative AI is about being thoughtful around how, why and where it is applied. As with all technology, new tools don’t necessarily replace people, they augment and enhance, with productivity gains. “We will never lose our concierge approach,” asserts Tina. “Because understanding the business and people drivers, particularly at board level, is crucial to sensing the culture of an organization. Every day, clients want to know how we do that and how we perceive candidates’ motivations. It’s getting that alchemy right, that leads to success and longevity. Given retention challenges today, this is always part of the conversation”. Are clients thinking or talking about AI in executive search? “At present, conversations about the impact of generative AI on any industry are taking place among the Amazons and Googles,” explains Fernando Vega, Partner, executive search, at M SEARCH. “In mid-sized companies, no-one is raising that conversation with us right now; the focus is more on an early-stage understanding of leveraging AI within the core business.” Early forays into AI in recruitment revealed the shortcomings of using past data with a built-in bias that fails to reflect social progress. In 2018, Amazon shut down its own recruitment AI tool because it discriminated against female applicants. And Galactica, an LLM similar to ChatGPT trained on 46 million text examples was shut down by Meta after three days in late 2022, because it spewed out false and racist information. 2. “AI isn’t getting everything right, but now is a good time to explore what it can do,” insists Valerie. “There are so many more applications that we can’t even imagine today, automating certain tasks is definitely around the corner. What’s missing is enabling people to experiment in how they could use AI. For people in R&D functions, it’s a natural part of their job, but in most companies it’s more about having people with the right mind set and

In 2010, Harvard Business Review ran a feature on The Acceleration Trap. It explored how organizations, faced with intense market pressures, take on more than they can handle, increasing the number and speed of activities, raising performance goals, shortening innovation cycles, and introducing new technologies and organizational systems. Basking in success, the CEO tries to make this the new normal. The original burst of activity morphed into sustained, chronic overload. HBR showed how the acceleration trap harmed the company on many levels, particularly affecting performance, efficiency, employee productivity, and retention. In 2023, there seems to be no let up to acceleration, with AI now recalibrating jobs, industries, and life itself. Post covid, we are close to another acceleration trap. As we remember, return from, or prepare for summer, it is time to break the ever-increasing momentum and reflect on life, particularly our working life. In antipathy to the great resignation, it is a reset that we all need before budgeting begins and Q4 targets end. There is a well-established link between performance and mental well-being, usually achieved by taking the time to disconnect completely. “For me, my recent break in the UK was a time to put work issues aside, embrace parent mode and switch off,” explains Tina Engineer-McRae, Co-Founder and President of M SEARCH. “I was feeling a little mentally burnt out and needed a recharge. After a long period focused heavily on work, taking a proper break meant that I came back refreshed with new ideas and new energy”. The Covid pandemic revealed to many people the benefits of work/life balance, achieved now through hybrid and flexible working. There are global differences here too. At a recent global mobility event in South Florida, the keynote speaker highlighted different approaches, saying, “Americans live to work, but Europeans work to live,” with those in the UK gravitating more to the West. Following the pandemic, Europeans were more willing to return to the office, confident in a decent lunch break to socialize with a colleague or work peer, returning to the office for a client meeting followed by a little social time together to end the working day. At business events, meetings, and research, the most common words we hear today are ‘creative thinking,’ ‘innovation,’ ‘agility,’ ‘flexibility,’ and ‘empathy’ – all terms for a ‘postmodernist work environment.’ In the art world, ‘postmodernism’ is associated with skepticism, irony, and philosophical critiques of the concepts of universal truths and objective reality. Sound familiar? Skepticism of climate change or an individual’s subjective reality, the irony of bank betrayals and political duplicity, and a questioning of how human beings are treated by the medical, political, and scientific establishment. Tina continues, “At M SEARCH, we followed a business model change with a rebrand this year, repositioning the business and broadening our client connections. We would not have been able to do this without the ‘mental break’ afforded by Covid. We had time to think and talk about the business in our own context. The acceleration trap had stopped, and we were able to reimagine our future. It was a macro version of what happens day-to-day. The best ideas rarely come at work – they come to us in the shower, on a bicycle, by a pool, or looking at art”. So, what’s the ‘so what’ for our industry? Executive search is about connection; it’s about people wanting to meet and feel that sense of personal engagement. In high-level discussions and leadership, the engines are running at full power, but without proper breaks, the social battery goes into the red. That affects not only the individual but the team and the business itself. Gen Z is shining a light on this, forcing us to see work as an enabler for the rest of life, European-style, not an end in itself, America. The challenge is to avoid burnout from another source – hybrid working that drastically reduces social connection and the ability to laugh off the bad times with each other, black mood replaced with black humor. Only by taking a proper break where we properly switch off, over the summer, at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, or Ramadan, can we maintain our freshness, creative thinking, agility, and empathy. The postmodernist work era will continue to evolve, and we must evolve with it.

With economic growth in the United States slowing to a predicted 0.7 percent in 2023, and ongoing efforts to curb inflation through monetary policy and belt-tightening leading to large-scale layoffs, clients are asking us, “How does this affect talent and what should we do about it?” Executive Search has typically been an economic bell-weather, but today’s more nuanced environment is means we are experiencing what The Economist calls da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa effect’ in the post-pandemic economy – no matter how many times you look, you are unsure of exactly what is happening. So, what do we see happening? And what does it mean for our clients? For M SEARCH, the situation is pretty clear. “Companies are always going to have a need for exceptional executive talent,” says Fernando Vega, Partner, executive search, at M SEARCH. “Unemployment is at a fifty-year low and this is a good time for organizations to look at what they can do strategically to prepare for a downturn without implementing austerity measures.” This means getting your house in order and looking after the health and well-being of your organization and your people. Organizations are also turning to leadership advisory to ‘audit’ their capabilities and ensure they have the right people and processes in place to pivot as the Mona Lisa’s gaze shifts. “When you have the right people and practices, you have a sound base to weather all kinds of economic turbulence,” adds Valerie Derome, Partner, leadership advisory, at M SEARCH. “A difficult market will reveal weak leaders, awkward organizational structures and poor procedures that require a strategic rethink around people, practices and processes”. People need to understand the strategic vision of their leaders, and the insight they bring from experience. In a turbulent market leaders need an ability to keep people motivated and focused, enabling a sense of ‘normality’ about coping with market fluctuation and staying calm. “Experienced leaders know that people get anxious about losing their job, working too many hours or the consequences of instability,” comments Valerie. Today’s climate is therefore shining a light on governance and corporate responsibility geared to looking after your people, a priority that we see in leadership advisory today. During the pandemic, interest rates were at an all-time low. In the hyper-growth, digital economy flourishing particularly in South Florida, boards encouraged CEOs and tech leaders to do everything possible to grasp opportunity and gain market share, so when the tide receded they would remain buoyant. But the consequences of an unfettered drive for results were bloated companies and unsustainable balance sheets. Business and people strategy were trampled in the stampede for clicks and subscribers. What would experience say? Robust talent practices are key to surviving today’s market turbulence. “Leaders need to pursue a talent management cycle that maintains a constant finger on the pulse, with regular dialogue between people and management, and assessment of performance and potential, supporting people’s growth,” comments Valerie. “The company grows when people grow, so performance, delivery against corporate goals and how leaders model company behavior are all essential components”. The needle is moving a little here, but not nearly enough. This is partly due to a retreat from hierarchical structures, driven by tech companies. At one extreme hierarchies stifle progress and learning, but at the other ‘totally flat’ extreme there are other consequences, most notably, good ideas with no senior-level sponsorship. “It’s better to speak regularly to your direct report and have a structure for implementing ideas, rather than wonder what happened to suggestions that disappeared into the ether,” advises Valerie. So, how can you leverage an economic downturn in hiring and organizational leadership? By creating real discipline around strategy, people and process. First, “this is a great time to be hiring,” asserts Fernando. “There is an impressive, diverse talent pool in the market attuned to uncertainty.” Secondly, whether or not organizations have robust hiring budgets, today’s disrupted markets are prompting a review of people and process. “Whether you are hiring or reviewing, let’s look at the Mona Lisa together and gain a sense of your perspective. A people strategy based on thoughtful governance and corporate responsibility will position you well for future opportunity,” concludes Valerie. The market may be unpredictable, but for sure, there will be opportunity. Today it’s less about clicks and subscribers and more about people.

In the early 19th Century the ‘gold rush’ saw a rapid influx of fortune seekers to the sites of newly discovered gold deposits, the earliest being in the United States. Today’s ‘gold rush’ has seen a rapid influx of tech start-ups and talented tech wizards to hotspots in the US, particularly Miami, FL. Pent up private equity capital flooded into hyper-growth tech companies following the pandemic years as entrepreneurs couldn’t hire talent fast enough to deliver on high growth objectives and promises to investors. Then the market almost skidded to a halt. Inflated salaries, rising interest rates and the escalating cost of living has led to companies such as Meta firing another 10,000 employees having just reached a headcount of almost 30,000 between 2021 and 2022. In this ‘market correction,’ inflated salaries are now unaffordable, and a disconnect has appeared between people, performance and value. Valerie Derome, Senior Vice President, Leadership Advisory at M SEARCH explains, “A lack of strategic talent planning has resulted in expensive super performers brought in as a ‘band aid’ doomed to frustration and stress, when what the organization needs is a comprehensive review and reset around strategic talent”. A feeling of ‘everything everywhere all at once’ is leaving business leaders reeling as they strive to understand how to manage another hiatus in the workforce. “This is not just happening in the tech sector,” comments Tina Engineer-McRae, Founder and President of M SEARCH. “We are seeing this across the board as the market adjusts to a new reality. This is leading to extreme caution in hiring, as ‘rockstar candidates’ are made to jump through multiple hoops and companies are no longer willing to engage in a talent auction”. It’s a major U-turn, with an enormous amount of displaced employees scrambling for killer jobs; companies no longer have to jump the highest bar to woo talent. The challenge now is to understand an individual’s value in the context of the organization and the market; who will fit a changing culture; and how they will fare in the next market correction. This is made harder by the fact that a lot of hyper growth companies didn’t have HR and Talent expertise, or if they did, it was unfortunately cut as a cost center, which has proved extremely costly in itself. Organizations are now in a rush to access HR and Talent expertise. For some, fractional leadership – a part-time, short-term C-level expert – is the solution; for others, specialist consultants are the answer. Who are they and how can they help? Our leadership advisory team has consistently expanded its services to help clients navigate this market. “We engage as the (?)Chief People Officer for a number of clients who have a broad range of needs. We enable them to understand their capability gaps in context, create a plan and process around them and manage the impact of a bursting bubble,” explains Valerie. “For early-stage companies,” Valerie adds, “bringing in a strategic Head of People is not on the budget nor the agenda for another few rounds of funding. We then need to work with those companies’ leadership to create foundational practices and behaviors, and embed those in their leadership success model. For one of our clients, a niche consumer goods company, we have established HR processes, structures and protocols to create a platform on which to build the right team.. We have also put in place a mechanism for regular talent reviews to identify and reward high performers who will move the company forward, the strong pillars, innovators, and implementation drivers. It is crucial to have a good mix on the team. Then in time, we can find the right Chief People Officer to leverage what we have put in place”. With such a rapid adjustment both internally and externally, organizations need a more intentional, planned approach. An integrated leadership advisory and search solution can provide a holistic, longer-term approach that is grounded in robust planning and processes. Valerie concludes, “For the greatest intangible in your business – your people – you need more process and intentional thinking to reconnect people with performance and value, so you can hire the right people with reward linked to outcomes rather than froth in the market”. Valerie Derome is head of M SEARCH’s leadership advisory services. She was previously Senior VP of Talent and Leadership for REEF Technology and Talent Development Lead for Apple in Latin America. She delivers bespoke programs in talent organization effectiveness, people capital, and culture. Specific engagements include building talent capability; reorganizing structures from product-led to people-led; constructing talent acquisition teams, approach and process; acquiring the right technologies to support the people function; developing authentic leaders and embedding a culture of belonging. Tina Engineer-McRae is the Founder and President of M SEARCH and an acknowledged expert in strategically partnering with clients to acquire the best leaders for corporate functions, notably human resources, finance, operations, sales & marketing. Her exceptional eye for recognizing best in class talent has allowed her to engage dynamic leaders, who enable organizations to transform and rapidly scale. She previously worked in the UK with the world’s largest provider of HR solutions, and spearheaded the growth and acquisition of a leading South Florida boutique recruitment firm.