Jeff Bezos’ 2 pizza rule is a useful guideline for deciding how many attendees should be invited to a meeting.

In theory, meetings should be small enough so attendees could be fed with two large pizzas to discourage Groupthink and HiPPO, ('Highest Paid Person's Opinion').

Virtual meetings have necessitated (mostly) a reduced number of attendees: “I’m sorry, you go…”/ “No sorry, I was just saying..”/ “What were you saying?”/ “Sorry, we missed that” / “Did you say something?”. Six people suddenly speak at once. Silence. Repeat.

Now that many of us are starting to return to the office, increasingly in-person meetings are going to become part of our daily lives once again. And I am looking forward to it. We are hardwired to pick up on the subtle conversational nuances of hand gestures, facial expressions, posture and even physical touch like a handshake. Body language is an indispensable part of communication.

Smaller meetings can generate a feeling of intimacy which often leads to bolder and franker discussions. Fewer participants also mean more time to listen to and consider another perspective. In turn, the group members feel heard and respected, making them more productive.

So, when you are invited to that in-person meeting, (apart from eating the pizza), what can you do to make an impact?

• Be prepared – don’t be tempted to wing it. You can’t pretend your signal dropped while you root around in your files for the statistics you need.
• Make sure you are on time. You can’t blame internet connectivity problems if you are in the room. You might think being late makes you look like you’re super busy, but it just looks like you can’t manage your time - or worse, that this meeting isn’t that important to you - or even worse, that you like to go on power trips by making people wait for your grand entrance (I hate that).
• Pay attention –and not just the bits in which you are interested. You can no longer turn off your camera to do something else. Don’t come across as selfish, disinterested or arrogant and remember to leave your mobile somewhere else (no one is that important).

But, with all the excitement of actually being with real people once again, don’t hog the floor. Be a thought-leader - articulate your expertise and express your point of view, but don’t try to be the smartest person in the room -  you don’t want arrogance to be your most memorable trait.

Lorri Lowe
Partner, London

Friisberg will drive your diversity agenda.

Before writing this article, I had one of those “Blah” days when I felt low and could not put my finger on why. For those who do not know what this is, there is another word for it - languishing. Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness, and if you would like to learn more, I can highly recommend you read Adam Gratton’s article, as posted in the New York Times.

My “Blah” day however, was  lifted by a quote that I found by Sonya Renee Taylor:

"We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona existence was not normal other than we normalized greed inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding hate and lack. We should not long to return, my friend. We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment. One that fits all humanity and nature "

I am far from an expert in diversity, equality, and inclusion. Still, I have researched the topic during my years working within the talent and leadership profession. As a result, I am passionate about how we harness differences in our workplaces and create a fair playing field for everyone.

I live in Sweden, ranked 1st in the EU on the Gender Equality Index, yet we are still lagging in gender balance regarding our leadership positions. Research from SCB (2020) shows that 41% of Sweden’s total leaders’ population are women and 59% are men -  however, only 17% of Sweden’s CEOs are women.

A recent Di Digital survey reveals the investment distribution to privately-owned technology companies in Sweden. 1% of investments was granted to companies founded by women in 2020. In addition, the share of investment value given to mixed founding teams increased to 11%.

The relationship between diversity and business performance persists and continues to grow, so progress is being made.

Fredrik Hånell, an entrepreneur and investor who currently works as a “business creation director” at EIT Urban Mobility, stated in the Di article, “If entrepreneurs cannot build a gender-equal team, they lack one the most important components for building a successful company. Soon I hope that all start-ups we work with have a female co-founder.”

Gender is only one aspect of equality. As Pride month has come to its end, I reflected on how we, as executive talent consultants and business advisors, can actively support our clients with their diversity, equality, and inclusion agendas.

As a business, you must have an inclusive culture. Research shows that diversity is not just a metric for which to to strive, it is an integral part of a successful revenue-generating business. This does not mean simply having colourful posters throughout your offices stating your values, instead, it is a business strategy and mindset, a commitment and responsibility of all leaders and embraced across the whole organization.

At Friisberg, we:

• Take the time to understand your business, culture, and DEI agenda.
• Discuss any unrealistic expectations.
• Provide an outside-in perspective of the talent market, both from a local and a global perspective.
• Advise on the hiring process to ensure it is fair, inclusive, and free of any biases.
• Conduct a selection process based on facts and candidates' skills, competences, experiences, and abilities.
• Address and consult on compensation and address any pay disparities.
• Support the candidates onboarding process by providing coaching & mentoring.

DE&I matters, and we bring the thought of diversity into our board services assignment or when conducting management audits.

"We are committed to serving our clients by finding diverse leaders and providing an unbiased thought process throughout our consulting process. We have improved our knowledge, by running  internal programs such as Reverse Mentoring and Unconscious Bias training."  Michael Rooslien, Partner, Sweden.

Social and technological changes will continue to transform the landscape in every industry.

Organizations who don’t embrace DE&I will potentially risk earning potentials and falling behind their competitors.

I believe, the companies who create a workplace for everyone will cultivate tremendous value from their people’s differences and thrive.

 Yvonne Erlandsson
Snr Talent Consultant, Sweden

A resignation is a strategic career move, so do it right!

Sooner or later most of us face a resignation.

Resigning is never easy, especially when you’ve worked at a company and become a part of a team, but I always recommend that you leave your employer on a positive note. If you have given your best to the job, you will be missed, especially by those most inconvenienced by your leaving.

Go straight to your boss. Your immediate supervisor should be the first person you tell about your decision to leave the company.

Give the news in person. Tell your boss that you have accepted a new position and let them know your effective last day at work.

Try to give as much notice as possible

Put your resignation in a hard copy letter that includes your last day and any transitional agreement. Keep a copy.

You also need to be prepared to leave right away- some companies require it, so if you have any personal information on your work devices, be sure to clear it off before you give notice.

Resist accepting a counteroffer. The factors that caused you to seek an opportunity outside your current employer are likely to remain in force. Aside from that, your current employer will probably lose trust in your loyalty.

Always leave on a high note. You never have a second chance to make a last impression.

Karen DelPrete
Partner, New York

Is the grass really greener on the other side of the fence?

At the moment it certainly seems to be!

In 25 years our UK Partners have not seen it like this at senior levels.

After a year of ‘hanging on in there’ in roles they didn’t like, or in industries that have suffered a hit, many executives are more than ready to move.

With remote work as a viable option, employers are now casting a global net for remote workers, and clearly this has expanded the catchment area for companies looking to tempt in the best talent. And we are noticing that candidates are accepting offers promptly – especially where location is not an issue. Today alone, several candidates have accepted offers without hesitation.

Maybe this has always been the norm for junior or mid-level positions, but for executives the fence is lower and the grass greener than they have seen for a generation.

Candidates for senior roles are:

• Readily jumping ship for better prospects and are actively gravitating to jobs more suited to their skills, interests and personal lives.
• Rejecting business as usual, preferring flexibility.
• Pushing hard for better reward.
• Reconsidering their career path.
   

I’ve noticed many of my clients having to substantially quicken their process to secure their chosen candidate before they get snapped up elsewhere.

The biggest problem is that CEOs and HRDs have many competing priorities right now and many don’t have the bandwidth to decide and then act at the speed the market demands.

Executive Search has never been so necessary. Assignments must be expedited to minimise candidates lost to other roles, yet still conducted thoroughly and professionally.

Not only is the grass greener, but the fences between sectors are falling.

Talent is on the move, at pace.

Lorri Lowe
Partner UK

In our line of work, we are privileged to work with brilliant leaders.

We aim to get to know you by understanding your leadership style together the philosophy and culture of your business. This is an integral part of attracting, developing and retaining great talent for your organisation.

The pandemic has encouraged a new set of leadership behaviours and empathy has emerged as a critical skill.

Whether it has been to manage a remote team during the pandemic, or ensuring employees are safe when going onto a site, business leaders have had to focus on their team’s health and well-being while sustaining a culture that brings out the best in them.

A recent global study by HBR (Harvard Business Review) highlighted that 89% of professionals felt their work-life balance was getting worse. It is therefore essential to listen to the individuals in your team and imagine what it would be like to be in their shoes. As Executive Search and Management Consultants we appreciate the importance of this, every day, from both a candidate and client perspective.

Clearly the economic impact of Covid-19 differs from a larger, established business compared with a SME or a start-up. We have also noted industry specific trends and those less impacted have continued to hire at pace. Conversely, other businesses have had to instigate cost-saving programs, resulting in resizing or restructuring of teams.

In either of the above situations, we have consistently remained the first point of contact, whether for someone who recently been made redundant and is looking for a new opportunity, or helping an organisation grow at pace with the right talent. Leaders have found themselves in situations where they must let go of their people, but some have lacked the experience or skill to do it with empathy.

Being emphatic extends beyond your team, beyond your business and should include those with whom you interact daily. People buy from people and creating a win-win situation will lead to everyone benefiting.

To ensure a better outcome and improved experience for you as the hiring manager, and your candidates:

• Make sure you have a transparent, open, diverse, and fair hiring process. You are dealing with human beings, and we all want to be respected. 
• Bring your curious side to an interview and actively engage with your candidates. Being curious will not only create a trusting and safe environment where the candidate can be themselves, but it also gives you the ability to look beyond a candidate’s career history and experiences to see their future potential.
• Look for the best in people and provide constructive, unbiased and straightforward  feedback. Saying that someone is not “a culture fit” is simply not good enough. You should explain why, or provide the candidates with an insight into what they can be mindful of when they interview next time and how they could upskill.

Several research papers indicate a re-emergence of a War for Talent during 2021 and there is no doubt it remains a highly competitive hiring landscape. Randstad Risesmart UK polled 85 HRDs, from organisations employing approximately 50,000 people, to establish their views on talent in the wake of Covid-19. Almost two-thirds (65%) reported that organisations will need the best people on board to help them rebuild following the pandemic.

Candidates engage with employers and brands when they are treated as individuals.

We believe that showing empathy enables you to differentiate yourself and your business in this highly competitive talent market.

Yvonne Erlandsson, Senior Consultant
Sweden

German coalition clears the way for women's quota and family time off for board members.

In the future, board members with four or more members will have to have at least one woman.

In addition, in certain life situations, such as maternity leave, parental leave, caring for family members, etc., members of the Board of Management can take liability-free time off.

In order for this strong signal for more equality and for a cultural change in Germany to be implemented quickly, the law has to be passed by the Bundestag before the summer break.

I look forward to when companies discover that more diversity is not a chore, but an essential key to growth!

Meltem Ay, Principal
Frankfurt

How do you maintain culture, loyalty, and relationships when communication takes place primarily at a distance and via online meetings – and often with fluctuating technical quality?

Several of our clients have embarked on completely new managerial challenges which require them to find new and innovative ways of creating, and maintaining, a dynamic and motivating workplace.

In the world after Corona, the pressure on management is rising.

While we are slowly returning to a world that resembles what we knew before Corona, it has become clear to many that it will never be quite the same in terms of ”going to work".

Many of our clients have recognized that the virtual workplace has come to stay. Covid-19 has driven a development leading to major and radical changes in the way we will function in a workplace of the future.

It is the management that is responsible for the strategy and therefore the consequences of their decisions. Management must show the way while also acknowledging that many employees now prefer working from home and enjoy being able to plan their time independently.

It has also become harder to motivate employees to meet physically in the workplace and feel part of a physical work environment.

Some challenges our clients face:

• An Account Executive in a wholesale company, could not see any reason to meet physically at work anymore.
• A CFO in a transport group has become accustomed to being in self-isolation in his holiday home, and still wants to isolate himself, even though the CEO wants a closer physical dialogue.
• A key employee in an IT department could not help his colleagues as the employee had no computer access because he was on a shopping trip during his lunch hour.
• A director from an insurance company, quite surprisingly, received 2 resignations, from talented employees who at online meetings had seemed highly motivated.

In all the above situations, I must conclude that management has simply not been in close enough contact with the employees. At this time HR departments and management have had to be proactive to ensure that all employees are satisfied and motivated.

Three inspiring solutions where management has been creative and dared to explore new avenues:

1. A large financial company held social events which were only available to those who have been physically at work.
2. A larger real estate company delegated to middle managers that they, together with their employees, could decide who and how often employees worked from home
3. A production company chose to offer 3 optional models regarding how often the employees worked from home and how often they were physically present in the workplace. Employees were allowed to decide for themselves which model they found optimal to enhance their Work-Life-Balance.

Which management skills are in demand?

Corona has forced us to think of other and increasingly digital ways of working. Experts estimate that by 2023, 2/3 of the world's economy will be digital – this is a development that puts future leadership roles under huge pressure.

We have noticed that our clients have started to demand more of these 5 personal competencies:

1. Innovative leaders who are able to lead others without being physically present
2. Communicative leaders who can retain a strong personal dialogue
3. Empathetic leaders with a focus on high employee satisfaction
4. Enterprising leaders who can go new ways
5. Leaders who are willing to take risks and can make innovative and proactive decisions.

These observations alone cannot answer my initial question, but maybe they will prompt you to think outside the box in managing your post-Covid business.

Susanne Becker Mikkelsen
Partner Denmark     

The most effective way to grow is to hire diverse executive talent.

Is it better to hire someone who’s a good match for your culture, or someone who can make it better?

Smart organizations are paying lots of attention to their culture, and for a good reason. There is a lot of evidence that  organizational culture is a top driver of employee engagement. But due to human nature, hiring managers are often unintentionally biased and work with a definition culture fit - favouring candidates who would fit in well with the current team based on personal attributes. Feelings of “we can have a beer after work” may play important part in the selection process.

But as more companies strive for diversity and inclusion, the term “culture fit” is falling out of favour.

In contrast to the culture fit mindset and seeking to hire more of what is already working well, "culture add” focuses on gaining what the current culture lacks - it looks for people who value an existing culture, but also bring something different that positively contributes to the company.

Assessing for culture fit works well in small businesses but leads to homogeneous culture and at some point, the company needs people who experienced larger and more complicated systems and team members who look at the same problems in a different light - and with different ways of thinking emerge different interests and personalities.

With that of course comes more discomfort - but in the same way that exercise without discomfort does not lead to growth, a team without cognitive discomfort limits its own potential.

Diversity in viewpoints and ability to take different perspectives allows to debate different strategies and come to better outcomes. It is well documented that:

• Companies with diverse management teams have 19% higher revenues.
• Diverse companies are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders in their market segments.
• 67% of job seekers say diversity is an important factor when considering a company.
• 85% of CEOs say that having a diverse workforce improved their bottom lines.

The most effective way to grow is to hire diverse executive talent.

Adding people with same ideas and approaches can create an environment where everyone thinks and acts in the same way.

Diverse teams may at first feel less comfortable, but that is why they perform better.

Andrea Chladkova, Partner
Mary Keane, Partner
Czech Republic

Why would any business engage an Executive Search firm?

Surely there is plenty of information just waiting to be looked up on the internet? Finding the ideal person for a senior appointment should simply be a matter of entering the right keywords into Google and then calling them - shouldn’t it?

The internet has disrupted many things, and done so with such rapidity and to such an extent, that it is only reasonable to ask why Executive Search seems to have been immune. In truth, it hasn’t. If anything, it has changed more fundamentally in the last ten years - and beyond all recognition over the last 25 - than any of the other professional services.

In the 1990s, before the internet (yes, I was in Search then) clients delighted at the detailed sector analysis, market intelligence and candidate profiles that the Researchers of Executive Search firms collated in the initial stages of every Search. A veritable ‘Who’s Who’ of their world would be compiled as part of our work and land with a thud on the desks of clients eager to know more about their competitors, to be pored over and marvelled at. However, it was the discussions with the Search Consultant that defined the direction of the Search, to focus on those who would be the best fit and bring the greatest experience to the client’s boardroom. Numerous discrete telephone calls, several confidential discussions and often some considerable time later the Search Consultant would recommend a shortlist of just a handful of candidates to the client, and submit reports highlighting issues to cover at interview.

But now, all that data, all those profiles, all that market intelligence, all analysed in every possible way on a plethora of webpages is all free. Accept a few cookies onto your PC and you will know in mere seconds what any diligent Researcher at a reputable Search firm would have previously taken weeks to garner from telephone calls, professional journals, newspaper articles, public records, trade publications, conference papers and confidential references. So, why have Executive Search firms not just winked out of existence? How do they justify their fees, which are just as much as they ever were?

Here's why:

• Good information is still a vital foundation, of course
• Search is not (and never was) just about the research process
• The real value of Search is in the consulting

A database cannot ask penetrating questions of a client, cannot challenge misplaced assumptions, nor can it help inform and shape the precise requirements of a client’s need. Later in the process, it cannot make a compelling case to a potential candidate. An algorithm cannot listen carefully and note the nuanced responses, inner hopes and career aspirations of those approached. It certainly could not confidentially and professionally consider and advise on whether there is likely to be a meeting of minds between a candidate and a client. It would be very unlikely to suggest innovative and ‘different’ options. Because, people are not just keywords and data points.

It is noteworthy that consulting-led Search firms are in rising demand, despite all that free access to online data. Interestingly, the stereotypical ‘Headhunters’ with their ‘little black book’ of names and numbers of ‘contacts’ in any given marketplace are noticeably on the wane.

The value of an Executive Search firm is no longer simply ‘who we know’ in our network, but in ‘how we work’ as trusted advisors.

Andrew Guy
Partner, UK

Perhaps I should say it quietly, but things are starting to look much better for the UK economy.

Many larger companies are holding up well anyway, but more upbeat news cannot come quickly enough for the number of small and medium firms who are still struggling.

The last year has given us all a chance to reassess what is important in our lives. And so it is not surprising that so many people, including those in senior roles, are for one reason or another tempted to seek greener pastures - a new job, new challenges – a new start in this new normal. But why look to move when their current role is rather good?

• The company seems to be stuck in a paralysis of inactivity and they feel stifled. Due to financial constraints or a fear of overreaching nothing new is happening and it feels like things are moving backwards.
• They don’t feel appreciated having worked incredibly hard over the past year with little recognition.
• Aside from a lower-than-desired salary, boredom is the primary reason most say they want a change. They don’t want to go back to the same old boring commute. They don’t want to go back to same endless and pointless meetings - they need a new challenge.

In 2021, outstanding leadership has never been so important to the success and growth of an organisation.

When people look to those in charge and need them most, outstanding leaders act swiftly, decisively, and confidently without ego, undue emotion or public gnashing of teeth. They actively want to build a culture where mistakes are simply challenges to overcome, not opportunities to point fingers and assign blame.

I was chatting with a CEO last week who said, in a rather downbeat way, that just as he needed everyone to step up a gear, he was actually seeing a lack of motivation and productivity. Outstanding leaders don't pretend to know everything – I would argue that they actively hire people who know more than they do, because they instinctively ask questions. I suggested that it could be because his workforce had lost the connection between what they are doing and why. When there is a lull in motivation, he simply needed to remind them of the big picture and how they fit in. Communication is key. Outstanding leaders explain and then they listen--because the most effective communication involves way more listening than talking.

• Outstanding leaders quickly weigh, assess, decide, and then immediately act -- because decisiveness and action build confidence and momentum. Making a bad decision can be ok, mistakes can almost always be corrected and let’s face it, we all make bad decisions. What matters is what we do after we make those mistakes.
• Positive reinforcement is really the key. Leaders often do a really great job telling their employees what they do wrong, but forget to tell them what they do right. Saying thank you and recognising achievement is vital. No one gets enough praise, so truly outstanding leaders see expressing thanks, giving praise, and providing recognition as one gift that can never be given often enough.
• Outstanding leaders create broad standards and guidelines and then challenge their employees by giving them the autonomy and independence to work the way they work best transforming work into an outward expression of each person's unique skills, talents, and experiences. Accommodating work-from-home days /flex time can actually enable people to function better and get more done -- even if they’re actually working fewer regular hours. Performance should be measured in work done well and deadlines met, not how long it took to get the job done.

We know that firms are starting a phased return to the office, securing more new business and of course with that comes certain people challenges. I have always thought it noteworthy how businesses spend so much time figuring out how better to engage with customers, and so comparatively little time on how better to engage with their own management.

Having the right people at the top has never been so important. Employees are an organisation's most important asset, so taking care of them is essential if you want to retain and attract great talent.

Lorri Lowe,
Partner UK