Tony Dorazio has joined Aither Systems as Chief Executive Officer.
Aither Systems is a growing company commercializing Energy as a Service solutions for the telecom sector. The company designs, builds, operates, and monitors microgrids, control software and related infrastructure, which optimize asset resiliency and reduce carbon emissions. Aither recently received an investment from EnCap’s Energy Transition Fund.
Mr. Dorazio is a seasoned power industry executive with more than 20 years of global experience in companies with scales ranging from utilities to distributed generation to microgrids, and he has built and led organizations focusing on solar, wind, and battery energy storage technologies. Mr. Dorazio received an MBA from Long Island University and a Bachelor of Science in Electromechanical Engineering Technology from State University of New York.
Director Leah Salinas and Managing Director Jonathan Verlander conducted and completed this search.
“Tony is a highly experienced leader who brings a unique blend of experiences to this role. The Aither and EnCap teams are excited to see the impact he will have as Chief Executive of the company,” Leah Salinas, Director, The Alexander Group. “We were very pleased to partner again with EnCap’s Energy Transition team on this search, and we look forward to continuing to support them in the future.”
Aither Systems is a growing company that is commercializing Energy as a Service solutions (focused on behind-the-meter energy capture, storage, and management) for the telecom sector.
The company designs, builds, operates, and monitors microgrids, control software and related infrastructure, which optimize asset resiliency and reduce carbon emissions. The company has developed multiple promising product lines and is in the initial stages of commercialization with a major telecom provider.
Brad Bonneau has been named Chief Financial Officer at Wiley Rein LLP. Mr. Bonneau is a seasoned professional with a proven track record leading financial strategy and operations for successful, growing professional services organizations.
Prior to joining Wiley Rein LLP, Mr. Bonneau was CFO for Chapman and Cutler LLP. Mr. Bonneau received an MBA from Purdue University-Krannert School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Northern Illinois University.
Managing Director/Chief Client Officer Amanda K. Brady and Senior Associate Michael Doering conducted and completed this search.
“Brad is the ideal strategic business partner to Wiley’s forward-thinking executive team,” said Amanda K. Brady, Managing Director/Chief Client Officer at The Alexander Group.
Wiley Rein LLP is a preeminent law firm wired into Washington. The firm advises Fortune 500 corporations, trade associations, and individuals in all industries on legal matters converging at the intersection of government, business, and technological innovation.
The firm’s attorneys and public policy advisors are highly respected and have nuanced insights into the mindsets of agencies, regulators, and lawmakers. In 2023, the firm celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Wiley has evolved from a firm of 39 attorneys –founded in 1983 with a primary focus in Communications and Litigation – to one with more than 260 lawyers and advisors that is globally known for its work in a wide range of practices.
This blog was originally published in April 2015 and remains one of The Alexander Group’s most-read blogs. A decade later, we’re revisiting “To Beard or Not To Beard.”
Close-up of young bearded man touching his beard while standing against grey background
The beard is back and in a big way. The past few years have seen a significant upturn in the number of men wearing their facial hair “loud and proud,” both inside and outside of the office – a trend spanning industry, age and even socioeconomic groups – leading to the inevitable question: “To beard or not to beard?”
For the first time in more than a century, many of the world’s business leaders are sporting facial hair. Beards grace the faces of Nike co-founder, Phillip Knight; Goldman Sachs CEO, Lloyd Blankfein; Time Warner Chairman, Richard Parsons; Jim French, CEO of Flybe; and Walt Disney’s president, Edwin Catmull; to name a few.
The newspaper’s front page hasn’t been this hirsute since Carnegie, Rockefeller, Gould, Morgan and other captains of industry were shaping the economy.
The shaving industry is not thrilled with this trend, which has had a surprisingly significant effect on business.
According to Newsweek’s Alex Renton, “sales of shaving equipment have fallen in both the U.S. and Europe for the first time in modern history,” and Proctor & Gamble, who owns Gillette, reported a drop in sales of 10% last year.
The New York Post’s Beth Landman points out that “investment bank Jefferies reported that sales of non-disposable razors dropped 15% in the last quarter of 2013.”
Growth of Growth
What has led to this dramatic change? Facial hair and capitalism have a connected history. Beards were once considered an indicator of liberal, anti-establishment views and dissident tendencies, championed by men like Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Che Guevara and Fidel Castro.
However, not since the Robber Barons have beards been as popular in conservative, capitalist boardrooms as they are today. The hirsute look is currently not tied to any threatening economic or political ideology, and according to The New York Times, whiskers “no longer code as a threat.”
One interesting hypothesis is that many professionals began growing beards due to the recession. Christina Binkley of The Wall Street Journal describes two financial services professionals who lost their jobs and stopped shaving. She also points out that Al Gore grew a beard after losing the presidential election in 2000, stating that “it’s one of those tiny luxuries unleashed by unemployment.”
A significant contribution to the growing popularity of scruff comes from the technology industry.
Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Marc Benioff of Salesforce, Netflix’s Reed Hastings and Richard Branson of Virgin Group all have beards. However, as Steve Tobak notes, they are all founders of their companies.
The Alexander Group Managing Director John Lamar comments, “I went through a beard phase about 10 years ago. Okay, it was a goatee, and not a very good one at that…I guess that was all I could muster.”
He continues “I still like to go unshaven over the weekend…the rebel in me has not quite died. But come Monday morning, I break out the ol’ razor.” Lamar believes that the resurgence of the beard has a lot to do with celebrities and techies. “The laid-back culture coupled with explosive wealth in these two worlds has created an “I just don’t care” attitude.”
Sebastian Dillion of NextShark claims that young CEOs sport beards to look older and wiser and to display their entrepreneurial, anti-corporate ideals.
According to an article in Daily Mail Reporter, men with beards “look as much as eight years older than their unshaven counterparts.” The late Steve Jobs of Apple is perhaps the epitome of how the image of the CEO has changed over the years.
Beard of Directors
Despite the growing popularity in recent years of facial hair on professionals, the number of unshaven business executives is relatively small.
The Alexander Group Managing Director Beth Ehrgott has only had one client with a beard in all her years of search, but says that “It seems strange to think that beards still seem out of place in corporate America, yet many companies all have diversity initiatives and programs.”
Sarah Mitchell, Associate Director in The Alexander Group’s San Francisco office, says there is so much facial hair in the Bay Area that “it’s more of the rule than the exception. But I suppose I don’t see it very much when I think about those working in a more conservative corporate environment, as opposed to Google or one of the many startups.”
Phillip Rudolph, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal & Risk Officer and Corporate Secretary at Jack in the Box, was fully bearded in 2007 when he was interviewed and then hired at Jack in the Box. He doesn’t believe beards “are even remotely disqualifying.”
However, before joining Jack in the Box, Rudolph was Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at McDonald’s. He explains that while interviewing for the position, the human resources executive “asked how attached I was to my beard. I noted to him that, more correctly put, the beard was attached to me.”
Rudolph continues, “But I took the hint and shaved off the beard. I remained clean-shaven throughout my five years with McDonald’s.” Perhaps geography plays a role. Jack in the Box is headquartered in San Diego and McDonald’s home is a Chicago suburb.
A recruiter for Shell Oil Company, says that she rarely sees candidates with facial hair, and hirsute executives at Shell “are few and far between.”
A Hairy Decision
The bottom line is that if you are going to go unshaven, there are certain written and unwritten rules to follow.
Know your company’s culture and whether or not there are regulations or unwritten “rules” concerning facial hair. Do your homework, or ask your manager.
If you are going to grow facial hair, make sure that it is trimmed and neat. The last thing any executive (perhaps outside of the creative arts) wants to see is something ill-groomed and distracting.
If you are interviewing, it is always better to play it safe. Research the industry and company. If in doubt, shave! You can always grow it back.
Finally, if you decide to grow facial hair, plan accordingly. Wait for a holiday or vacation for ample time for proper growth. Stubble tends to be perceived as sloppy or lazy.
John Lamar sums it up perfectly: “For me, it basically boils down to the corporate culture. There are places where ping-pong, beards and tattoos are completely acceptable and places where they are not. Having interviewed thousands of executives in various corporate cultures, I subscribe to one simple rule regarding facial hair – just keep it neat and clean.”
“A big bushy beard that could potentially house a family of robins says to me you don’t care about your appearance or how others may perceive you. That doesn’t bode well for a future leader.”
Lisa Featherson has joined Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP as Chief Talent Officer.
Ms. Featherson is an experienced talent professional with an extensive skillset that includes creating firm-wide strategic initiatives relating to human resources, lawyer and business services recruiting, talent development and training, DEI, compensation, onboarding, retention and staffing.
Before joining Katten Muchin, Ms. Featherson was Chief People and Development Officer, US at Norton Rose Fulbright.
“Lisa is a dynamic, strategic, and high energy talent executive with an exceptional track record of success in large law firm environments. She is the ideal leader to continue the elevation of Katten’s talent function,” said Sarah J. Mitchell, Director, The Alexander Group.
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is a highly prestigious and dynamic international law firm, with approximately 670 lawyers located across eight global offices. The firm provides full-service legal advice to public and private companies–including a third of the Fortune 100–as well as government and nonprofit organizations, and individuals.
Katten lawyers forge partnerships with clients based on a uniquely flexible and entrepreneurial culture. Knowing the law is not enough, they understand their clients’ business objectives and address their legal needs in a manner that is consistent with the “big picture.”
This is another entry in our series covering advice for first-time board members, though we continue to receive emails on additional advice for new board members. One of our readers suggested that you think of your first board as if you are being introduced to your spouses-to-be’s family. Maybe that is not the perfect analogy, but first impressions are hard to counterbalance should you make a mistake. If you have missed our previous posts, you can check them out here and here.
As a board director, how you communicate is just as important as what you do. Successful directors think before they speak and influence their peers instead of making demands. Continue reading for more expert advice on effectively communicating as a board director.
Question in the right way.
Think before you speak. Ask yourself: What is my intent? What is my objective? One savvy director says he phrases his questions to promote discussion and allow the board to examine the issue more deeply.
You need not always ask the first question or make the first comment on a topic. There will be times when you can offer more by listening first to what others have to say. As we noted in our last blog, refrain from asking questions merely to get information that you should already have; in other words, do your homework so you don’t have to use meeting time to get up to speed. If you have unanswered questions, schedule one-on-one calls or meetings with the CEO or other directors before the meeting and during breaks.
Be time-conscious and make every moment count.
Know what matters and what does not because time is limited. One veteran director comments, “There is always a director who wants to monopolize the conversation and listen to himself talk. Don’t be that person.”
Stick to the topics that require the board’s attention and action. If the conversation derails, gently guide everyone back to the topic. Details matter and often merit discussion, but avoid “the weeds” unless the issue is the weeds. Those are better left to management.
Be open to adapting your communication style.
You will have a different kind of authority than a director on your first public board as a CEO, where you have the final say. A board meeting is not a staff meeting where you make unilateral decisions and assign tasks. One director, a managing partner at a private equity firm, confessed that after being on the board of portfolio companies where he didn’t have to share power with others, joining a public board required him to modify his style to stop giving orders and rely more on influence.
Because boards act collectively and not individually, effective directors must act through persuasion, convincing others of the merits—and the risks—of a particular decision. Becoming an influential board member requires understanding how other directors receive and process information. You will never finish refining your ability to influence.
Be careful about how you discuss previous experience.
Use your experience as an executive officer at other companies without constantly referring to it. As one director said, “It is very annoying for someone to continually say, ‘At ABC company, we always did this.’” Constantly bringing up your experience as an executive may turn off management and your fellow directors.
Instead, one veteran director suggests asking open-ended questions that compare strategies. “Could there be a better way to do this?” works much better than “At my company, we do it differently.”
Ask for feedback.
Director communication should be on a two-way street, not limited to the boardroom or committee room. Most boards have a formal director evaluation process; let that assessment be an ongoing process and seek out the views of other directors on a range of relevant matters. One of the most valuable things a new director can do is ask for feedback on their board participation after the first or second meeting. If you are talking too much, focusing on the wrong issues, or crossing the line on management responsibilities, learning it quickly to adapt is better.
Provide feedback—but do it respectfully.
After you have gained experience serving on the board, be a helpful leader to any new directors. An experienced board director suggests providing positive feedback to new board members by starting with positive recognition: “I like the way you did this. However, when you said that, you turned the management off. Is there a better way you could approach that?” Many first-time board directors may be insecure initially; the seasoned director has an opportunity to mentor and guide the new director to be effective.
A businessman is trapped in his glass office by a surplus of discarded ideas on paper . His colleague in the next office is working more efficiently and is oblivious to him being trapped .
What do you do when you have hired someone who, once on board, is not a good hire? No one intends to make bad hiring decisions, but they happen for various reasons. Think Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde.
We interviewed several leaders; interestingly, most offered the same advice: You will know if you have made a bad hire within three to six months—and sometimes much sooner, they agreed. Their recommendation? “Face the music and move on. Do not sit tight and hope that it will get better. Fault generally lies on both sides.”
“Nobody wants to fire anybody,” says Jeff Early, a 40-year banking veteran, “but it’s fairer for both the employee and the employer to resolve the problem quickly.”
Cut your Losses
Dan Bowling, Senior Lecturing Fellow at Duke Law School and former head of human resources for Coca-Cola Enterprises, responded typical of the group: “Cut your losses as soon as you can. In my experience, once you begin to have serious doubts, it is hard to reverse them. Your instincts are probably right.”
One executive we spoke to had hired a Vice President of Compensation, a generalist who emphasized compensation. The individual convinced the hiring manager that she could handle a compensation role and interviewed well with key stakeholders. She “Seemed like a good fit. References checked—she had tons of promise.” The hiring manager and candidate both acknowledged there would be a learning curve and that it would take some time to get her up to speed.
However, it quickly became apparent that she needed help to handle the stress of a new environment and the demands of improving her technical skills. Her mistakes added to her stress; she stopped sleeping, which compounded her ability to assess new information, and before long, it was clear that she could not manage the job. The hiring manager openly discussed with the individual how they both decided without having all the facts, and she was released with a two-week notice. “We hired one of the other candidates in the search, and it worked out well in the long run.”
Others could have been more successful.
One executive tells a grim tale of getting stuck with a bad hire: “A typical issue one faces is when a senior person is hired with the involvement of other departmental heads. You know a mistake has been made within the first few weeks—you see it daily. The executive might be satisfying the needs and agendas of those other constituencies but can’t do the job you need doing.”
Undoing a hiring mistake quickly can be difficult in a modern corporate environment because of the multiple constituencies involved in a key executive’s recruitment and selection process. Sometimes, Bismarck’s diplomatic skills are needed to convince the rest of the management team that a mistake was made.
“It took two years to manage his exit,” our executive added. “By then, the damage was done.”
Coaching
In the collective experience of the executives we surveyed, a company has rarely been able to reverse a hiring mistake. When it does happen, it is a magical synergy of the particular individual, their situation, and the complexity of the role.
Some respondents maintain that coaching the individual can sometimes save the hire. 360-degree assessments are highly effective tools for obtaining concrete feedback from others and addressing performance issues.
One executive told us: “Clearly communicate expectations and needed areas of improvement, define key measurable metrics to achieve performance objectives, document all activity and ongoing progress, and genuinely work with the individual to help them embrace the role and deliver desired results.”
Other times when coaching can save the hire are when circumstances change beyond the individual’s control. For example, a person may be assigned a new manager, a new CEO may have a different strategic vision, or the company may be sold or make an acquisition, and suddenly, the newly hired executive may not be a fit.
One executive recalled hiring a Vice President of Human Resources who was a superb cultural and technical fit. However, six months after he joined, the company acquired another company with extensive international operations. The new Vice President of Human Resources had yet to gain international experience and would not have been qualified for his role in the now-global company. The company and the individual used coaching, added support, and training to allow the individual to keep and excel in his expanded role.
However, if the issues are exclusively about style or cultural match, coaching someone to fit into the organization is harder.
Move the Person into Another Role
Carved into another moved function or position that might provide a better fit? Our surveyed executives agreed that this works on occasion. For example, suppose there is a personality conflict with the hiring manager, but there is a comparable role in another region or business unit. In that case, it is possible to transition the person successfully. However, “there are not many second chances in most companies,” one executive cautioned us.
Mr. Bowling added his caution: “Another position in the organization might be a better fit, so make a good faith effort to look for one. But don’t transfer your problems to someone else—that is unethical and will destroy your credibility in the long run.”
Learn from Your Mistakes
What was your mistake? Was it hiring too fast? Ignoring red flags because you personally liked the individual? Being so wooed by a track record that you ignored cultural fit? Do you need more adequate due diligence?
Most of our respondents agreed that many of their hiring mistakes proved an opportunity to re-examine their hiring process. And yes, you need a structured hiring process that defines what you seek, aligns the interview team, includes behavior-based interviewing, and ensures due diligence.
“I once had a boss who said, be slow to hire, quick to fire,” adds Mr. Early. “That’s trite, but, looking back, I should’ve heeded that more often.”
Realize also that a batting average of 100 percent on new hires is unrealistic and shouldn’t be expected. Jack Welch, former Chief Executive Officer of General Electric, said, “New managers are lucky to get it right half the time. And even executives with decades of experience will tell you they make the right calls 75 percent of the time, at best.”
And when you do make those mistakes, don’t be afraid to admit them. Just try not to repeat them.
This article was initially published in November 2011 and updated in September 2018.
Throughout the past year, we’ve enjoyed an array of global travels, meaningful books, thought-provoking films, and live music experiences that prompted us to dance and sing. Deeming something “the best” is a heady move, but The Alexander Group knows a few things about exemplary talent, so we offer these 2024 arts and pop culture superlatives as we head into 2025.
Best Film: Documentary Daughters streaming on Netflix. It’s about a daddy/daughter dance, where the fathers are incarcerated. Look for it to get an Oscar nod.
Best Concert: It’s hard to pick as I went on a concert BINGE this year. Taylor Swift (multiple shows), Joni Mitchell at the Hollywood Bowl, and the Rolling Stones in San Francisco.
Best Trip/Travel Destination: The Gleneagles in Scotland for a bucket list golf trip.
Best Film(s): Movies are Will and Harperand The Menendez Brothers documentaries. Will and Harper’s insight into a personal conversation with one of my favorite actors, Will Ferrell, and his good friend’s transformative journey.
The Menendez Brothers is gripping— the story of these infamous brothers and their plea for mercy.
Best Book: Framed by John Grisham (currently reading). It’s the perfect mix of my interest in nonfiction and crime thriller documentaries and shows like Dateline and 20/20.
Best Trip/Travel Destination: Spending Thanksgiving with family on the Big Island, Hawaii. It was an unforgettable week filled with beautiful moments, amazing company, fantastic golf, and breathtaking sunsets.
Wellness by Nathan Hill was a close second but was published in 2023
Best Concert/Album: Ben Folds at the San Francisco Symphony!
Best Trip/Travel Destination: We were absolutely delighted by our August visit to Bend, Oregon. Incredible hiking, views, food, and craft beer in Central Oregon. We can’t wait to go back.
Best Film: Deadpool & Wolverine. Funniest movie I’ve seen in quite a while.
Best Trip/Travel Destination: Disneyworld! It was a trip “for the kids,” but it also fulfilled a lifelong wish for my wife and me. We can’t wait to go back!
Best Book: After the Rain by Alexandra Elle. It is a book comprised of gentle reminders for Healing, Courage, and Self-Love. It is for everyone learning how to dance in the rain. Your storms do not define you. Trust your pilgrimage and uncover your joy. It’s an easy peace-giving read.
Best Concert/Album: I went to The Beach Boys! How nostalgic that was!
Best Trip/Travel Destination: I was heading to New Orleans for a golf trip, but it was canceled at the last second because of a hurricane warning. I was at the airport and called by my brother, who was also there for our annual golf trip to celebrate our birthdays. We pivoted quickly to Las Vegas and got comped rooms at the Bellagio. We had an opportunity to play Bali Hai Golf Club, the only championship golf course remaining on the famed Las Vegas Strip. When we pulled up to the 18th hole, Butch Harmon was there watching… the most nervous I have EVER been standing over a golf ball.
Abby Buchold, Senior Research Associate
Best Concert: Sarah McLachlan in early July was the only concert I attended this year—the tickets were a birthday gift from my husband. She performed all of the songs from her 1993 album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. I wore that CD out and had to buy a new copy in 1997! As trailing GenX-ers, her music was a college staple for my husband and me. She’s just as amazing now as she was in the 90s!
Best Trip/Travel Destination: We traveled to beautiful Thessaloniki, Greece with some friends in May. Thessaloniki is a lovely city in northern Greece on a bay just off the Aegean, and it is the hometown of one of our travel companions. Highlights included Mt. Olympus, Philippi, and Grevena, a town known as the mushroom capital of Greece. We had nearly perfect weather and enjoyed visiting many seaside tavernas for amazing seafood. I never thought I’d love fried sardines, but I do now.
Jennifer Lee, Administrative Assistant
Best Film: Deadpool & Wolverine
Best Book: Atomic Habits by James Clear (came out in 2018, but I read it this year)
Best Concert/Album: Ten Days – Fred Again
Best Trip/Travel Destination: Goldbar, Washington
Lindsay Ames, Research Associate
Best Concert/Album: My favorite concert of 2024 is a combination with my favorite travel destination (as my family and I haven’t been travelling much lately). Las Vegas, Nevada, for the Sick New World 2024 festival.
My husband and I have gone two years in a row to this festival, for its inaugural and second years, to see our favorite heavy/nu-metal band, System of a Down. We were planning to attend next year as well, but SOAD decided not to headline for 2025 (Metallica and Linkin Park, with their new lead singer, were co-headlining the bill instead), and the festival was not able to sell out like they had the first two years and canceled.
Lauren Elkhoury has joined Vinson & Elkins as Director of Pricing and Rates. Ms. Elkhoury is a cross-functional leader with extensive experience identifying and planning strategic initiatives to maximize revenue and profitability competitively.
Prior to joining Vinson & Elkins, Ms. Elkhoury Director, Practice Operations for Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP in Houston, Texas. Ms. Elkhoury received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Tulane University.
“Lauren is a seasoned legal professional who will bring years of legal project management, pricing, and practice operations experience to Vinson & Elkins. She is known for her ability to plan strategic initiatives to maximize revenue and profitability competitively,” said Anthony Ott, Senior Associate, The Alexander Group.
Managing Director John Mann and Senior Associate Anthony Ott conducted and completed this search.
Vinson & Elkins LLP is one of the largest and most successful law firms in the United States, with approximately 700 attorneys. V&E consistently ranks as one of the most profitable law firms and is ranked 25th in the Am Law 100 with respect to 2023 based on profit per equity partner.
Collaborating seamlessly across 11 offices worldwide, V&E provides outstanding client service. The Firm’s lawyers and other professionals are committed to excellence, offering clients experience in handling their transactions, investments, projects, and disputes across the globe. Established in 1917, the Firm’s time-tested role as trusted advisor has made V&E a go-to law firm for many of the world’s leading businesses and investors.
Executive job search tips can make or break your chances of landing a leadership role, especially when working with executive job search firms and experienced recruiters.
Understanding executive job interview tips and showcasing qualities of professionalism are essential steps in setting yourself apart from other candidates. After all, professionalism in the workplace isn’t just about appearances—it’s about ensuring your actions align with your words and reflect your capabilities as a leader.
How to Lose Jobs and Alienate Interviewers
Generally, most successful senior executives are adept and experienced at the executive search process, but not all. And the exceptions have stood out vividly. Here are a few real-life examples of executive behaviors that have left these executive search professionals less than impressed.
Four Insights to Help You Succeed in the Executive Recruitment Process
Match your talk to your walk.
Little things make a big impression.
Where was I? Oh, yes…Stay on point.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Match your talk to your walk.
How you conduct yourself during the search process speaks volumes about how you engage as a professional and business leader. It is an opportunity to “walk the walk,” not just “talk the talk.”
A Chief Operating Officer may say that he is “highly analytical, data-centric, and impeccably precise,” but if he repeatedly asks for schedules and agendas to be re-sent, does not remember the names of people he has met with, product lines, or critical business metrics; and (despite multiple corrections) continues to bafflingly mispronounce the company’s two-syllable name—your actions are speaking louder than your words.
Likewise, if you’re
a Chief Information Officer who has never used FaceTime, WebEx, or Skype;
a Chief Communications Officer and your resume is one solid block of text with mismatched fonts;
a Chief Accounting Officer and can’t work out the calculations on a travel reimbursement form,
you aren’t projecting the level of functional expertise commensurate with your profession.
Little things make a big impression.
Details matter, and making sure the fine points and “little things” are covered and done correctly is essential for success—as a Chief Executive Officer candidate recently learned. Having spent days and weeks flawlessly preparing, she called in a panic two hours before her final meeting with the board after realizing she had mistakenly flown to the wrong city. She was not selected for the role.
We recognize that many employers no longer require regular formal business wear in the office. However, it was clear that a candidate was not ready for prime time when he arrived to interview in a suit that had been out of use for so long that dusty coat hanger creases were permanently etched into the shoulder blades.
My colleague Jane Howze describes a search committee search she ran a few years ago: “The committee was deadlocked between two outstanding candidates. What broke the deadlock was that one of the candidates answered questions with ‘What WE need to do,’ while the other candidate responded with ‘What YOU all should do.’”
Small stuff? “Absolutely,” Jane agrees, “but one candidate had already aligned herself with the organization.” She was offered the position. Demonstrating business professionalism means being detail-oriented and prepared, ensuring that even minor oversights don’t overshadow your otherwise strong candidacy.
Where was I? Oh, yes…Stay on point
While the best leaders in their fields have a clear and tangible passion for their work, savvy executives also know how to express that passion in proportion to the receptiveness of their audience and the purpose of a discussion. Do not frantically whiteboard ideas like Russell Crowe in “A Beautiful Mind” to explain your vision. Instead, be nimble and calibrate your message to your audience.
Relatedly, it’s always important to remember to stay on point—especially if you tend to go off on a tangent. If the visual representation of your response to a simple question looks like this…
“I arrived at the firm to lead a significant turnaround; revenue was down 20 percent.”
“I joined on the same day as the firm’s new General Counsel. She had come to the firm from IBM. My brother once worked for IBM. He lives in Wyoming now. I’m headed to Wyoming in two weeks for a vacation. Three years ago, my wife and I vacationed in Paris. It was a nightmare getting there. Our original flight out was canceled, etc.”
…then, your ratio of digressions to relevant points needs inverting.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Scheduling meetings between hyper-busy executives is always challenging. Most of us have calendars and schedules bursting at the seams. However, offering a 45-minute window of availability during June does not demonstrate priority, flexibility, or your willingness to participate in the process.
Along the same lines, constantly demonstrating to a company that you are “pleased where I am,” that it would “take something extraordinary for me to leave,” or that you “could not imagine a better situation than I currently have,” rather than demonstrating why the organization needs you, will not motivate a company to take those “extraordinary” steps.
As we have said before, it is always crucial to “stick the landing.” Sending thoughtful thank you notes to follow up after meetings can be a differentiating touch. Just be sure you have the correct email addresses and that the note to Phil Jones, Firm X, Managing Partner, doesn’t accidentally go to Phil Jones, Firm X, Database Intern.
Mastering Executive Job Search Tips for Success
The executive job search process requires attention to detail, professionalism, and strategic preparation. Avoiding these common missteps ensures you present yourself as the polished leader organizations seek.
While the best executive job search sites can provide helpful tools, partnering with experienced executive search professionals like The Alexander Group offers personalized insights and guidance beyond what online platforms offer.
Jeremy LeBlanc has joined Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP as Director of Technology Services.
Mr. LeBlanc has over 20 years of multi-industry, innovative information technology executive experience, including senior technology leadership roles with major law firms, investment banking, and technology consulting firms. Before joining Fried Frank, Mr. LeBlanc served as Regional Head of Information Technology for the U.S. for Withersworldwide.
“Jeremy has an outstanding record of strategic and operational information technology experience and has been a key member of business leadership with the firms he has served with throughout his career,” said Bill Lepiesza, Director of The Alexander Group.
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is an elite Wall Street law firm with approximately 700 attorneys in New York, Washington, DC, London, Frankfurt, and Brussels. Fried Frank’s origins date to the turn of the 20th century, and it is well known for representing global financial institutions, investment banks, private equity firms, hedge funds, real estate investors and developers, and Fortune 500 corporations.
Consistently highly ranked in league tables and legal directories, including Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500, the firm is well recognized for providing highly effective solutions to sophisticated business challenges.
This search was conducted and completed by Director Bill Lepieszaand Associate Pam DeLuca.
