Article of Jyorden Misra, Managing Director at Spearhead InterSearch – InterSearch India.
As one of the inspirations of the executive search industry, Edwin Booz, Co-founder of Booz Allen Hamilton famously said in 1914.
The pandemic has forced CEOs across the globe to think dynamically in tandem with the rapidly changing business environment. Business leaders are now placing digital transformation, innovative cultures, and the development of a new generation of leaders at the top of their agendas. Making such critical talent decisions requires exquisite knowledge of the swift market currents and foresight into an acrobatic future. This brings the need for a well-equipped and trusted partner who understands the organization at a foundational level and provides future-ready talent solutions to help the client.
Search Is A Dynamic Concept – Closely Cradled With Culture
Traditional command structures are increasingly giving way to a more collaborative and consensus-led co-authorship style of management. Teams and markets have both moved away from an ‘all under one roof’ formula. Employees in most instances can be based anywhere and customers too can access products and services virtually from anywhere. This means a big change in the way organizations are being structured and operating, triggering a transformational shift in its cultural paradigm.
How do you keep the spirit of camaraderie, team connections, and motivation high with just sounds and sights of virtuality but no touch and feel of reality? A functionary with more conventional conditioning would struggle in such scenarios. Similarly, it becomes critically important for Search Firms to accurately assess culture to determine a secure and more complete fitment. It is an established fact that 70% of people who fail in any organization globally do so because of a cultural mismatch. Breaking the code and reading the cultural contours, both existing and intended is key.
The erstwhile image of being just ‘Headhunters’ is fast fading. Today’s needs require counsel on a broader basis, for instance, talent assessment of the client’s competition in the market, talent audit of the client’s own company (benchmarked against industry standards), advising boards on efficiency and effectiveness, planning for leadership succession and assessment of culture and more.
Leadership Talent – The Critical Differentiator (Search)
Executive Search in its true form is a highly holistic and sophisticated service offering. It has a deep capacity to absorb, proven characteristics to discern, the capability to deploy organic tools, and the conscientiousness to connect at a human level. This combination in its final analysis is the most potent and valuable asset that search as a human software, successfully provides.
There is an inestimable value in insight, judgment, discernment, and appreciation of human nuances that an algorithm cannot replace. From resume screening to background research, technology can provide a huge boost. When it comes to helping choose the best option from great candidates, technology enables well but soon reaches its limits. There are too many immeasurable details straddling the conscious, sub-conscious, and sublime that requires a human being in that process. The catalyst and the bridge in this case is the search consultant.
These are the issues that the leaders of today will have to plan and factor for in the days to follow. The pandemic has been a propellant to test and re-align the mettle and metrics of leadership.
A knife of the keenest steel requires the whetstone, and the wisest man needs advice
These ancient and insightful words of Zoroaster capture the essence of where the leadership talent search profession stands today and the direction it’s headed towards.
About the author
Jyorden Misra is a founding member and Managing Director of Spearhead InterSearch, a specialized Executive Search Consulting Firm, focused on senior executive and Board level hiring. Incorporated in 1997 with its headquarters in New Delhi, the Firm represents InterSearch Worldwide in India through its presence in 4 metro cities across the country.
In his current role, Jyorden is responsible for driving the Firm’s strategic direction, business growth and managing key client relationships. He leads critical assignments for Board of Directors and CEO searches as well as mandates impacting any corporate governance arena. He also serves in the 5 member Global Management Board of InterSearch Worldwide.
