Insights and advice from a leader with a successful 30-year career in business and industry and a 15-year career leading and growing a respected retained executive search firm.
Michael spent a career in public and private consumer product businesses over a 40-plus year career. Serving in roles that were successively more responsible and that contributed to professional growth and broader leadership roles, he found his calling in the process of developing strong teams to tackle complex business issues. “What I did not know I learned, but more important, I recruited team members that filled those gaps and then I got out of their way.” After 30 years in senior-level leadership roles, Michael was approached by a retained executive recruiter and friend and asked to interview for a CEO role in the Southwestern US. At that time, Michael was thinking about “retirement”, but he was not completely ready, knowing there were other career related goals he wanted to accomplish. Retirement was not really in his vocabulary. Further talks led to an offer by the recruiter to have Michael join his firm in a senior leadership role – a company he eventually acquired. Michael only knew the industry from the perspective of a client and occasionally as a Candidate, not aware of what went on behind the curtain. He found his calling in the recruiting business. He thoroughly enjoys helping businesses, large and small, find future leaders and more importantly, really found great delight in helping Candidates. Two birds with one stone. And he discovered, while demanding at times, it was a chance to slow the pace professionally without retiring and he poured himself into learning the “tricks of the recruiting trade”. Michael found something he did not know existed. There is a highly credible, ethical, honest and devoted professional commitment by retained recruiters to their trade. Integrity jumped off the page, teamwork was huge and the state of the recruiting industry ripe for and interested in change that could improve processes, benefit clients and make the job of helping others more fun.
While Michael could never completely leave his core focus on business and industry, he found the experience he brought clients as a former leader in their seat had great value for them. He is still on the board of directors of a multi-billion consumer products business, heading the Audit Committee, active on Nominating and Compensation Committees and contributing to the strategic growth of the core business globally. Despite this broad-based involvement, his first love remains helping Candidates who want to help themselves advance in their careers “Ahead of the Pack”.
It is Michael’s opportunity to give something back to those willing to step up to the challenges of managing their professional careers.
