← Our process · Step 1 of 7
Getting to know your organization
We meet with your leadership and stakeholders to understand your history, structure, operations and culture before we design the search.
Typical timing: Weeks 1 to 2
We do not run a search from a position description alone. Every engagement begins with a discovery phase in which the Managing Director leading your search meets with the people who know the organization best.
Depending on the role, those conversations typically include the board chair or search committee, the chief executive or hiring executive, the outgoing incumbent where appropriate, and the senior leaders who will work most closely with the new hire. Where it is useful and the client is comfortable, we also speak with a broader group of staff or stakeholders.
Our goal is to understand what makes your organization distinct: its history, its strategy for the next several years, the challenges the new leader will inherit, and the culture they must succeed in. That on-the-ground understanding, not a generic executive competency model, is what allows us to build a leadership profile that candidates can actually be evaluated against.
We will also be candid with you. If a brief is vague, if compensation is not competitive for the market, or if we believe a process decision risks narrowing the candidate pool, we will say so directly. We view that candor as part of what a search partner, as opposed to a vendor, owes a client.