The Moment-by-Moment Differences
Written by admin on December 28, 2009 – 3:40 am -“You absolutely must establish yourself as an intellectual and business peer to your client”, says John Gardner, vice chairman of H&S’ Board Services group and managing partner of the firm’s Office of the Chairmen. “If you are subservient, you’re nothing but a vendor”. Lee Hanson, a partner in the San Francisco office, elaborates: “Clients have to view you as their peer and partner, as opposed to somebody who only takes orders to fill a search. The transactional relationship is short lived. You have to follow their industry, really understand the dynamics of their business, and help them think through their strategic decisions, especially regarding leadership talent. Sometimes, you have to push back and advocate the person or solution you know is right for them. Those are the long-term relationships you seek”. From time to time, argues partner Emeric Lepoutre of the Paris office, you even have to turn down an assignment the client is trying to give you. “I try to give good advice”, he says. “And the good advice may be, ‘No, you don’t need to find someone. You have the right person internally.’ That has happened to me a few times, and the clients are astonished, but it really helps to build a confident relationship between us”.[20] Moment by moment in client relationships, these are the kinds of attitudes and behaviors that distinguish H&S and its consultants.
At Heidrick & Struggles, we have a simple vision inspiring everything we do. It is this: We help our clients build the best leadership teams in the world.
–Piers Marmion, CEO, Heidrick & Struggles
It comes down to this: to behaviorally differentiate yourself, you must behave exceptionally well during every moment with clients. There are no timeouts or allowable lapses. You must wear your professionalism on your sleeve at every touch point and during every interaction. This is as fundamental as keeping your promises, which is another of those basic behaviors exceptional professionals do consistently: “When I have had the last interview”, says Thord Thorstensson, a partner in Stockholm, “I discuss it with the client and the candidate and say when I will get back to them. And if I say Monday, then I call them on Monday. If I promise to call back on Tuesday at three o’clock, then I do that. This is extremely important. It very much helps build my relationships”. The importance of this professional courtesy, really a commitment, seems self-evident, but it fails to happen a remarkable number of times with some consultants. Ignacio Perez, a partner in the Mexico City office, says that 80 percent of the candidates he encounters who have met with other search firms are not kept informed afterward: “Ignacio”, they tell him, “Nobody informs me when I’m out after the offer closes. So you are making a difference. It really is a service you provide us”.[21]
For Caroline Ballantine, making a moment-by-moment difference means always having your client top of mind. Based in Chicago, this senior partner never stops working for clients. “Whenever I meet someone in business or socially who I think would be a terrific fit for one of our clients”, she said, “I make a mental note of them. Later, I will call the client and say, ‘I met someone the other day who you should meet!’ You always think about your clients, always have them top-of-mind and be tuned in to their needs, whether or not you are currently engaged in a search assignment for them”. Bonnie Gwin, managing partner of H&S’ Cleveland office, makes a difference by being available anytime her clients or candidates need her: “I have a special phone in my home that is a duplicate of my office phone. I will take calls at all hours of the night because, in some ways, my role is a bit like a doctor. In a sense, we’re on call, and it’s important for the health and well being of our clients and candidates. They have to know that they can reach me twentyfour/seven. Sometimes I’ll pick up the phone at two o’clock on Saturday afternoon and spend an hour or two with a client. It can be hard to take time from my personal life, but my clients really appreciate it. They are paying us to do wonderful and long-lasting things for their organization and to be there when they need us, and I’m not going to let them down”.[22]
In The Trusted Advisor, David Maister, Charles Green, and Robert Galford argue that professionals who become trusted advisors focus on clients rather than themselves; continually try to find new ways to be of greater service to clients; are motivated by doing the right things; and, among other things, are dedicated to helping clients with their issues.[23] Maister also likes to invoke the Golden Rule in describing the fundamental professional ethic: Serve others as you would like to be served. We encountered this simple principle at Southwest Airlines, too. And we heard it from a number of H&S partners. Thord Thorstensson said it simply: “Behave as you would like to be treated”. Andy Talkington, the firm’s global practice leader in chemicals and natural resources, said, “I serve clients as I would like myself served. If I were a client, how would I want to be treated? How would I want the other person to work for me? You become a good advocate and consultant for clients by jumping into their shoes as quickly as possible”.[24] Fundamentally, then, the Golden Rule is a behavioral dictum, not just a homily about being a nice person.
I know it sounds simple, but I keep saying follow the golden rule of service. Serve others as you yourself would like to be served.
–Herb Kelleher
The attitudes and behaviors we have been describing are not rocket science. Most BD isn’t. The difference at Heidrick & Struggles is that these attitudes and behaviors are part of the fabric of the organization. It’s “how we do business around here. It’s as ingrained as our partnership culture”. New principals claim to sense these behaviors and partnership culture as early as during the interviewing process, when the tables are turned and their first experience with the firm is from a candidate’s perspective. Once on board, they learn these fundamentals during an apprenticeship with seasoned veterans such as John Gardner and Gerry Roche, the latter of whom joined the firm in 1964. Nearly forty years later, this senior chairman is recognized by peers and clients as the “Recruiter of the Century”, and is very active with global Fortune 100 boards and CEOs, simultaneously as search consultant, trusted advisor, and talent scout. Gardner is a frequent speaker on the issues of leadership and corporate governance and was recognized and profiled, for the third time, as one of the country’s top executive recruiters in HarperCollins’ The New Career Makers. He has also been featured as one of the search industry’s top global search consultants in The Global 200 Executive Recruiters, a ranking compiled by executive search industry expert Nancy Garrison-Jenn.
Piers Marmion, chairman and chief executive of the global consultancy, attributes much of the firm’s success to its partnership culture. “In any firm, the senior partners are responsible for sustaining the professionalism so critical to the firm’s credibility and for modeling how to best serve clients by building lasting, trust-based relationships. Our firm is fortunate to have some of the most accomplished people in the industry who are extraordinarily generous in working with our junior consultants. Without that transfer of behaviors and learned code of conduct, our next generation of talent would be our last”.[25]
Taken From : Winning Behavior-What the Smartest, Most Successful Companies Do Differently
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