|
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
Executive Search, Management Consulting, Coaching
|
|
June 25, 2018: New Century Dynamics Executive Search announces new assignment: Sr. Staff Accountant for Atlanta-based Not For Profit
Atlanta based company is seeking to hire a Senior Staff Accountant to oversee accounting and finance functions. This is an exciting challenge for a well-rounded, hands-on leader.
We are looking for an experienced Senior Staff Accountant that will thrive in a challenging, collaborative and empowering mission-focused work environment. This full-time position will be based in the Corporate Office in Norcross, Ga. and reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The position will have primary responsibility for the full accounting function, including general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixed assets, account reconciliations and financial reporting.
For more information and your referrals, contact Jim Weber: JimWeber@NewCenturyDynamics.com
James E. Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
770-649-7051
Current Assignments
Author of: Fighting Alligators: Job Search Strategy For The New Normal
Thinking back on both the successes and disappointments I’ve experienced in my career as a leader of organizational initiatives, the recollections that surface most often are not the successes… or even the difficult efforts I’ve led. The thoughts and underlying concerns that haunt me most frequently gather themselves around the discovery, after-the-fact, that some of the initiatives I believed were successfully delivered had actually been only a temporary fixes, or when viewed at a later date were revealed to be failures masquerading as success – to be discovered for what they really were only after the passage of time.
Let me briefly explain. The challenged initiatives (projects, programs, portfolios of work) I’m referring to were efforts that defied easy resolution – every step a difficult and exhaustive slog upstream. These “successes” were initiatives that had effectively ticked all the traditional performance boxes… meeting project or program objectives, achieving initial acceptance criteria and benefits targets, delivered within budget, on schedule. On later review, however, the changes we understood to be successfully delivered and implemented were nowhere to be found. New products, practices or systems sat idle – never to be used; new processes and guidance regularly circumvented or entirely ignored; new organizational structures reworked or fully replaced, no longer recognizable. In these cases, what had initially been seen as resounding success was, in reality, complete and utter failure.
Fortunately, this did not happen often, but when it did, I found it particularly disturbing and difficult to accept. I found myself asking “what had we, as the leadership team missed, what had we not done to ensure success – what had I overlooked as the initiative leader that enabled and led to this outcome?”
Answers to these questions have not come quickly. It’s taken more years than I care to admit to gain adequate perspective on the common thread that ties these failures together. Taking time to look more deeply into the initiatives I’ve led, I’ve focused specifically on the challenged initiatives and those initial successes I found later to be failures. I looked for common themes and conditions embodied in these efforts and what I found surprised me. Here are three themes common to all of them that stand out:
Outcome-oriented thinking; it’s what results from considerations of things that occur in business…Beyond Delivery
Eric Norman
For more articles, presentations, books, and lectures by Eric Norman, check out his website: https://nncweb.net/publications/
Thank you for visiting my blog.
I hope you enjoyed my point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Jim Weber, Managing Partner
ITB PARTNERS
Jim.Weber@itbpartners.com
Current Assignments
Author of: Fighting Alligators: Job Search Strategy For The New Normal
:
Hiring Millennials into paid positions is difficult enough; so how on earth do you attract them to commission-only jobs? What’s the secret to selling a full-time position with deferred payment to a generation who places high importance on instant returns and gratification?
The solution is two-part; you must first address the unknown, then spice up the value proposition. Remember: you’re competing with the comforting psychology of a guaranteed paycheck. As a result, setting clear expectations and an attainable vision of success during the interview process will be critical in recruiting top Millennial talent to your commission-only positions. You can do this in two stages during early conversations with candidates:
Laying out earnings expectations for 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months out is an excellent place to start. The word “expectations” will help assuage concerns over the commission-only model. Then, a segue into earnings potential becomes natural and powerful. Some sample language you can use:
“At a salaried position, you have to wait until the end of the year for a bonus. Here, you can earn a bonus anytime. Furthermore, at a salaried position, there are limits on what you can earn. Here, your hard work will directly translate into higher earnings.”
Language like this helps Millennials see the potential, as opposed to the limitations, of a commission-only model.
[Tweet “Millennials grow with guidance and place a high value on experiential learning.”] 79% of us want our boss to serve as a coach or mentor, and 88% of us prefer collaborative to competitive work cultures. Plus, strong mentorship is the #2 strongest retention tool for Millennials, behind alignment with the company’s purpose.[1]
Certain key phrases will eliminate culture concerns and paint you as someone they’d desire to work for. Positive, supportive language like this will augment every interview you conduct, but works especially well with a young person:
“I won’t let you fail.”
“We’ll create work plans together.”
“You’ll get some of the best sales training on the planet; training that you’ll have forever.”
“My office is always open for questions.”
“I’ll turn you into a rock star.”
“Commitment goes both ways; you make a commitment to me, and I’ll make a commitment to you.”
In summary, mention of pay and mentorship are critical while recruiting Millennials. Assure them that if they work hard, they’ll succeed; and you personally won’t let them fail. Many employers forget to make the latter point so you can use a promise of mentoring and coaching to gain a competitive edge over other recruiters: even those hiring into salaried positions.
What’s your company’s current “Millennial Problem?” Recruitment? Retention? Engagement? Message me on LinkedIn and I’ll do my best to help.
About The Author
Chris Butsch is an expert on maximizing the Millennial generation in the workplace, Chris has directly advised Fortune 500 CEOs and delivered keynotes on three continents. Having built a reputation for offering managers free and immediate “quick wins” to maximize Millennial retention and productivity, Chris is organizing his latest findings in a new book called These Damn Millennials.
His business website is: www.chrisbutsch.com
Thank you for visiting my blog.
I hope you enjoyed my point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Jim Weber, Managing Partner
ITB PARTNERS
Jim.Weber@itbpartners.com
Current Assignments
June 13, 2018, Atlanta GA. Jim Weber Presents to The FENG Atlanta Chapter on the topic of career management based on his book, Fighting Alligators: Job Search Strategy For The New Normal. It was an excellent event with a lively discussion. Many thanks to Juliet Denise who facilitated the meeting.
Jim Weber, President
NEW CENTURY DYNAMICS EXECUTIVE SEARCH
Author of: Fighting Alligators: Job Search Strategy For The New Normal
JimWeber@NewCenturyDynamics.com
Current Assignments
1. COO- Northeast-based Casual Dining Restaurant Company – New
2. CEO- Northeast-based Casual Dining Restaurant Company – Complete
3. Corporate R&D Chef, Atlanta-based Home Meal Replacement Company – Complete
4. Area Supervisor – Legacy Pizza Chain, Carolinas – New
5. Operating Partners – Legacy Pizza Chain – New
6. VP Operations, SE-based Casual Dining Chain – New
7. General Manager, SE-based Private Club – New
You probably know that the economy has improved, and that unemployment is down to 3.8%. That is great news! Along with an improved economy, the labor market has tightened. The unemployed and under-employed are going back to work. Additionally, those people who held onto their jobs through the recession and the weak recovery are considering their options. They are beginning to seek career advancement with another employer.
This week I talked with a lady who has experience in the restaurant industry but more recently has worked on the fringe of the industry, in another retail segment. Let’s call her Ann. In fact, her current employer is classified as “non-traditional” by restaurant industry insiders. This segment is not well understood or highly respected by the restaurant industry. Even so, she has responsibility for a major line of business with a dominant regional brand. Her employer is well known in their part of the country but not so much outside the region.
I have written about the difficulty of transitioning one’s career into a different industry. I have found that people have biases about those working in other segments even within the same industry. These biases are interesting as they are seldom fact-based. I advise that the best way to make a successful cross-industry move is to have an important contact networked into that segment. However, there are other issues to consider.
Changing industries is more or less difficult depending on one’s job function and the hiring manager’s personal biases. Yes, hiring managers have biases that affect their decisions, and they aren’t necessarily illegal. Would you believe that a controller with experience in full-service hotels and resorts couldn’t be a successful controller for a small restaurant chain? Well, a few years ago I faced that bias which frustrated me. Recently, I failed to get a candidate in front of a client because he has worked in non-food retail for the past two years. It did not matter that my candidate had a total of 15 years of leadership experience in the restaurant segment. Two years outside the restaurant industry knocked him out of contention. Seriously?
Moving into a different industry segment is also subject to the company’s culture. Some employers are open to hiring people with the right skill set even if their recent experience has not been in the same industry segment. Other companies are more rigid in this requirement. The target company’s position in its life cycle is also relevant. Typically, leaders and managers are best suited to one or two life cycle stages, but not all. Entrepreneurial managers skilled in start-ups are usually gone by the time the brand reaches maturity. Managers who are successful working with mature brands are probably not viable in a turnaround. Making a career move to a different industry segment can be complicated.
Back to Ann. She has a good job with a broad responsibility and a comfortable salary. However, she sees no path to a viable long-term career. After five years, she has decided to explore other options. She wants to make a transition on her terms, i.e., to keep her current job until she has landed the next. Her ideal strategy would be to look for a situation in the QSR or Quick Casual segments with an equal or greater level of responsibility. Her job search plan needs a public relations component to address segment bias.
My counsel is to craft a document that explains the business she manages in detail. She must help hiring-managers bridge the gap between their preconceptions and the facts for her industry segment. A document that presents the size and scope of her responsibility could change some opinions. This information can be incorporated into her resume and possibly into a cover letter. My thinking, however, is that the ideal product will read like a press release. The point is to address objections right up front.
As much as the entire economy is changing and the employment dynamic is tightening, one would think that hiring managers would be “tuned into” the need to adapt. One would think that employers would face additional pressure to check their biases and develop a more productive perspective. Well, maybe not yet. Some people will learn this lesson the hard way. [Tweet “In the meantime, it is up to the job seeker to develop a strategy to overcome hiring biases.”]
Thank you for visiting my blog.
I hope you enjoyed my point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Jim Weber, President
NEW CENTURY DYNAMICS EXECUTIVE SEARCH
JimWeber@NewCenturyDynamics.com
Current Assignments
1. COO- Northeast-based Casual Dining Restaurant Company – New
2. CEO- Northeast-based Casual Dining Restaurant Company – Complete
3. Corporate R&D Chef, Atlanta-based Home Meal Replacement Company – Complete
4. Area Supervisor – Legacy Pizza Chain, Carolinas – New
5. Operating Partners – Legacy Pizza Chain – New
6. VP Operations, SE-based Casual Dining Chain – New
7. General Manager, SE-based Private Club – New
I spend my days talking with people; a lot of people. Many are consultants with ITB Partners. They are seeking my advice to become more successful as an independent contractor. Mostly, I talk with people who need help with their job search. It is a significant part of my day. These folks want to reconnect with another employer in a similar role. Some are ready to make a break from traditional employment to become their own boss. They are intrigued by the opportunity and want to better understand the risks and rewards. Every now and then I talk with someone who has been on her own but seeks greater stability as an employee. Of course, becoming an employee offers little stability as companies are in a constant state of change. One of our consultants took employment situation last year. It didn’t work out. After a short tenure in that job, he returned to ITB Partners to pursue a freelance career. This is a common phenomenon as job tenures become shorter and shorter.
My conversation with these folks begins with their goals and objectives. I want to understand their perspective on the market and the motivation for their intended course of action. I want to learn how I can be helpful, even if it is limited to free advice. Naturally, they want to know if I have a search assignment that fits their needs. If I don’t have an appropriate assignment they want to begin a relationship for future opportunities. When they have completed their overview it is my turn to validate their strategy and to present alternatives they may not have considered.
As most of my work is with senior-level executives, my feedback is usually the same. However, there are variations appropriate to the candidate’s functional discipline and industry segment. Some job functions are experiencing great demand, like Chief Financial Officers. Some are experiencing rapid turn over, like Chief Marketing Officers. Some industry sectors are growing more rapidly than others. Some are consolidating and even liquidating.
To a large extent, all industry segments are experiencing similar circumstances. They are trying to adapt to rapid change. Competition is fierce. There is a manic effort to stay relevant to the customer. The constant search to become better, faster and cheaper creates pressure to innovate. The push for cost reduction usually means ways to shrink the workforce. Finding outsourced solutions has become commonplace. The message to job seekers is to expect more job changes with shorter tenures. This reality leads many to strike out on their own, to become a freelancer.
The fundamentals of finding full-time employment or a contract engagement are basically the same. One must talk with people, network. They must research the target company. They must get their resumes in front of hiring managers. Ultimately, they must get interviews. The big difference is to advise the hiring manager or recruiter that you will consider a 1099 situation. With no additional work, the job-seeker increases her employment opportunities, while reducing her time “in the market.”
I find that a willingness to engage in project work is an effective way to find a new job. I call it a bridge strategy. Employers are risk-averse, especially with regard to hiring decisions. The cost of a bad hire is significant. If given the alternative they would prefer a lower risk option, like a short-term contract. A short-term contract allows the employer time to evaluate the candidate’s viability without making a commitment. If the candidate is a good fit an offer of full-time employment is likely. If not, terminating the contract carries little risk.
If you are serious about finding work you must be open to alternatives that present a win-win solution. Contract work that leads to a full-time situation is a proven job search strategy. I believe that freelancing will continue to grow in importance as the economy transitions into the Digital Age. So, get with the program! It is better to be on the playing field as an independent contractor than to warm the bench.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
I hope you enjoyed my point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Jim Weber, President
Jim Weber, President
NEW CENTURY DYNAMICS EXECUTIVE SEARCH
JimWeber@NewCenturyDynamics.com
Current Assignments
1. COO- Northeast-based Casual Dining Restaurant Company – New
2. CEO- Northeast-based Casual Dining Restaurant Company – Complete
3. Corporate R&D Chef, Atlanta-based Home Meal Replacement Company – Complete
4. Area Supervisor – Legacy Pizza Chain, Carolinas – New
5. Operating Partners – Legacy Pizza Chain – New
6. VP Operations, SE-based Casual Dining Chain – New
7. General Manager, SE-based Private Club – New
“Drive Global Growth through Asset Optimization”
Overview
Max Sutherland is a multi-industry, global corporate strategy and development executive, bringing more than 25 years of strategic Fortune 500 CEO initiatives experience to the table. Having started his career in Wall Street Banking and transitioning to manufacturing via Big 4 Consulting, Max focuses on growth, mergers and acquisitions, and enterprise-wide asset optimization to maximize top- and bottom-line financial performance, expand into new markets, and strengthen brand equity to achieve long-term objectives.
The plan was to meet Chris and Aaron Monday evening, for conversation and a fine cigar. The venue was Cigar City Club, in the Buckhead Neighborhood of Atlanta. Chris is a Member of ITB Partners, whereas Aaron is new to our network. Aaron is Millennial with a background in IT Consulting. He is also an entrepreneur. Chris believes that Aaron would be a good candidate for ITB Partners. Aaron is looking for new clients. Aaron canceled due to illness but Chris and I decided to follow through with our plans. I’m glad we did as I needed a good cigar. Additionally, I had developed two networking contacts I wanted to discuss with Chris.
I met Chris through Cliff, a mutual friend. It was two years ago, just after I had published Fighting Alligators: Job Search Strategy For The New Normal. When Cliff learned that Chris was months away from publishing his first book he decided that we should meet. The full story is more interesting, but I’ll save those details for now. Chris is 27, a Millennial Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Best-Selling Author of The Millennial’s Guide to Making Happiness. He is building a Consulting Practice around Millennial career development and job satisfaction. Much of that work is focused on helping baby boomers understand their Millennials. His objective is to help them become more effective, leading to longer tenures, and a lower cost of turnover.
Arriving first, I planted myself at the right-hand corner of the u-shaped bar. I placed my drink order, then headed for the humidor. One of the Managers helped me make my cigar selection; one new to me, and an old favorite. On the way back to my seat, I saw Chris, sitting in the seat next to mine.
As one would expect, our discussion was far-ranging. We compared notes on the dynamics of the economy and opportunities to build our businesses. The economy has seen significant improvement, but individual companies are in a state of flux. There is tremendous pressure to maintain relevancy and to increase market share. Therefore, a lot of opportunity for us.
Toward that end, Chris told me about a new product he is developing, a cultural risk assessment. He wanted my thoughts on how to position his concept. He asked my opinion on three particular options and price points, based on variations of the number and mix of people to interview. Fortunately, I have recent experience with a similar assignment so I was able to talk with some authority.
Last year I completed a consulting gig, helping my client improve their internal recruiting, selection, and onboarding program. I have found that the best way to approach any assignment is to begin by understanding the client’s culture. So, I began that assignment by interviewing the leadership team to get their perspective on the company’s values, management style, and opportunities. Next, I talked with a cross-section of employees for thirty minutes each. The results were revealing. To make a long story short, the client was surprised to learn that the values and career goals for their employees aligned with their generation. The baby-boomers were focused on developing their professional skills, whereas the Millennials were trying to “fit in.” The Baby-Boomers had a lot of job satisfaction. The Millennials, not so much. They complained that internal communication was not helpful. Leadership was surprised by these findings. Although it was not my primary mission, I recommended that Management consider a Mentor program and prominently display their KPI’s. Those two ideas got them moving in the right direction. I recommend that Chris follow a similar process.
The success of any new project or change in procedure is dependent on buy-in by the employees affected. Achieving that buy-in requires a communication plan that resonates with the company’s values, its culture. Stated another way, if one wants to ensure a successful outcome, one must understand the current state of the company’s culture and respond to its needs.
Three hours later…we made our exit, well-fed and relaxed but energized by our commitments to one another.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
I hope you enjoyed my point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Jim Weber, President
Jim Weber, President
NEW CENTURY DYNAMICS EXECUTIVE SEARCH
JimWeber@NewCenturyDynamics.com
Current Assignments
1. COO- Northeast-based Casual Dining Restaurant Company – New
2. VP Operations – Southeast-based Casual Dining Restaurant Company – New
3. CEO- Northeast-based Casual Dining Restaurant Company – Completed
4. Corporate R&D Chef, Atlanta-based Home Meal Replacement Company – Complete
5. Area Supervisor – Legacy Pizza Chain, Carolinas – Completed
6. Operating Partners – Legacy Pizza Chain – New
7. Controller – Atlanta-based Consumer Products – Digital Company – Completed
8. Outplacement Assignment – Atlanta-based Manufacturer: Complete