English
Deutsch English
Suche
Worldwide
English
Deutsch English
Suche
Worldwide

The Power of Teamwork

By Philipp Göring, Principal Consultant
Region: NEU or Scandinavia

Sector focus: Energy Transformation

WORKING AS A TEAM IS ESSENTIAL FOR SUCCESS IN THIS BUSINESS. IT SHOWED UP IN THIS STORY. THIS WAS A HEALTHCARE COMPANY LOOKING FOR A GENERAL MANAGER POSITION FOR CTO FOR THE WHOLE ORGANISATION. THE ISSUE? THE ORGANISATION GREW QUITE FAST (AROUND 25% OF A QUARTER). THEY HAD A LOT OF DIFFERENT EXECUTIVE SEARCH OPTIONS INVOLVED FOR THEIR COMPANIES.
HOWEVER, THEY QUICKLY REALISED THAT MU WAS FAST AND PRAGMATIC WITHOUT A LOT OF DOCUMENTED “RED TAPE” TO SLOW THE PROCESS DOWN. THEY WANTED TO HAVE STRONG CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THEIR CANDIDATES, AND MU WAS THE RIGHT PARTNER FOR THEM. IT MATCHED THEIR SOLID, PRAGMATIC PHILOSOPHY. IT TOOK A TEAM EFFORT TO HELP BRING THE RIGHT CANDIDATES IN FRONT OF THE ORGANISATION AND SECURE THIS POSITION FOR THE CLIENT.
AFTER OUR FIRST ASSIGNMENT WITH THE ORGANISATION, THEY QUICKLY AGREED WITH OUR ASSESSMENT THAT THE COMPANY MAY BE GROWING TOO FAST. WE ALSO QUICKLY IDENTIFIED THERE WAS A LACK OF MODERN THINKING AND CREATIVE SKILLS AT THE EXECUTIVE LEVEL; THEY DESPERATELY NEEDED MORE INNOVATIVE THINKING THROUGHOUT. IT WAS ALL ABOUT LEADERSHIP SKILLS. THE TEAM DID A LOT OF MARKET RESEARCH, GATHERING UP ALL THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE ABOUT THE STATE OF THE MARKET AND THE FUTURE TALENT THAT MIGHT BE OUT THERE. WE WENT INTO THE CANDIDATE PRESENTATIONS WITH ALL THE INFORMATION AND BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE ANYONE WOULD NEED.
WE PRESENTED A DIVERSE MIX OF CANDIDATES IN THE ORGANISATION. WE DESCRIBED THEIR LIVES IN THE CANDIDATE PRESENTATIONS, SO THE ORGANISATION COULD QUICKLY JUDGE WHO IS BETTER FOR THE ORGANISATION AND ITS SUSTAINABLE LEADERSHIP. THE COMPANY WENT WITH A YOUNGER CANDIDATE SINCE THE CONTEXT SHOWED HIM TO BE THE BETTER FIT FOR THE LONG TERM, EVEN WHEN TAKING HIS AGE INTO CONSIDERATION. ALONG WITH THAT, THEY ALSO TOOK PART IN AN ASSESSMENT THAT HELPED CLARIFY THAT THIS PERSON WOULD BE THE BEST FIT.
SOME PEOPLE AT THE ORGANISATION DID NOT WANT TO HAVE THE MERCURI URVAL ASSESSMENT DONE, AS THEY THOUGHT THEY MIGHT KNOW BETTER (AND WOULD LIKE TO STICK WITH A OLDER CANDIDATE). HOWEVER, THE TEAM RELIED ON ITS YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND ITS ROCK-SOLID BASE OF PAST RECOMMENDATIONS TO STAND FIRM IN OUR ASSESSMENT OF THE BETTER CANDIDATE.

As a result? Everything worked out excellent for the candidate and the organisation. A few weeks later, we got a call saying that the candidate is doing very well, that they were extremely happy with Mercuri Urval, and were ready to discuss the next steps.

Philipp Göring, Group Director
View profile