Imagine a leadership training program disguised as a baseball team. Gathered in the outfield after the championship game, the Captain stood and pointed to each player, citing their contributions throughout the season. Each player beamed with pride as some highlight of his performance was detailed. The victory had truly been… Read More

Q: I’ve been elected to my first board seat, a mid-cap regional health services firm.  I’m familiar with this sector and the company, have spoken with the management team, and know a couple of current board members, so I have the essentials pretty well.  But now, ten days before my… Read More

As I prepare for a speaking engagement set for tomorrow at the Military Officer’s Association of America (MOAA), I can’t help to ponder what I have been asked to speak about.  The agenda is for me to speak about best practices for working with retained and contingent recruiters. So, I… Read More

Thoma Bravo Managing Partner Scott Crabill details how ABC Fitness quadrupled their client base after Thoma Bravo acquired the fitness technology company in 2018, and then discusses how ABC’s go-to-market strategy was transformed and taken to the next level with ABC Fitness CEO Bill Davis. To listen to this insightful… Read More

Earlier today, I was speaking with a long-time friend and tremendously accomplished executive.  Our conversation turned to his interest in independent directorships with corporate boards. He exclaimed how difficult it has been to be considered for board opportunities.  He never thought it would be this arduous.  After all, he has… Read More

I was asked to write a thought leadership piece this week. Working in B2B marketing for years I thought it would be a piece of cake. I could wax on about my thoughts about building amazing emotional brand connections with audiences, or I could have a talk on the differences… Read More

Practically every day I am asked the question – “How Long Does It Really Take to Land a Corporate Board Seat?” Thirteen years of experience representing executive clients in their pursuit of a corporate board seat, my answer is pretty simple – at least two years. In May I posted… Read More

One of the top concerns in private equity right now is top talent recruitment. Ideally firms are proactively creating a bench of people that can be called on for the C Suite or the boardroom either before the deal or post-deal. It can take months to conduct a traditional search… Read More

During my daily work of representing C-Suite executives for their interest in independent directorships and partnering with corporate boards by providing them with vetted executives, it is clear to me that investor focus on board performance has reached new levels of intensity. Activist investors who have been historically assertive are… Read More

Over the last twenty years of practicing, advising and serving as an agent in the arena of executive search, I have seen the offer process go very well and I have also witnessed pure disasters. Most often, executives do not know how to negotiate an offer.  Even though an executive… Read More