I just finished another fun and memorable season of coaching youth basketball. As a volunteer basketball coach for many years, we talk a lot about attitude and effort, and how these two behaviors positively or negatively influence our team and how we play the game. We also talk about the difference between playing to win, versus playing not to lose. This mindset, coupled with the belief that anything is possible, changes everything – regardless of who we play and the outcome of each game.
These simple coaching lessons apply to each of us in the different seasons of life, in our career journey and in the challenges many of us face in the present times. In our business, we choose our attitude and effort as we compete every day in our executive search work as a team and with our clients and candidates.
Recently, I was having lunch with a highly accomplished business leader. This leader has made significant contributions, is extremely well respected and is positioned for continued growth and success in the organization.
During our visit, I sensed there was something more this leader was not sharing with me. I finally asked the question, “So, what is going on with your current employer?” The leader responded, “I feel like we are stuck in our old ways of thinking and doing business. I want my ideas heard. I want to compete.”
That conversation deeply resonated with me. If there is one lesson I have learned and admire in working with great companies and leaders, it is quite simple: They too, want to compete. They want to win. They compete to retain high performing talent and compete to attract new talent. And the good ones are building winning teams and winning cultures with winning leaders.
However, it also begs the question, “How can companies compete and play to win during a time of uncertainty in 2024 and beyond?”
According to the 2023 Client Survey Report from the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC), there is one word that encapsulates its outlook on 2024 and the coming years: Optimism.
Karen Greenbaum, CEO of AESC, shares, “Despite the uncertainty the future holds – economic, political and technological – the most successful leaders focus on turning challenges into opportunities with a lens of ‘realistic optimism.’ This mindset combined with a clear understanding of the importance of retaining and attracting new talent promotes growth, innovation and operational efficiency.”
“It’s easy to focus on the challenges and turbulence in the world, but the strongest leaders seek to differentiate their business strategies by driving innovation, capturing operational efficiencies, and responding to shifting markets. These same leaders understand the critical connection between retaining current talent, attracting new talent and industry-leading success,” Greenbaum states.
Optimism is one of our core values at Cornerstone Executive Search. It inspires a can-do, whatever it takes attitude. It has empowered us to create a winning team culture that aligns with our unique individual gifts that contribute to the success of our work using The Six Types of Working Genius. It has unleashed innovative thinking and deepened our executive search work within key market verticals. Finally, it has helped us expand our leadership development and executive coaching and launch our career transition & outplacement services with select clients.
We are committed to playing to win during times of uncertainty. And we believe anything is possible! Do you?
