What’s the secret to unlocking your company’s full potential in the competitive talent market of today? The answer might be simpler than you think and is crucial for corporate clients, HR professionals, and C-level management seeking top executive talent globally. This blog will dive into the art of conducting effective executive interviews, a strategic step critical for identifying high-caliber talent that can drive your company forward. By blending relatable scenarios, success stories, and actionable insights, we aim to engage and provide value to our specific audience.

How Can Executive Interviews Shape the Future of Your Organization?

Executive interviews are more than mere job interviews; they are strategic discussions aimed at delving into a candidate’s competencies, values, and cultural fit. This first step is fundamental in scouting for leaders capable of navigating business complexities, enhancing team performance, and fostering a thriving workplace culture. So, how does one master this art to turn a good company into a great one?

The Essence of Executive Interviews in Today’s Talent Landscape

In today’s fiercely competitive talent landscape, the cornerstone of a company’s growth and innovation lies in its leadership. Effective executive interviews are pivotal, not just for filling a position but for shaping the organization’s future. These strategic discussions are aimed at exploring a candidate’s competencies, aligning with the company’s values, and ensuring a cultural fit, which are essential in identifying the leaders who will steer the company towards success.

The impact of a meticulously executed executive interview extends beyond the immediate filling of a vacancy. It influences the organization’s trajectory, fostering growth, innovation, and a positive workplace culture. Identifying leaders capable of handling the complexities of the modern business world, driving team performance, and contributing to a flourishing workplace culture is paramount.

Investing time and resources into developing a strategic approach to executive interviews can significantly alter a company’s direction. It’s about transforming a good company into an outstanding one, where the key lies in the mastery of conducting these interviews.

Mastering the art of executive interviews is vital for securing top talent that aligns with your company’s strategic goals and culture. Remember, the right leadership can propel your company into new heights of success and innovation.

We encourage you to explore CEO Worldwide’s executive search services further. Our expertise in global executive recruitment positions us uniquely to assist in finding the perfect leadership for your organization. Ready to find your next great leader? Contact us for a consultation.

Laying the Groundwork for a Successful Executive Interview

What Does the Role Truly Require?

Understanding the specific needs of your company from the executive position is the first critical step. Is it strategic vision, leadership prowess, or innovation? Defining these requirements sets the stage for a targeted interview strategy. It’s about digging deep to understand what the company truly needs from its leaders.

How Do We Set Clear Evaluation Criteria?

Once the role’s requirements are crystal clear, establishing clear evaluation criteria becomes essential. This involves not just identifying the skills and experiences necessary but also understanding the kind of leadership style and cultural fit that would best suit your organization’s ethos. Drawing on expert insights can help refine these criteria, ensuring they are both relevant and measurable.

What Questions Should We Prepare?

Preparing questions that delve into the candidate’s ability to think strategically, lead effectively, and innovate is crucial. But how do we craft these questions to get to the heart of what we need to know? It’s about going beyond the surface, challenging the candidates to demonstrate their competence and vision for the role.

How Can We Anticipate and Evaluate Responses?

Anticipating potential responses is key to understanding what a ‘good’ answer looks like. This preparation helps interviewers to objectively measure a candidate’s suitability for the role, moving beyond first impressions to a more comprehensive assessment of their potential to contribute to the company’s long-term success.

Why Is Preparation the Foundation of Success?

Preparation is not just a preliminary step; it is the foundation upon which a successful executive interview is built. It ensures that the interview process is not just a formality but a strategic tool for identifying the best possible candidate for the executive role. This chapter emphasizes the importance of thorough preparation in setting the stage for a successful executive interview, ultimately contributing to the strategic growth and success of the company.

By focusing on these critical aspects of preparation, companies can ensure that they are not just filling a position but are making a strategic investment in their future leadership. This level of detailed preparation is what sets apart a successful executive search process, ensuring that the selected candidate is not only qualified but also perfectly aligned with the company’s vision and culture.

The Art of Conducting an Effective Executive Interview

How Do We Create a Structured Yet Flexible Dialogue?

The essence of a productive executive interview lies in striking the perfect balance between structure and spontaneity. Initiating with a clear agenda and a list of targeted questions is fundamental, yet it’s equally important to allow for the natural flow of conversation. This approach enables a comprehensive assessment of both competencies and cultural fit. How do we ensure this balance to effectively gauge a candidate’s true potential?

What Makes Competency and Cultural Fit Equally Important?

An effective interview goes beyond assessing skills and experience. It delves into understanding if the candidate’s values align with the company’s culture. This dual focus ensures that the executive will not only excel in their role but also contribute positively to the workplace environment. But how can we accurately assess these aspects during the interview?

How Can We Encourage Open Dialogue?

Creating an atmosphere where candidates feel comfortable enough to open up is crucial. This means engaging them in a manner that allows them to also assess if the organization fits their personal and professional aspirations. Encouraging open dialogue is not just about asking questions; it’s about listening, understanding, and interacting in a way that reveals the candidate’s true self. What strategies can we employ to foster this level of communication?

Why Is Authenticity Key in Building Trust?

Authenticity in the interview process builds a foundation of trust, enabling a deeper understanding of the candidate. Being genuine encourages candidates to do the same, providing insights beyond rehearsed responses. How do we maintain this authenticity throughout the interview to ensure a true match for both the company and the candidate?

Navigating the Balance Between Structure and Flexibility

This chapter explores the dynamic interplay between having a structured interview plan and maintaining the flexibility to adapt to the conversation’s natural flow. It emphasizes the importance of preparing targeted questions while also being ready to explore new topics that arise spontaneously. This balanced approach allows interviewers to deeply understand a candidate’s capabilities, how they align with the company’s values, and whether they will enhance the organizational culture.

Understanding that an interview is a two-way street is fundamental to this process. It’s not only about the company finding the right candidate but also about the candidate discovering if the company is the right place for them. This mutual exploration can lead to more successful, enduring matches that contribute to the company’s long-term success and the candidate’s career satisfaction.

Navigating the Evaluation Process Post-Interview

How Do We Analyze Interview Information Objectively?

After conducting the interview, the next step is to objectively analyze the information collected. This involves comparing candidates against the role’s specific requirements and the company’s core values. How can we ensure our evaluation is not only thorough but also unbiased?

What Criteria Should Influence Our Decision-Making?

In the evaluation phase, it’s crucial to consider a range of factors including the candidate’s skills, experience, leadership potential, and cultural fit. This comprehensive approach helps in understanding the candidate’s ability to meet the role’s objectives and contribute to the company’s long-term goals. But what specific criteria should we prioritize to make informed decisions?

How Can We Avoid Bias in Our Evaluation?

Personal biases can inadvertently influence the evaluation process, affecting the objectivity of our decision. Employing structured evaluation methods and seeking multiple perspectives can mitigate this risk. What strategies can be implemented to ensure a fair and comprehensive assessment of each candidate?

Why Is Taking Your Time in Evaluation Critical?

Evaluating a candidate is a meticulous and critical process. It requires careful consideration of each piece of information to ensure the selected candidate is the best fit for the role and the company. Rushing this process can lead to overlooking key details. How can we allocate adequate time and resources to this phase to make the most informed decision?

The Importance of a Methodical and Balanced Evaluation Approach

This chapter emphasizes the significance of a methodical approach to evaluating candidates post-interview. By carefully analyzing each candidate’s responses, experiences, and potential for growth within the company, organizations can make well-informed decisions. The goal is to ensure that the selected executive will not only fulfill the current needs of the role but will also be a driving force for innovation and growth within the company.

A thorough evaluation process is likened to solving a complex puzzle where each piece must perfectly fit, symbolizing the candidate’s alignment with the company’s strategic objectives and culture. Taking the necessary time for a detailed assessment, free from biases, ensures that the decision made is in the best interest of both the company and its future direction.

The Role of CEO Worldwide in the Executive Search Process

Imagine executive interviews as a symphony, and CEO Worldwide as the maestro, orchestrating each element to produce a harmonious outcome. CEO Worldwide stands as a pivotal partner in refining your executive search, bringing global expertise and a streamlined process to the table. But what exactly makes their involvement so transformative in securing top-tier executive talent?

Why Is Speed and Precision in Executive Recruitment Crucial?

In the fast-paced corporate world, the ability to quickly identify and recruit the right leadership is invaluable. CEO Worldwide’s approach combines speed with precision, ensuring that companies not only find a suitable candidate but the right leader who can navigate the complexities of global markets and drive growth. How does CEO Worldwide maintain this balance effectively?

What Success Stories Highlight CEO Worldwide’s Impact?

From multinational corporations to emerging startups, CEO Worldwide has facilitated the recruitment of exceptional leaders who have steered companies to new heights. These success stories underscore the efficacy of their tailored approach. But what lessons can we draw from these narratives to apply to our own search for executive talent?

In Conclusion: Mastering Executive Interviews with CEO Worldwide

Mastering the art of executive interviews is a nuanced process that can significantly impact your company’s future. Through a detailed exploration of preparing for, conducting, and evaluating executive interviews, we’ve uncovered strategies that not only enhance the selection process but ensure alignment with the company’s long-term goals and culture.

CEO Worldwide stands out as a critical ally in this journey, offering expertise and a global network that accelerates the search for the right executive talent. Our ability to harmonize the various elements of the executive search process ensures that companies can navigate the challenges of global recruitment with confidence and precision.

As we conclude this guide, remember that the quest for top executive talent is continuous. With the insights shared and the support of partners like CEO Worldwide, your company is well-equipped to identify and onboard leaders who can drive innovation, growth, and success. The right leadership is key to transforming good companies into great ones, and your next great hire could indeed be just one effective interview away.

For those ready to elevate their executive search and recruitment strategy, CEO Worldwide offers the expertise and resources to make it happen. Reach out for a consultation and take the first step towards securing the leadership that will shape your company’s future.

Every leader is faced with a lot of adversity and any skills that might help out in making the best out of situation might come in handy. In this article we will focus on communication skills for any leader or executive to improve that side of the job. 

The ability to convey ideas, inspire teams, and build strong relationships between employees is crucial to the success and growth of the company or any business. Effective communication is very important, for example when we look at sports and teams who have won three-peats in NA, it was all made possible by the use of effective communication between the teammates, managers and the entire locker room. It is proven that over a few years, that ability stayed strong and allowed these teams to be so successful. Let’s dive straight into the most useful tips all gathered into one simple list.

Active Listening 

Many people confuse active listening with hearing the words that are coming from the mouth of other people and the difference couldn’t be more significant. By just hearing what others are saying you are staying in the conversation, but you are closed off on any enormous potential ideas. Active listening is a basic skill that allows executives to gather ideas from their employees and managers, get the best feedback possible, and everyone has ideas that are worth listening to. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Try to listen actively and demonstrate empathy to others and open your mind to new and interesting ideas. Any workplace needs people who can listen to others, and ideally make notes. 

Be Clear and Concise 

Being able to communicate quickly but with detail is a hard skill to master, but the more you do it the easier it becomes. As an executive, you will find yourself quite often in situations where you will have to communicate some information to others. The better you do it the more time and money you can potentially save. If the messages are clear and concise it leaves less room for misunderstandings. All the information going out from you should be clear to understand and individual to a person on the other side. You might phrase one piece of information different to a programmer than to a graphic designer for example. The less time and words it takes the better. 

Implement Non-Verbal Communication 

Non-verbal communication is almost as important if not more than the words you are saying. You can say the exact same sentence, but change its meaning by changing your voice, your facial expressions and your body movement. It is good to always show your intentions with everything around the spoken word. By aligning verbal and non-verbal communication allows you to show confidence, decisiveness, build trust with others, and make it clear to understand. You might also find yourself on the other side of the fence and you might be in need of some executives. No matter if you are the executive yourself or an employee, non-verbal communication is important for everyone. 

Feedback and Constructive Criticism 

A key role of every executive is to lead and to do that you need to give feedback to others, praise clever ideas, and give constructive criticism to fewer inspiring ones. It is particularly important to learn how to express your intentions and put into words what you need to tell others. It is worth writing down some pointers for you not to forget the specifics while holding a conversation. It is also a good idea to always give written feedback, so the person that gets it can always double-check everything. Another great practice is to give a lot of examples while giving feedback, or something is done better elsewhere, or how things could look like. The changes made by feedback can be easily implemented at any workplace. 

Mediation and Resolving Conflict 

Being an executive often comes with a lot of human interactions, and you will have to speak with others, and the more people, the more problems and room for conflict. It is your role to resolve that conflict, or even better, prevent it. However, if you are not able to prepare in advance then conflict resolution is a basic ability that you should have. Mediation between parties can ease the blows and give needed clarification on specific issues. Make sure to stay as impartial as possible, but do not let others get over your head. Always be firm while resolving conflicts, but make sure to utilize an individual approach. Every human being is different, and someone just needs something to be explained, others just want to feel justified in their thinking. Make sure to turn a win-lose situation into a win-win situation for all people involved. 

Communication Skills: Promoting and Cultivating 

A very important part of any communication skills is the ability to teach others. All the advice should be cultivated inside your job, not only by the executives but by everyone else. It is worth training your employees in effective communication because it always gives back. As an executive you should foster the means of transparent communication, and if everyone knows how to communicate, then it allows all the people involved to save time and money for themselves and for the whole company. 

“You can’t send a duck to eagle school”

You have to admit,  when you saw the headline of Colin Thompson’s short article. Ducks? Eagles? What’s this to do with business? But you will be simply stunned by the truth behind this kind of funny sentence. What about you? Do you think you can train a duck to become an eagle?

A few years ago I had lunch with a top executive from a company known for their legendary retail service. My wife and I are both huge fans, and over lunch I shared with him some of the great service stories his people had provided the Thompson family.

I said, “With the service your people give…you must have a training manual 2 inches thick.” He looked up and said, “Colin, we do not have a training manual. What we do is find the best people we can find and we empower them to do whatever it takes to satisfy the customer.”

Then he said something I’ll never forget. He said, “We learned a long time ago that you cannot send a duck to eagle school.”

“Excuse me,” I said. He repeated… “You cannot send a duck to eagle school.” He said, “You cannot teach someone to smile, you cannot teach someone to want to serve, you cannot teach personality. What we can do, however, is hire people who have those qualities and we can then teach them about our products and teach them our culture.”

As long as I live I will never forget this simple analogy about hiring people. It is branded on my brain forever. And since that day, with every hiring decision I’ve made, I find myself asking the question: “Am I hiring a duck thinking they will become an eagle?”

I can also honestly say that asking this simple question has saved me from making some important hiring mistakes. I just wish I’d heard it 20 years sooner.

About the author: Colin is a former successful Managing Director of Transactional/Print Manufacturing Plants, Document Management/Workflow Solutions companies and other organisations, former Group Chairman of the Academy for Chief Executives, Non-Executive Director, Mentor – RFU Leadership Academy, Mentor – Coventry University, Mentor – The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, helping companies raise their `bottom-line` and `increase cash flow`. Plus, helping individuals to be successful in business and life in general. Author of several publications, research reports, guides, business and educational models on CD-ROM/Software/PDF and over 1000 articles published on business and educational subjects worldwide. Plus, International Speaker/Visiting University Professor. View Colin’s short bio

Do you (or will you) have to manage a major company transformation?

As interim managers, especially senior managers and directors we are most frequently called in at times of major change – for example a major company transformation. As such, titling ourselves change managers, we are the harbingers of that inevitable part of the modern business environment – change. Change has been a constant through all the ages, but how quickly people forget change thanks to the shortness of memory. But change rarely comes easily. It can often be painful. But is that absolutely necessarily so?

As we come in to the company transformation situation, we are familiar with the concept but must put across that organisations and thus the people within them must constantly re-invent themselves to remain competitive. Standing still is falling behind, as all the competition re-invent themselves and move forward. The new phrase is change readiness.

Those managers and companies that have not been ready to embrace change have historically suffered so this is really nothing new. The ability to recognize early the need for change and to initiate and respond to shifts in the environment to create advantage, minimize future risk and sustain or even improve performance, has always been rewarded. Those managers with the ability to maintain change, while appearing to calmly steer a constant course have always been the winners.

But, as change becomes inevitable, every executive needs a road map to remind him of the things he will meet on the road through the change process, the pitfalls and how to avoid them and the preparations he must make to reach a secure and sustainable outcome.

16 points for a successful company transformation:

1. Talk directly – allow no politics. Do not beat about the bush. Take a leaf from the book of the UK CEO of a major Global Corporation: He addressed all his board simply like this: ‘We are instituting SAP in XXXXXX UK. We have appointed IBM to help us do this (100 in the team for two years) this investment in SAP and them will be paid for by the increases in customer service and serious staff savings at the same time. If ANYONE in the board politics against the changes he will face me and dismissal. You are either with this critical change or you can go’. And then he appointed one man on the board to run the project and, vitally, one senior independent interim manager to independently oversee the SAP installers. They hated it but every play was check-mated, and the project was delivered on time and under budget. No politics, as they were not allowed!
2. Emotional and rational cases for change must both be built. Many leaders excel at building the rational case for change, but they are less practiced in appealing to people’s emotional core. Yet the employees’ emotions are where the momentum for a real company transformation ultimately lies. It bears remembering that we are all consumers and that 80% of decisions are made at the emotional level and not the rational. For the employees to make the rational decision to go with the change and contribute actively to it, they will have to make the emotional decision to do so as well as the rational one. The change must be emotionally “good” for them. The rationality will follow.
3. How to deliver bad news in connection with change? Delivering bad news is one of the biggest challenges managers face. How can you deliver bad news in a way that minimizes the damage?
   a) Address the whole workforce – break it into manageable groups if necessary
   b) Address them personally, do not delegate (there’s time for that later)
   c) Don’t wait too long – do it as soon as possible
   d) Give them all the big picture
   e) Speak openly, directly and candidly
   f) Plan for questions
4. Reckon with resistance to change. “People hate change”, so expect resistance and plan for it from the start of the change management program. This will allow effective management of objections. Understanding the most common reasons people object to change gives the opportunity to plan the change strategy so that it addresses these factors.
5. Create a real sense of urgency. For the minds of the employees to be focused there must be a sense of urgency. If not, then it would be alright not to change. Failure to create a strong sense of urgency will cause a change movement to lose momentum even before it gets a chance to start. Establishing a true sense of urgency without creating an emergency is the first objective that has to be achieved to overcome the routine of daily business. Creating an emergency will only be counterproductive. It will lead to long discussions of the emergency and lead to losses of key people and knowledge that has to be retained in the company. Don’t lose the “hidden factory”.
6. Get full involvement and participation. Get the people involved. All of them. Whenever an organization imposes new things on people there will be resistance and difficulties. Participation, involvement and open, early, full communication are the important factors. The fuller and more open the better. This is not the formation of committees, but the practical tasking of teams to come up with the solutions, real ones, to achieve the required results.
7. Increase engagement by asking questions. We all hate being “talked at” instead of being “talked with”? It doesn’t feel good to have someone talk at you. The residue is bitter, it leaves you feeling like you might as well not have been there at all. How much more powerful it is to ask questions. He who asks, leads the direction of thought. Increase engagement by asking questions when leading change it promotes participant buy-in to the changes and their ownership of them.
8. Change management requires that all employees feel the problem. There will be no buy-in until the people, all of them, feel the problem. People, employees, are not going to consider anything until they are convinced there is a problem that truly needs to be addressed. Just telling them will not work.
9. Cultural change is a major integral part of transformation management. Change in organisations is always challenging, but perhaps the most daunting is changing culture. If managers want to build a sustainable, high-performing organisation, they must address culture change even though it may be the slowest of the organizational aspects to modify. If the emotional case has been well made, then the cultural change becomes much faster than traditionally accepted. The correct sense of urgency will drive it.
10. Become a Storyteller. No one likes anything better than a good story. Creating and repeating “stories” can be a powerful tool when you want to drive organizational change. Good leaders tell stories that “cast” them and their organizations as agents of change, rather than defenders of the status quo. The more the story is repeated the more it becomes the “truth”.
11. Demolish the Silos. Change means breaking down silos. Business silos, departmental silos, are just like agricultural silos, they hold something important and make it hard to get at. That’s good when you’re protecting wheat and corn from rain & snow. But it’s bad when you’re trying to enact major change across departments and divisions. The bigger the company, the more harmful is the role that silos play. Silos create an environment where sharing and collaborating for anything other than one silo’s special interests is virtually impossible. Communication is reduced to almost zero. Cross-functional working is almost nullified. Silos tend historically to have developed where there has been a “blame” culture or weak managers were afraid of being shown up by “better” subordinates. In all events, silos must be demolished, it may just take “explosive” demolition.
12. Communication is paramount when it comes to change management. Lots of it. Change is unsettling because it brings with it an element of uncertainty. And it is the uncertainty which is a major cause of resistance to change. People can relate to facts – good or bad – but uncertainty and contradicting messages breed unease and resistance. Therefore, it is important to communicate with everybody about everything in relation to the upcoming changes in order to reduce the uncertainty. Use any communication channels available and remember that it is impossible to over-communicate change.
13. Use social media. Social media platforms are ideal mechanisms to facilitate change because much of change management boils down to communication, ongoing conversations and dialogue in a company. If you are not so familiar with the social networks, get a teenager to show you – you might even “hire” one to help you through this rapid communication jungle.
14. Change those old habits. Sustaining success depends on an organization’s ability to adapt to a changing environment – whether it’s an external change, such as a transformative technology or a changing economy, or an internal one, such as a restructuring or key process overhaul. It is imperative to find the habits and break them – the meetings held because they always have been, the reports that are compiled but no one reads them, the committee that still exists even though the reason for it has disappeared.
15. Change is not a discrete event. The companies most likely to be successful in making change work to their advantage are the ones that no longer see change as a discrete event. They see it as a constant opportunity to evolve the business and continuously improve.
16. Take every “win” in Change Management and celebrate it. Harness the power of even the small ones. In transformation we are often faced with large change management problems. They are best broken down into smaller ones with concrete achievable goals. Otherwise, it can be so overwhelming to most people that solutions seem unattainable. As a result, people often avoid tackling them or come up with single, grand programs that fail. Remember to celebrate every “win” with wide communication. Toast even the smallest with champagne.

Successful transformational change managers do most of these instinctively. Outstanding ones cover all these bases.

About the author: Tim Thexton is a formidable European multi lingual business transformation and turnaround specialist with over 17 years of successful independent company transformations and some remarkable transitions across all manner of sectors – mining, manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, airline, capital plant. Whether in the corporate world, European Bank, Private Equity (PE), Venture Capital (VC), the results speak for themselves.

Consultants can turn top management roles more effective and less lonesome…

Taking risks is inherent in top management roles, but some often suppressed aspects are isolation and doubt. With the increase of economic and political uncertainly and complexity, top managers need to be able to ponder alternatives and decisions with stakeless peers – something that they cannot find in their Boards or management groups.

This need to be addressed through an innovative combination of people and technology.

It is no secret that the 50+ employment market for senior managers is shrinking at an accelerated pace. Many seniors turn to consultancy services as an alternative. This move is not only motivated by economic reasons (income), but also by professional and lifestyle reasons. Indeed, life science and healthcare extended our life expectancy to a point where many seniors are fit and eager to continue working well into their 70’s.

The Internet and related technologies prompted and enabled tailored and personalized conduct of business (“The Long Tail”), where individualized products and services are sold in unit quantities to large numbers of consumers – at mass market prices.

Emerging business consultancy practices build upon these new realities and offer long tail senior management consulting. The underlying idea is to promote the wealth of knowledge and experience of available senior managers via relevant internet platforms, offering very flexible and tailored engagements – a phone conference, web session, several day missions or long term engagements.

Now, top management roles can be more effective and less lonesome, and obtain stakeless peer support in virtually any field. When faced with a critical decision, top managers can resort to one of these practices and obtain just the right amount of the right support – without having to pay arm and leg.

About the author: A Swiss based Board-level professional, Avigdor Luttinger helps technology providers achieve their business objectives by leveraging their competencies and the market opportunities; he is one of the founders of Magic Software Enterprises, and continues to dedicate a significant amount of his time to the company, where he functions as Vice President of Corporate Strategy. With over 25 years of experience and recognized expertise in the software industry, Luttinger is a frequent speaker and contributor at industry conferences and publications, and is also Executive Consultant at APL Technologies & Management Ltd. Luttinger currently covers Cloud Computing, Mashup technology, High Performance Workplace, Application Platforms, BPM and Integration. He holds an MBA from INSEAD in France and M.S. in computer sciences from the University of Lyon.

The next strategic battlefield for SMBs?

Global Accounts: a serious business opportunity for global SMBs

Tough economic times always offer company’s the opportunity to find better ways to do things. This applies well to sales and marketing. All companies, large and small have to be sharper in their decisions on where to allocate their resources. For large corporations, a very good way to do this is to focus on existing large clients with global operations, the so called Global Accounts. SMBs with global presence can also unleash new growth potential by defining and implementing a Global Account Strategy. However, in order to be able to do so, they must take a flexible and non dogmatic approach while being careful with how their resources are used.

The theoretical advantage of doing business with Global Accounts is simple. Both on the client’s and on the supplier’s side there is an expectation that a global relationship will bring operational and economic efficiencies. For the client company, selecting a global supplier at worldwide or regional level is supposed to yield a better price, to help drive a consistent approach across countries, and to save on the time and resources invested in vendor selection and administration. For a supplier, if sustained over time, a relationship with a global account is expected to yield a higher profitability of the operations and to lower the cost of sale of additional products or services. For a supplier, working for global clients and global brands is also good for prestige. It helps win other key clients and attract and retain talented employees.

A strategic choice rather than an opportunistic approach

Starting a Global Account engagement should be the result of a strategic choice rather than of an opportunistic move. This does not necessarily mean that the program must be huge and the investment massive. However, it does mean that the Global Account activity must clearly be sponsored, supported and monitored by the highest level of management and by the regional and country managers.

Large industrial or software companies are very familiar with the concept of Global Accounts. Medium size solutions or services companies much less. For a SMB with strong international presence, focusing on global clients is definitely a fundamental strategic choice. Quite a few service providers, especially in areas like marketing, advertising and communication, define their ability to serve global clients in a consistent manner on all continents as a key differentiator. In order to make this promise come true, these companies must have a formal methodology based on specific tools and management practice. Later in this article, we will provide a brief description of these. What must be very clear is that the intention to design and execute a Global Account program, even on a limited scale, has far reaching consequences on the company’s budget planning, resource allocation and talent management practices.

Working around initial internal resistance

In most companies, there is a lot of internal resistance to the design and implementation of a GA program, even when there is a client demand from the market. There are two main reasons for this. The first one is the fear from local managers to lose control on what they consider as “their” business. The second one is the legitimate concern to burn precious resources in unproductive coordination work. These fears must be taken very seriously by the leadership team.

As much as possible the local management must be associated to the design of the program. In addition, the measures necessary to the development of Global Clients – namely client segmentation, client intelligence gathering, targeted marketing aiming at relationship and advocacy building, as well as staff skills development – must be designed and implemented so as to also support the development of the local business. This seems obvious but is often overlooked or is not so easy to implement.

Last but by far not least, running a Global Account program implies a good communication to the whole organization about the reasons and the goals of the program. It is also highly recommended to appoint an overall Global Account Management program owner preferably at senior management or even executive level.

A flexible definition of a Global Account

The notion of Global Account must be defined very precisely, but it should not be too rigid and must be adapted to the company’s business. Without going to much into details, it is useful to make a distinction between truly Global Clients (with some level of centralized decision) and multi-country Key Accounts (where decision remains local). In order to create growth opportunities, a GA program should be able to handle both types of accounts. This aspect is also often overlooked.

Getting started: client segmentation and resource allocation criterions

Defining a client segmentation is a mandatory first step. Not only does it support the identification and selection of Global Accounts and multi-country Key Accounts, but it allows for a company-wide and consistent analysis of the client base at local, regional, and global level. There are of course many potential ways to build the client segmentation. There is always a risk of over-engineering it. As a rule of thumb, the segmentation process should be kept as simple as possible, even if some figures – especially on profitability – are required.

The segmentation should be represented in a matrix that summarizes the key parameters of the business with each client. The exact format of this matrix varies with the nature of the business. A service company might use a matrix with the “Value” on a horizontal (x) axis and the “Potential” on a vertical (y) axis. These two parameters should be evaluated by combining hard facts (figures) with less tangible parameters related to prestige and image. A product oriented company will prefer a more figures-driven approach with the financial value and the profitability as x and y axis. Each account can be represented by a circle the radius of which shows the evaluation of the growth potential. All in all the segmentation helps make decision on how to manage each account (for growth, for profitability, for retention, for replacement or exit). It also helps to make decisions on where to invest and allocate resources, especially time and budget for sales, marketing and business development.

Example of Segmentation Matrix (for a service company)

Pragmatic methodology

Apart from the segmentation model, a Global Account methodology aims at helping organize and standardize the three following aspects of the business relationship:

• The interaction and collaboration between the account team members
• The delivery of the products and services to the client organization
• The networking and business development effort with the client organization

The framework of the interaction and collaboration between the account team members is created by the objective setting and by standard tools and processes including account members list and profiles, an account development plan shared with the whole team, and regular scheduled communication (mostly conference calls). As much as possible, it is also recommended that the members of a given account team are given the opportunity to meet face-to-face once a year. The Account Leads must also make sure that informal ad-hoc and peer-to-peer communications takes place on a very regular basis.

The delivery process of the products or services to the client organization is determined both by the client and the supplier. Tools and methods must aim at making this delivery consistent and homogeneous across locations, countries, and regions. Critical parameters are the measurability of results against initial objectives, as well as the timely and efficient reporting of progresses and issues. For many client and supplier organizations, and for tons of reasons, ensuring such a consistency across all regions can be very challenging.

The interaction between the client and the supplier organizations must be driven by the account team not only to ensure a good delivery but also to enable business development. It is essential that the Global Account team drives a consistent and coordinated networking effort with the client organization. From the quality and pertinence of this effort depends the further growth of the business with a Global Account. The role of the key contact person(s) at the client is crucial as their own attitude and willingness to partner with their supplier has a huge influence on the conditions under which this networking effort is driven.

Of course technology can play a role to support these 3 components of Global Account Management operations. Collaborative platforms and Web 2.0 tools can bring a lot of value. However, it cannot be stressed enough that the individual and collective behaviour play a much bigger role in success or failure than the feature set of the available tools.

Building the right Global Account Teams

For each Global Account team, the Global Account Lead is chartered to lead the virtual team and to orchestrate the management of the relationship with the client, as well as the delivery of the products or services (in some cases there can be two Accounts Leads, one for commercial relationship and one for the delivery). The notion of “virtual team” means that most, if not all, team members do have other (local) assignments and do not necessarily report to the Global Account Lead. In each country where there is a significant level of activity and/or a sales potential, a Local Lead works with the Global Lead and drives local operations and relationships. These demanding roles require great leadership and communication skills as well as strong business and political acumen. The Global Lead must be able to foster team collaboration, especially when the client organization is highly decentralized. This job is most often far more about explaining, convincing and inspiring than about controlling. It is highly recommended to select Global Account Leads who have a truly international and multicultural background.

The selection of the other team members is also important; they all need a good command of English as well as the flexibility to operate in a virtual team and in a complex environment. They must be able to cope with the often ambiguous situations of serving simultaneously a local and a global client (person). Global Account team members need special training and coaching especially in three areas; management of large and global operations, management of multi-cultural virtual teams, and networking techniques to develop relationships with a global organization.

The team in charge of people development and management practice must take those needs into account, and establish global management expertise as a valued career path within the company.

Running the operations, measuring and rewarding results

Once Global Accounts have been selected and Global Account teams formed, progresses and performance must be measured at two different levels; on each global account and for the program globally. The program and account-level score cards should include the following categories:

• Revenue growth and geographic expansion
• Profitability
• Development of the quality and focus of the relationship
• Client Satisfaction
• Account Team dynamic and motivation

The account-specific goals and the overall program goals should also be shared with the local management of all team members. Whenever possible, local senior managers should also have objectives that will support the Global Account Management program.

A critical matter is the management of the individual and team sales quota and of the revenue recognition process. The elected system must foster collaboration between sales people, not destroy it. The system must be as simple and transparent as possible and, in case of a conflict there must be a clear escalation path. Senior management must show consistency, fairness and firmness and make the system work.

Conditions for success: the right management support and collective attitude

Engaging with Global Accounts is a major opportunity at hand for many companies as long as they can ensure a global presence. Driving business with Global and Multi-Country Accounts and making this part of the company’s core business is not a sales process; it is a management process and has deep consequences on the organization. The theory on the methodology and tools is relatively simple, what matters is the right implementation. Clarity on the strategy, a strong support from the executive team, and the right collaborative attitude across the organizations are the key conditions for success.

About the author: Olivier Riviere has over 25 years international experience working for technology and consulting companies. His experience covers R&D, marketing and communications, global sales, client service, and general management. Trilingual, he has a special passion for (and a solid track record) developing multicultural organizations. He advocates a both strategic and pragmatic business-ecosystem and influencers-focused approach to marketing. He also recommends approaching international sales and global accounts as a general management topic rather than as a pure sales management one. He now works as an Interim Manager and Consultant.

One of our vetted iCEOs shares his experiences as interim manager. This article gives you interesting and helpful tips as to the expectations of the client company and how to prepare an interim management assignment.

Interim Management – Not for the fainthearted

For the past thirteen years I had been working as a management consultant and interim manager in Switzerland, France, Germany and the UK. Therefore, this is a practitioner’s view about change management under aggravated conditions typical in interim management situations.

When you work as an interim manager you inevitably end up working for companies which have a problem or two, either their profit and liquidity had gone south – sometimes over years, sometimes quite rapidly – they have a blatant leadership problem or in the best case scenario, there is a vacancy due to illness or accident which has to be filled immediately for a limited period of time. In any case, it is bit like parachuting into the jungle, not knowing which of the swamps and wild beasts you read about will expect you.

A union lady once asked me: “Now that you have been flown in here, what are you going to do about it?” and a manufacturing director in France, with French eloquence: “Eh bien, monsieur, est-ce que les choses vont changer du brut au brutal?” In both instances a mixture of fear and reservation was tangible.

With ample experience in the health care sector and pharmaceutical industry I compare the company’s situation with a patient sitting in a consultant’s hospital surgery, waiting to be diagnosed and treated. The difference of course is that the company speaks with many voices and what’s more, most of those voices have their own hidden agenda. A patient has usually seen a GP before being referred to the specialised doctor for his disease.

Hence, there is already a diagnosis albeit sometimes the wrong one. The company has its bunch of GPs, too, namely the auditors, the banks and sometimes a strategy consultant who needs a guy implementing the strategy change by applying some surgery. And, the quality of the initial diagnosis differs widely. Whichever metaphor you use to describe the situation, you need to be a quick adapter and to have a keen survival instinct.

Before the First Day

Preparation is paramount. Apart from information gathering about the situation there are a number of issues which have to be clarified:

1. Set-up of the assignment. This is important not only because it defines how the employees view you and the clout you will have but also because of your legal exposure. Not surprising, the higher up the hierarchy, the riskier the situation for the interim manager. You will need to build in some safeguards in your contract (financial authority and type of decisions which need board approval) and the company needs to cover you in their D&O insurance policy. To your dismay you will sometimes discover they do not have one, but that is another story.
2. Know the expectations of the stakeholders. Banks, shareholders and management can have quite different views about what should be done depending on their particular stake in the company.
3. You need to get a picture of the situation as detailed as possible. So, speak to as many parties beforehand as possible to know the expectations and more important, the motives behind them.
4. Layoffs: Careful about employment law regulations and procedures. Your case has to be watertight.
5. Communication! I cannot stress enough the fact of a communication strategy with clear statements and an unambiguous language about the situation of the company, the objectives to be achieved with the interim manager. Part of this strategy is a script which details at length the actions of the days immediately before and after your start in the company. If the funds of the company permit it, the help of a communication consultant is recommended.
6. As everybody can imagine, time is of the essence. It’s always critical, but never more so than if a company is in financial distress or utter disarray. So you have to get your facts together real quick and the pace has to be fast all the way through.

Part 2: Interim Management: The First Week
Part 3: Interim Management: Turnaround

About the author: Peter is an interim manager, management consultant and entrepreneur. After an international career in life sciences industry working for Swiss and US multinational groups he started his own company, Management Support, in 1996 in Basel/Switzerland. Since then he had consulted with numerous clients in industry, the health care sector and services. As an interim manager he helped change organisations in difficult circumstances, optimised business processes as a project manager and consultant and co-founded companies in the biotech and service sector, with successful trade exits and an IPO. He holds a PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Bern and an MSc in Business Studies from Warwick University. This blog on Interim Management has first been published on www.managementsushi.com