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System – Skills – Self

How elite sports practices can help us understand and improve

board-level executive performance.

It’s often said that context drives performance. In other words, the same person may perform in one situation but fail in another. It’s a phenomenon that has long challenged talent development professionals and coaches, not only in business and other large organisations, but also in elite performance domains such as sports.

Organisations supporting elite athletes have responded by developing, refining, and mastering systems that increase the chances of success for outstanding athletes and teams.

One such system, developed by Dr Ceri Evans and Renzie Hanham, was notably adopted by the New Zealand All Blacks prior to their back-to-back Rugby World Cup triumphs in 2011 and 2015. Central to the framework is a pyramid-based performance system showing the interdependence and interconnectedness of Structure, Skillset and Mindset. Each element influences and reinforces the other, so if one is not at the required level then the other elements are impacted with consequences for performance.

In elite sport, Structure encompasses the overall strategy, including typical play styles, match-day tactics, and the structure of the training and game preparation regime. Skillset involves working on overall execution skills coupled with granular/micro skills across a variety of conditions. This might start in rarefied situations on the training ground before progressing to real, match-day situations with adverse conditions. Mindset determines athletes’ ability to stay focused and maintain their composure. It also ensures a constructive post-game analysis and dialogue; to dwell on the past only to the extent that it provides learnings.

With a little thought we can see that performance and underperformance in any human endeavour have their roots in the interaction between these three components. If any are ill-adapted to the needs of the situation, performance will falter.

Therefore, to fully understand and diagnose individual performance – and help our clients take control and move forward – we, as coaches, use a model which looks at the individual in the specific context in which they operate. After years in the executive hot seat, and thousands of hours around the board table and in coaching discussions, we define these areas as System, Skills and Self. If each of these are developed enough to meet the demands of the situation, strong performance and a relatively stress-free existence follow. If not then frustration, stress, anxiety and underperformance ensue, often to the detriment of the wider organisation.

From analysis of 60 clients with whom we have worked, accounting for over 2,000 hours of client sessions, we found that approximately 40% of the issues we worked on concerned System, 30% involved Skills development, and 30% related to the Self. Almost every client required assistance in all three areas.

So what are System, Skills and Self and what are the most common issues that we see under each of these areas?

System

Fundamentally, organisations are systems, and ‘A bad system’, said the American statistician W.E. Deming, ‘will beat a good person every time.’ And he’s right. How many individuals do we know that have performed in one environment but less well in another, even in the same company but with a different boss or in a different department?

With regard to System, we see four common categories of issues: Strategy articulation and alignment; Board and stakeholder relationships; Priorities, resources, performance expectations and freedom to act; Team structure, performance, culture and decision-making processes.

If any one of these areas is not functioning well then executives and the wider organisation feel the consequences. Some of these factors may be out of the control of executives but for the most part they are largely within their control and influence if effectively managed.

Skills


Think about a situation in which you feel comfortable with the level of skill you have to perform a particular role, as opposed to one in which you don’t. And the couple the latter with external expectations, scrutiny and consequences that comes with executive life … which further sap your confidence and impact performance.

Lack of skills, in relation to the expectations that are placed upon us (or which we perceive), is a fundamental source of performance on the one hand and a source of stress on the other. Perhaps the most visible form of this is elite sports in which skills deficiencies or failures are there for everyone to see and feedback is instantaneous (and sometimes brutal).

Senior executives very often find themselves out of their depth and eventually find a way through this but can suffer greatly in the process. This suffering is often called imposter syndrome in which our personal expectations of ourselves, or our self-image, do not match with the current reality.

But of the many things under our control as executives, skills development is one we have the most control over. We can develop our own skills or surround ourselves with those who have complementary skills to remedy areas of weakness.

The three common categories of skill we see are: Communication effectiveness and natural authority; Confronting conflict constructively and, more widely, leadership skills / capability.

The individual and collective skill of confronting conflict constructively is particularly important. If boards and executive teams do not master this then, as Patrick Lencioni said:

“When leadership team members avoid discomfort among themselves. They only transfer it in far greater quantities to larger groups of people throughout the rganization they are supposed to be serving”

Self

Developing self-awareness, awareness of impact on others and the management of self (how the stresses and challenges of our environment or system) trigger us and cause us to behave is a foundational skill for executives.

Senior leadership challenges emotionally us in ways that we don’t expect. There are multiple sources of this including direct stakeholder pressure, higher visibility, making difficult decisions and the accompanying feelings of loneliness, isolation and helplessness. This contrasts to the early part of our career when there was less ambiguity and pressure and we could succeed by being relatively task focused. Accepting that “what got you here isn’t going to be what got you there” can challenge our self-identity and support through this period of transition is both valuable and necessary often involving therapeutic techniques to help the individual consider how behavioural patterns developed from early life challenges might be less useful in the complex environment of senior leadership.

The five common areas in our coaching work are: Understanding and leveraging character Strengths; Impulse control and behaviour under stress; Resilience; Health, Wellbeing and Balance and self-identity / authenticity

Summary

If the two key contextual factors of System and Skills are out of kilter, the Self of any senior executive suffers dramatically. This, coupled with the relentless pressure and sense of responsibility, translates into a self-perpetuating spiral of self-doubt, anxiety and fatigue in which behaviour, cognitive ability, situational awareness, and judgement become impaired.

Performing at our best is not just a question of working on the self. Work on our intrinsic selves needs to be done in tandem with a consideration of our environment, encapsulated in System and Skills. This gives rise to a virtuous cycle in which the business, or your part of it, seems to run itself, leaving you with the intellectual and emotional bandwidth to focus on what’s really important.

Try the SSS model on Yourself

Think about instances in your career where things have not run smoothly. What elements of System were lacking or not well enough adapted to the demands of the situation? What aspects of your Skills did not match or adapt to the demands of the situation? In what ways did each of these impact the elements of Self?

In contrast, revisit the periods when things have gone to plan. Consider how the System and your Skills were reflected in these instances. What impact did that have on your Self and your performance?

We’d love to hear from you about your experiences and to share more of our findings and research into this, including a longer version of this article which explores the coaching topics in more detail.

Written By Ivan Schofield [1]

Mr. Ivan Schofield is a Managing Partner for Coaching at Metin Mitchell & Company and founder of leadership development firm &become [2].

How to stop doing your team’s work for them (and become a better leader as a result)

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Let go of your desire to be liked and learn to let go but make sure you also build robust decision-making processes


Much of our work as leadership coaches involves helping people adjust to the greater responsibility and scope of senior leadership roles. We often cite the well-known adage coined by Marshall Goldsmith: “what got you here won’t get you there”. One central and recurring issue on this theme is learning to delegate tasks that you could do but that are no longer your job to do. This is, of course, easier said than done.

In the process of contemplating the common problem of how to stop doing your team’s work for them, I came across Martin Moore’s excellent article [3] published by the HBR in November 2021. Rather than reiterating many of his points, I invite you to read Moore’s article and then consider the two following additions which, from my experience, are also important themes to focus on.

Time to let it go

The first is that an unwillingness to delegate is not just about protecting others (as emphasised in the article), it’s also about letting go; letting go of the areas of strength which have served you so well in your career (and probably also through early adulthood and higher education) and, as a result of your success, have effectively become sources of security for you.

Early in our careers we are paid and rewarded for this functional and / or analytical expertise, and our ability to execute / get things done.  As we move to more senior roles, however, we are paid to lead, set vision, build teams, build structures and processes;  to orchestrate and inspire; a very different skillset.

It’s understandable that we might want to stay safe in this comfort zone (and source of our success) of “doing” rather than stepping into an arena which has less immediate validation and may involve:

So, given all this it’s not surprising that we often revert to doing what we’re familiar with rather than accepting the invitation to learn the new skills and modus operandi of leadership.

Putting in processes to make good decisions
Secondly, Martin Moore talks about three steps you can take to set yourself, and your team, up for success:

  1. Don’t play the game, keep the score
  2. Ask the right questions
  3. Think about your future

To these, I would add a fourth point: ensure that processes are in place to make good decisions. Delegating to and then “man-marking” an individual can work for certain narrow activities but it has its limitations. Decisions almost always involve a transversal component (for example sharing information and analysis and gaining buy in from other parts of the organisation) and are best made in forums where both subject matter experts (no matter how senior) and decision makers are present.

In the big global organisation that I used to work for, the China team were masters of this approach; running the subsidiary through a series of boards and committees in which attendees were chosen not by their seniority but for their subject matter expertise. Obviously, the relevant decision-makers were in the room but great emphasis was placed on learning and having the relevant information to make decisions. The committees also served a powerful containing purpose in that everyone knew when the board or committee was scheduled so could prepare accordingly.  We shamelessly copied this approach in the region I was running and I have seen it have a transformational effect in other companies and cultures.

With this kind of approach there is a better chance that decisions will be made once, rather than several times over; avoiding the tyranny of the slow “no” in which considerable time and energy is put into something only for the “powers that be” to reject it.

Leading more effectively

As your responsibilities grow the workload will pile up unless you learn to delegate effectively.  Getting over the need to be liked and learning to let go are the first step.  However, to thrive and get control of your time you need to set up the right decision-making processes that effectively engage other parts of the organisation

Written By Ivan Schofield [1]

Mr. Ivan Schofield is a Managing Partner for Coaching at Metin Mitchell & Company and founder of leadership development firm &become [2].

How to harness the power of positive reinforcement

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… how behavioural experiments a hundred years ago can teach us how to manage the dark and bright side of our brain’s wiring in today’s technology-dominated world.

In his famous work with dogs Pavlov (first published 1897) was able to induce salivation without the need for food to be present.  These findings were developed and extended by Thorndike (1898 onwards) and Skinner (1938 and onwards) into theories of behaviour control in many species called “operant conditioning”.  These theories, now fully proven, describe one of the most powerful dynamics in animal and human psychology.  Operant conditioning is hard-wired into us, so there’s nothing we can do to change it.  

However, beyond the day-to-day application of reinforcement and punishment in training dogs, raising children and in creating motivation and compliance in the workplace, its subtle and damaging powers pervade our day-to-day life, largely out of our awareness, in the form of negative reinforcement.  On the other hand, with a little practice, we can use it’s sibling, positive reinforcement, as an antidote to improve our performance, relationships and general state of well-being.

Four types of conditioning that drive behaviour

Let’s take a closer look at operant conditioning. As seen in the table below, behaviour changes according to four different stimuli: Reprimand; Penalty; E [4]and Escape.

Reprimand and Penalty both result in a reduction in behaviour.  

A Reprimand is something unpleasant being added.  That could be a rat hearing a loud noise whenever it presses a lever in the laboratory, a puppy being told “NO” for chewing a shoe or, in our own world, getting honked or shouted at for bad driving / behaviour. 

A Penalty involves something nice being taken away as a result of the behaviour.  An example would be a laboratory rat losing food pellets whenever it presses a lever, or a human losing their driving licence for repeated motoring offences.

Encouragement and Escape both result in an increase in behaviour.  

With Encouragement, something nice is added as a result of a behaviour: a rat would get its food pellets when it presses a lever, a dog gets a snack for walking to heel; we get loyalty points in return for buying a coffee.  

Escape, or negative reinforcement, involves taking away something unpleasant as a result of the behaviour. Our rat would learn that it can stop the loud, unpleasant noise when it presses a lever, while we might have a drink or a sugary snack to numb the effects of a bad day; retreat to social media rather than tackling the more urgent issues in our in-tray or binge that mini- series rather than preparing for a crucial conversation

And therein lies the problem …

Build your awareness of Negative Reinforcement
This phenomenon of negative reinforcement is at the heart of some deep conditions that we face as a society today such as substance abuse / addiction, social withdrawal, social media addiction, anxiety and depression.  On a day-to-day basis it exists in all of us in more subtle ways that might be less threatening but nonetheless, have a significant impact on our well-being and performance such as prevarication, poor time management and social avoidance.

Distraction dulls the pain
The reinforcement occurs when we use small things or distractions to take our minds off an emotional pain (felt or anticipated) which is usually unexpressed / sub-conscious. By distracting ourselves, the pain goes away momentarily – the escape – and this reward is the source of the reinforcement.

Importantly however, this is followed by a sense of guilt at not having dealt with the problem, (made worse by a hangover), coupled with the knowledge of the fact that the underlying problem is still there and may be getting worse because of the lack of attention.

How to escape the escape

Like in martial arts the answer lies in using the power of one’s adversary and turning it to our advantage. Use positive reinforcement to instil good habits rather than bad ones. Instead of using distraction to make a problem temporarily go away, take action (even a small step) towards resolving the underlying issue and then reward yourself for taking that step.

Follow this simple three step process for immediate results!

  1. Break the underlying challenge down into small steps.
  2. Resolve to take the first step as soon as practically possible.
  3. Reward yourself – once you have taken the first step, reward the behaviour (perhaps time for that nice walk, a coffee or a glass of wine).

Reward follows progress
The crucial thing to note is that the reward follows properly dealing with the issue and making genuine progress. This is a positive reinforcement (encouragement) for a job completed; a very different feeling from a negative reinforcement of a worry taken away through distraction.

We all fall under the spell of negative reinforcement; it’s a human condition that for the most part is not overly damaging to our personal and professional lives.  However, in excess and over time, or in crisis situations it can have a detrimental impact on outcomes and reputation.

Thanks to Pavlov and his dogs, we now know what to do about it.  Build good habits to harness and enjoy the power of positive reinforcement.

Written By Ivan Schofield [1]

Mr. Ivan Schofield is a Managing Partner for Coaching at Metin Mitchell & Company and founder of leadership development firm &become [2].


Saudi Green Initiative: a bold path outlined but bigger steps needed by Corporate Saudi Arabia.

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A Saudi statesman, almost half a century ago, is reported to have said of the Kingdom, that it was his country’s “moment in the sun”. And so, it must have seemed back then, in the 1970’s when high oil prices brought transformative wealth to his nation. But today, those of us who have had the privilege of being a regular visitor to Saudi Arabia are amazed by the jaw-dropping pace of social change, national ambition and pride. The transformations going on today seem far more significant than anything known hitherto. For young Saudis this really is their “moment in the sun”. And the outside world is coming to visit and discovering both the beauty of the land and the warmth of its people. These are exciting times and there is much to celebrate.

However, for Saudi Arabia to take its place amongst the nations, in the struggle that links all of humanity – the fight for a sustainable environment – much more needs to be done, and much quicker than has been the case, thus far.  Back in 2021 the leadership of the country inaugurated the bold ‘Saudi Green Initiative’. The vision outlined was crystal clear: reduce emissions, green the country, protect the land and the sea. But to make this happen it needs not just youth engagement but for businesses to step up and play their part. Right now, our research suggests that corporate Saudi Arabia, with some notable exceptions (e.g Olayan Saudi Holding Company, Olayan Financing Company) is the laggard versus the UAE, Europe and the United States. 

Using a simple metric, of the percentage of Saudi companies having a proper Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), compared to a wider international peer group, the extent of the challenge today becomes very clear. Here is what our Firm’s research shows:

Percentage of companies having a CSO[1] [5]

KSA listedKSA familyUAE listedUAE familyEurope listed (including UK)USA listed
33.33%15.79%44%37.5 %92.5 %100%
[1] [6] Proprietary data MM&Co.

            It is, at this juncture, worth considering why it makes sense for a company to have a proper CSO to drive environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. The first thing to stress is that the CSO is not just this year’s corporate fashion. Nor is it just a way of assuaging our conscience for the sake of our children and grandchildren. It’s a bottom line imperative.  CEOs who do not appoint a CSO with teeth should, in my opinion, be fired for failing their shareholders. Indeed in the US some shareholders have sued management for failing on ESG. It is very clear that most companies that get sustainability right can expect a boost in profits. McKinsey & Co’s excellent report: Five ways that ESG creates value by Witold Henisz, Tim Koller, and Robin Nuttall (2019) shows that the right ESG strategy can enhance the bottom line in the following ways: top line growth through consumer and community preference vs competitors; cost reductions – less waste; government support; productivity uplift through more engaged employees – remembering that generation Z wants to be doing something meaningful; better investment returns.

I have referred to a proper ‘CSO’.  What I mean by this is the executive who has the following attributes: empowerment, credibility, influence, coaching skills and critically – direct reporting line to the CEO or, more radically, to the Board, in the manner of a Chief Internal Auditor.

Empowerment & Reporting: a CSO without the authority to work across and down the organization, is pointless.  The ability to make change will come, in part,  from the hierarchical positioning of the CSO – either through direct reporting line to the CEO or to the Board. The legitimacy of seniority and access to the CEO and/or to shareholders should allow the CSO to work with function and division heads to drive,  corporation wide,  the organizations’ ESG strategy.

Credibility: the individual appointed does not necessarily have to be an ESG specialist – but they have to understand and care passionately about the subject and come from functions that understand business inside out. Thus finance, marketing and operational executives, with a successful track record behind them  can make fine CSOs.

Influence & Coaching: ESG should not be a police function but an enabling function to help an organization and its executives reach its environmental goals. The skills of a real coach and influencer are required to nurture performance and encourage change of ethos and behaviour rather than ensuring stick beating compliance with  dry rule book procedures that makes everyone’s eyes glaze over and ultimately prove counterproductive.

Here is what you can expect your CSO to do for you: design and implement sustainability initiatives; lead the sustainability team; manage the sustainability budget; stay updated on the government’s ESG initiatives, plans and regulations; coach and teach colleagues on achieving positive outcomes for the environment and for the organization; track environmental impact and increase profitability through ESG initiatives.

However, the CSO cannot do it alone, the whole organization needs to be involved and play its part and every employee needs to contribute to the discipline of sustainability. As they say, ‘there is no planet B’.

The Kingdom has the leadership, the resources and the ambition to be a regional role model in the existential struggle for sustainability – but the business community needs to move  much faster. Appointing a strong CSO is a first step in this mission critical journey.

For further reading and viewing we recommend the following excellent papers and online tutorials: 

  1. Chief Sustainability Officer: What Does a CSO Do?, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/chief-sustainability-officer#2UE2nvAqUCv82tGs3PbLTr [7] Last updated: Mar 10, 2022
  2. “The Future of Chief Sustainability Officer” by Deloitte and the Institute of International Finance, https://www2.deloitte.com/xe/en/pages/financial-services/articles/the-future-of-the-chief-sustainability-officer.html [8]
  3. “Empowered Chief Sustainability Officers” by Strategy&, https://www.strategyand.pwc.com/de/en/functions/esg-strategy/empowered-chief-sustainability-officers.html [9]
  4. “ Reimagining our region through ESG – The 2022 Middle East report” by PwC, https://www.pwc.com/m1/en/esg/survey.html#:~:text=Our%20region%20is%20undergoing%20a,aspect%20of%20Middle%20Eastern%20society [10].

Dr. Metin Mitchell


In conversation with Middle East business leaders I

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Governments in GCC countries continue to invest in their economies, building and strengthening the digital infrastructure, and using high oil receipts to inject further growth, expediting five-year plans in two to three years. We see change every year, what takes months in other parts of the world, takes just weeks or days, particularly in Saudi. The ease of doing business is exceptional. Finding the right talent is a different story.

Conglomerates, banks, investment managers and other organisations compete for talent with leading brands in the world, particularly in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE. Executive search clients need the very best ambassador they can find to represent them in the market and deliver the right message.

It is frequently said by the King and Crown Prince that Saudi’s main assets are its human capital; a young, dynamic executive population that combines world-class education with global perspectives and cultural intelligence. This population is turbo-charging the development of their nation.

In this environment, how can search firms distinguish one great candidate from another?

The best search consultants have a deep understanding of their client’s organisation, the sector, the market, the economy and the whole dynamic in the region. Through exceptional insight into the region’s economic development, they can identify, define and distinguish leading candidates for their client, differentiating between executives who can get things done and those of a different calibre.

An exceptional search consultant knows how to interpret what they hear, how to explore skills, attitudes, successes, failures, in order to deliver exceptional final candidates to the client. Yes, the final decision is between three outstanding candidates. It’s a ‘tough call’ and an exceptional search consultant will make sure every decision is a fully informed decision.

As a candidate at Metin Mitchell & Company I had such detailed interviews with Metin Mitchell I felt I was being interviewed by the CEO himself. The way he works is totally different to what everyone else does.

In conversation with Middle East business leaders II

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In the context of the global economy, the Middle East has very strong fundamentals. What about the dependence on oil? As Al Pacino says, “We are just warming up…”

Executive search done well ensures that talent, potential employees, target employees receive what they deserve in a more professional format.

Executive search companies bring equilibrium to the market, rebalancing the impact of big data analysis, biases or tendencies towards certain angles. There is often bias either from HR staff, owners of companies or even some executive search consultants towards people they know, or people within a limited scope. Executive search done at the most professional level widens the scope and creates equilibrium in the market by linking the right talent to the right opportunity.

Confidential candidate communications are critical in the market, as is making sure that your curriculum vitae is in the hands only of highly reputable professionals, otherwise it can be floated in the market and it looks as if you are searching for a job, or are unhappy or even a little desperate. This harms an executive reputation in one stroke. This is why candidate handling must be second to none, with watertight confidentiality and communication protocols.

Metin can explain an opportunity in ways that resonate with the potential candidate because with his client he has created a well-defined search, he knows what the client needs and what to look for. It’s easy to target successful leaders and try to get them to move job. But successful leaders need a detailed pitch for why they should consider a move when they are already happy and successful in their role.

To sum up, from a client perspective, the right executive search partner can bring great value in:

  1. Addressing bias towards candidates, which is a big issue in the market. In order not to be biased a good sample of candidates is needed.
  2. Professionalism. Some senior leaders have major strengths in building teams, selecting and recruiting talent: be aware of this expertise in partnering with them.
  3. Adding value. Be proud of the talent presented to the company.
  4. Communication. Keeping up momentum and updating the client.
  5. Avoiding conflict of interest that can exist in consultancy: the solution that results in higher fees vs. what is best for my client. The best search firms have a client-centric culture.

I believe in professional firms and Metin has a major role here. He takes a long-term view and he is not opportunistic; he has other opportunities to work on, so he doesn’t try to convince candidates to take a role that may not be right for them.

Metin is persuasive, connected in the market with high profile decision makers, quick and practical.

Executive Search Snapshot: personal perspectives

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Each and every working day of every year, 35,000 different CEOs and C-Suite executives around the world will be contacted confidentially for ‘an exciting opportunity’.

There is a lot of hot air spoken and written about executive search, or its more colloquial description ‘headhunting,’ by those who have to deal with the industry and those who are part of it. Like it or not, head-hunters have become a vital resource for organisations all over the world.

This initially US-centric profession is now an US$18 billion global industry and is set to grow even further. This growth will be driven by the sustained expansion of the Asian economies, the emergence of African talent, and ironically perhaps, the greying of Western economies where competition for scarce talent will become ever more aggressive.

So, as a high-performing executive in a world increasingly dominated by head-hunters, how do you make sure your personal information is secure?

Despite the great leap forward that has been made with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), there is evidence that many firms and their clients still flout this key piece of European legislation which is being adopted and adapted in many non-European jurisdictions.

My advice: make sure any firm approaching you has strict GDPR protocols and ask for a copy before sharing your curriculum vitae. As with all data, if your CV gets into the wrong hands, it can work against you and your reputation.

Some organizations know how to manage headhunting firms well, but most don’t and as a consequence lose out on great candidates, market data and insights. All too often this happens because they have delegated the management of a search to an internal resource with neither the understanding nor the strategic vision of what is important for their organisation. Executive search achieves better results when led by the senior manager to whom the role will report.

As a client, which firm should you choose? A big brand, or a boutique?

There is also the challenge of choosing the right firm, and the right team within that firm, to work with. I have led teams and practices within the largest executive search firm in the world and have also run my own boutique firm. Brand equity in search is divided between the company and the search consultant. A large firm may suggest a high level of confidence, but ultimately you need your search consultant to understand your business, understand you as a client and know the sector well enough to assess an evolving talent pool. With or without a big brand name behind them, this is what you need. 

Success criteria for an executive search consultant

For me, executive search is about personal branding, building a search career through exceptional client service and candidate engagement, developing areas of specialisation, and what remains one of my favourite aspects of head-hunting, being an excellent interviewer of talented leaders.

As an executive search consultant every engagement is an opportunity to learn, starting with client management. I learned many lessons I wished I had known at the very beginning, from personal experience and from observing others. And depending on your favourite sources, there are lessons from all areas of life; for me, from Cosimo di Medici, Jean-Paul Sartre and the fictional Don Draper, the flawed hero of TV series Mad Men.

And finally, just one thing that is impressive about the industry?

I am proud to say that the executive search industry is one of the most gender diverse industries in the world with equal opportunities and equal compensation for women and men. I should also say that some of the greatest head-hunters I have ever worked with have been women, and I am fortunate to have had some of these remarkable women as mentors in the early part of my career.

Contact Dr. Mitchell for a conversation.

Questions dynamic young CEOs ask

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The population of Saudi Arabia is one of the youngest in the world, with dynamic executives in senior roles or in the C-suite in their 30s. This is impressive, but it can create an imbalance between responsibility and experience.

We work as trusted confidantes, or trusted mentors with many aspiring and high-performing leaders. Tapping into experience gained by others is a smart move and shortens the time spent accumulating wisdom. This is valuable at a time when AI, robotics and data analysis is speeding up the business cycle. So, if you are asking yourself any of the following questions, talk to us, we would be delighted to help you.

Contact Dr. Mitchell for a discreet conversation.

Discreet planning for family succession

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People are imperfect, situations are imperfect, families are imperfect. Family succession requires a gracious understanding of nuance across the generations, the business and its clientele.

We are experts in succession, particularly for family businesses and conglomerates. In passing a business from one generation to the next, there are many micro-sensitivities to deal with as well as strategic priorities for wealth preservation.

The benefit of working with an expert in executive search is that we understand talent, we bring objectivity, a professional approach and experience in succession planning. Our formal, globally-accredited assessment tools enable us to present fair assessments to each generation with impartial recommendations. Contact Dr. Mitchell to discuss your thoughts in confidence.

When should family businesses bring in external chief executives?

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There is a well known saying, ‘Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations [11]’ – meaning that family businesses often create and lose their wealth in three generations.  Worldwide, only one in three family businesses successfully makes it to the next generation.

One of the biggest questions is whether you should bring in an outsider to run the business – and if so, when?  I have been helping family businesses to make just this decision – and then find the right executive talent to fit both the culture of the family business and its ambitions.

In this blog I want to look at a number of pieces of research around family businesses in the Middle East, including how the next generation sees their future, and how to recruit an external chief executive to ensure a sustainable future.

Are family businesses harder to run than traditional corporates? Of course, business is hard enough at the best of times, but when you add in family tensions, expectations and egos it can become a governance nightmare.

Deloitte’s EMEA Family Business Centre [12] conducted in-depth interviews with almost 100 future leaders of family owned companies across Europe, the Middle East and the Africa region.  I am sure the findings will resonate with anyone running or working with a family business, wherever they are in the world.

The key finding was the ‘paradox of, for example, the desire to maintain and respect tradition whilst also striving to adapt and progress in response to changing business environments.”  A new generation is emerging with highly qualified young men and women, often with experience in other companies and abroad, facing new challenges such as internationalisation, innovation and digitization. But they also want to maintain the core family values of the business and respect the legacy of the generations before.

While this research and report are worthwhile reading, the interviews were all with the younger generation who were expecting to step into leadership roles at some time. What the report doesn’t really address is, what if the family members aren’t right for the future and would an external chief executive manage the business better?

Interestingly, despite the expectation of the younger generation taking over, only one in three of these businesses had a succession plan in place.

The other nugget is to see how this younger generation are thinking – a restless energy is definitely coming through!

But too often, the younger generation does not have the best future leader for the business.

As I am writing, I have been thinking of a story a friend of mine told me about one of the UK’s leading family businesses, built by the father. One child has no interest in the business at all – other than to receive a quarterly dividend payment.  One child is a very skilful non-exec and the third child is an operational director.  When the father died a few years ago, in unfortunate timing, the (external) chief executive was also retiring, which led to extremely sensitive discussions whether the ops director should become chief executive.

Everyone in the family and the business knew this director was no ceo material.  The non-exec sibling had to have a heart to heart with the director – knowing they were not really up to being chief executive.  In this case, everyone finally agreed – we bring in an external CEO.

But the reason this was so difficult highlights the particular challenges of family businesses

Not a great basis on which to appoint your new chief executive?!  In this case there is a happy outcome but too often families muddle through a complicated situation and come up with a poor solution that doesn’t work for anyone.

The Cambridge Family Enterprise Group has written an interesting report on CEO Succession the Family Business: A Better Plan for Success [13].  They point out the biggest challenge for external CEOs, if they are not ‘in sync with the owners’ vision and values’.

They recommend initially clarifying what they are trying to pass on, or sustain through, the next generation – which could include real estate investments, philanthropic activities and even art collections.

The authors give a very detailed process for planning through to succession.  While the theory is good, unfortunately I am not convinced the timescale and detail will actually work in most family businesses.

However, there is a good summary of the pitfalls to avoid and I have chosen a few of the ten which I think are particularly important

Perhaps a good note to finish on is the comment in PwC’s report on the professinalisation of the family firm, Professionalisation 2.0: The role of the professional CEO [15].

This survey showed that “family firms are continuing to establish processes to ‘professionalise the family’, including mechanisms such as shareholders’ agreements, family councils, and incapacity arrangements. Bringing in external managers is another way of professionalising the business; this takes on an added importance and urgency in the context of the ‘missing middle’.At the most basic level, better processes and a clearer division of roles and responsibilities frees up time and space for the senior team to think and plan more strategically.”

Some families are lucky enough to have an outstanding son or daughter who is an obvious successor – and will be the leader of the one in three family businesses who continue to succeed.

But if your family is debating what your future chief executive should look like, we are always happy to have a discussion [16] on this without charge – and share the experiences of how to find the best chief executive for your family business.