Due North Executive Search

I recently heard someone say that there current company was a bit like a haunted house. This person said that one never knew when something terrifying was just around the corner. Given that it is the Halloween season, most of us enjoy the adrenaline rush of a good scare. That said, imagine that is your everyday experience. And unlike a haunted house, these fears are real. Loss of key team members because they can't stand the chaos. Loss of revenue because your company is also scaring its customers. Loss of employment because the chaos continues. If your company or team is like a haunted house, either get the right people on your team or get out because virtually none survive a real haunted house. #marketingrecruiter #salesrecruiting #medtechrecruiting #hightechrecruiter

On thing I always felt terrifying about clowns was that I never knew who they were. Were they a kindly grandfatherly-type that just wanted to bring joy to children? Or, were they the malevolent monster like Pennywise that used a disguise to gain trust and then caused great harm? When looking for talent to join their teams, I often hear hiring managers express a similar fear. How do you know who that candidate is? Are they a pro who can make a substantial positive impact on your business? Or are they a clown who will cause substantial harm to your business? To help our clients navigate this terrifying terrain, we put together tips to use during the interview process to help suss out the Clowns versus the Pros. Today, I am going to Treat you all to a free copy. Click on the following link (honestly no trick here): https://lnkd.in/gHGtvQmx Happy Halloween Week!

Is your team an anchor or an engine? Most business leaders love to talk about their companies being dynamic, innovative, and thriving. But when it comes to execution, their teams are much more built like anchors than engines. Anchors are built to keep things in place and maintain the status quo. These are the people that may have been with the company a long time so they "know" what has been tried before. And of course, "that didn't work". These may also be the people that the leader brings with them from company to company because they "feel comfortable" with them. While comfort is nice, growth is usually uncomfortable. Engines are different. These are the people that politely challenge long held beliefs and look for new solutions. These are the people that possess the fire in the belly to grow both their companies and careers. And you know what? It's way easier to be an anchor than an engine. The harder that the engine pulls, the more that the anchor digs in until the engine gives out. Meaning basically, the engine quits trying or quits working for the company. I challenge you to take a look at your teams and ask "Do I have engines or anchors?". I would love to hear your comments below! #medtechrecruiter #hightechrecruiter #salesrecruiter #marketingrecruiter

During my marketing career, I always found it interesting how often marketing teams would debate subjects based on opinions as opposed to data and facts. It reminds me of a story one of my mentors told me about the only person ever thrown out of the Oxford Debate Society. According to legend, several scholars were debating the number of teeth in a horses mouth. A new member said something like there are horses in the stables downstairs so let's go count their teeth. That member was allegedly promptly thrown out. The point is that they preferred their academic exercise of debating the topic as opposed to getting the information. But marketing should not be an academic exercise. It should be based upon data, facts and reason. Because when it is not, very bad things will happen. Companies invest in the wrong projects. Expensive ad campaigns miss their intended audience. And so on. So, is your marketing team the Oxford Debate Society? #marketingrecruiter #salesrecruiting #medtechrecruiting #hightechrecruiting

Friends and Followers Top Guide Posts for this week discuss Books, Yoda and Surveys. Enjoy! https://lnkd.in/gC8kveGG #medtechrecruiter #hightechrecruiter #marketingrecruiter #salesrecruiting

We don't want Dr. No! These were the first words out of our MedTech client engaged when discusssing a QA/RA role recently. We knew exactly what they meant. Some in QA/RA, IT, Legal and other roles see their job as one that tells people what they cannot do as opposed to enabling the organization. This usually is when there is an out of the box idea that challenges current ways of doing things or new products. They find a million ways to say why something can't be done instead of ways something can be done. So, how do you engage the Dr. No in your organization? 1. Engage them early in any new initiatives. 2. When they state concerns, listen and don't dismiss them. And then ask them how they might address the issues that they raise while still moving forward on the project. 3. Have them engage with other Dr. Nos in the organization (usually there are more than one). This serves to help others that may be of a similar mindset to see the possibilities instead of obstacles. Next thing you know, they are Dr. Yes! And if your organization is looking for a Dr. Yes, contact Due North! #medtechrecruiter #hightechrecruiter #marketingrecruiter #salesrecruiter

According to our survey on when companies will be hiring, 88% are waiting till after the election. Of those, 41% are waiting till 2025. Why is this? Let's just say that there is a close election and two very different economic plans. And in the MedTech and HighTech worlds, anything that restricts trade in the global market would be a very negative thing. It would raise costs, limit access to foreign markets and stifle innovation. Let's assume that whoever wins doesn't go down this path. If so, 2025 is shaping up to be a very good year with capital markets freeing up to enable more start-ups and small companies to grow. Trust me, there are just too many examples of companies with great solutions that could make really meaningful difference in people's lives Sadly, the lack of capital has caused many of these to shutter operations. So, be ready after the election to get your 2025 plan in order. The sooner that you do, the sooner that you will be able to hire that talent you need to take advantage of the growth in 2025. And, if you don't, your competition will be more than happy to do so! #medtechrecruiter #hightechrecruiter #marketingrecruiter #salesrecruiting

"Hi Chris, this is John Doe. I just landed a Chief Commercial Officer role with company X. I have only ever been in sales. Is there a book I can read?" Believe or not, this is a real call I received a short time ago only blotting out the names. My response to this newly named CCO for a MedTech company was "Sorry, no, there really isn't." Truth be told, even if there was it would be like 10,000 pages with a million caveats. So despite this person being an awesome sales leader, his chance of success is under 50% because he knew nothing of marketing, sales operations, and other functions he was now responsible for leading. My thought was both A. "Why did he take the job?" and B. "Why did they hire him when he lacked knowledge of the other functional areas?". Truth be told, I see this a lot as a recruiter. Companies often think that becase someone has been successful in one area that this will translate into success in another. It's a little like saying you're a great hockey player, you will make an outstanding federal judge. I see this happen mostly in small companies where the leader themself may be a great technologist but knows nothing of the commercial functions. So, they find someone that has been successful in a larger company and expect that they will know all of the commercial functions. In a large company, this almost NEVER happens. So here is my advice to small company leaders, talk with an advisor whether it is a consultant or knowledgable recruiter to find what requisite experiences would make someone successful in your role. And for the sales leader that has only been in sales but wants a CCO job, try to get a rotation in marketing, sales ops, etc. while you are still at the big company. It will make you infinitely better prepared to take on the CCO role. If you have questions, feel free to contact me. I get asked these questions all the time. Happy to offer free advice. #marketingrecruiter #salesrecruiter #medtechrecruiter #hightechrecruiter

The energy you put out is what you will receive. So, let's all raise our vibrations by reflecting on what went wll this week. What did you do right? What did your team do right? What did your company do right? Focus on those things because there are more than enough people out there that are happy to tell anyone of us what we did wrong. There's no need for you to carry that with you through your weekend thus ruining your weekend and ensuring that the next week begins rough as well. Let it go! Let the positive vibes in! Let out a cheer for yourself and your team! It's Friday! #medtechrecruiter #hightechrecruiter #marketingrecruiter #salesrecruiter

How often do we hear.. I will try to get it done by... I will try to achieve... I will try to hit x target... And on. Now, of course we can't hit every objective we set in front of ourselves. That said, it seems to me that the minute we add "try" to the objective, we have accepted a "mini-defeat" and have already prepared ourselves for achienving our goals. So instead say... My goal is to have it done by... I am going to achieve... My target is... When you put forward a more concrete statement that you will achieve your goal, you make it that much more likely that you will achieve your goal. Or as Yoda said, "Do or do not, there is no try." #medtechrecruiter #hightechrecruiter #salesrecruiter #marketingrecruiter