How I Hire: Recent Episodes
Noto Group, Roy Notowitz
Talent is critical to every successful company, but hiring at the executive level comes with many challenges and variables.
Roy Notowitz and his team at Noto Group have spent the last decade helping build iconic consumer brands, one hire at a time. Now, Roy is sitting down with some of the world’s most inspiring leaders to dig into the complexities of assembling exceptional teams.
Whether you’re interested in hiring strategy, leadership assessment, or industry trends, you’ll want to tune into How I Hire for the best executive recruiting advice and insights.
Stephanie Roberts is an experienced financial executive and partner at FLG Partners, where she provides CEO and CFO consultation and coaching. She is the former CFO of major brands like Old Navy, Rothy’s, goop, Specialized, and ThirdLove. Her extensive background as an executive leader across the e-commerce, retail, and consumer sectors informs her unique leadership style, as well as the deep operating knowledge that she brings to her work at FLG. Stephanie and Roy dig into the ways in which her work ethic and values were shaped by her childhood, the challenges of contending with work pressure and burnout, the importance of building long-term relationships with direct reports, the true value of time, and much more.Highlights from our conversation include: - How Stephanie’s upbringing shaped her career (1:54)- The three segments of Stephanie’s career (6:31)- How her life experience informed her empathetic leadership style (9:31)- Believing she had to outwork everyone and how that affected her (11:11)- How being “full light, no dimmer” ended up being unsustainable for Stephanie (13:50)- What she would tell the younger, over-worked version of herself (16:45)- What the term ‘time affluence’ means to Stephanie (17:33)- Her consultation and coaching work with FLG Partners (19:34)- The point in her career when she felt her leadership style had fully evolved (21:56)- Stephanie’s leadership philosophy (26:12)- Things she might change about the past if she could go back in time (28:39) - What Stephanie’s most excited about looking ahead to the future (29:43)
Megan Porteous is the Chief Revenue Officer at Carve Designs, a beach lifestyle brand creating surf-inspired apparel for women. Megan traces her career back to D1 volleyball, which led her to work at Oakley as Global Sports Marketing Manager and continues to inform her leadership approach today. After 6 years at Oakley, Megan followed her curiosity and passion to new opportunities at Amer Sports and Reef, where she cultivated deep experience in brand and digital leadership, leading growth and implementing strategy across e-commerce, wholesale, and marketplace channels. Megan and Roy get into her leadership and hiring playbook, the current opportunities and challenges facing CROs today, and more.Highlights from our conversation include: - How Megan’s background as a college athlete informed her early career experiences (2:05)- Why Megan left her dream job at Oakley (4:00)- The evolution of her leadership playbook (6:10)- How she approaches stretch projects with her team (8:42)- What Megan looks for in a leader (10:24)- Cultivating healthy team culture (12:45)- Making the most of her team’s in-person time together (13:50)- How the CRO role differs from past roles (16:00)- What her team structure looks like at Carve (18:12)- How Megan stays up on opportunities and tools in the digital marketing, brand, and e-commerce space (22:16)- Balancing brand and performance marketing (24:06)- Megan’s advice for emerging leaders (28:46)
Kate Williams is the CEO of 1% for the Planet, a global, philanthropic organization growing a network of businesses committed to donating at least 1% of their annual revenue to verified environmental initiatives. At the helm of 1% for the Planet, Kate leads an international campaign to help companies move beyond good intentions into credible, accountable action. To date, 1% for the Planet’s network has allocated nearly $1 billion to vetted environmental solutions. Through her work and speaking engagements, Kate inspires action and innovation amongst other purpose-driven leaders seeking to make an impact. Kate sits down with Roy to discuss fostering and maintaining a high performance culture, balancing community and autonomy within her team, the importance of learning agility in prospective talent, and much more.Highlights from our conversation include: - Early experiences that made Kate the leader she is today (2:08)- The scope and scale of 1% for the Planet’s impact and mission (7:54)- The unique perspective Kate has at the center of a global movement (10:47)- What effective, purpose-driven leadership looks like in 2026 and beyond (12:26)- Engaging and supporting talent through a critical mission (14:29)- Creating the culture of 1% for the Planet (17:19)- What work and life looks like at 1% and how that impacts performance (20:05)- What Kate looks for in prospective talent (26:01)- Lessons from hiring successes and failures (28:38)- Kate’s advice for rising leaders (32:13)Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.Follow Roy Notowitz and Noto Group Executive Search on LinkedIn for updates and featured career opportunities.
Helayna Minsk is an experienced executive leader who has led major organizational transformation for brands like Unilever, Walgreens, and Johnson & Johnson. Helayna’s work encompasses general management, P&L leadership, portfolio evolution, and revitalization campaigns, both domestically and internationally. Her approach to brand stewardship and cross-functional collaboration has led to an extensive track record of profit expansion, scalable growth, and strategic implementation for some of the largest CPG companies in the world. Helayna joins Roy to discuss leadership lessons learned during periods of immense change, how communication is the cornerstone of high-performance teams, the upside of ambition, and much more.Highlights from our conversation include: - Core values that have become part of Helayna’s leadership playbook (3:07)- Mentors and learning opportunities that helped shape her leadership philosophy (5:16)- How Helayna’s leadership developed and evolved as she took on different roles (7:44)- The role talent plays in driving growth and impact (10:17)- Tips for navigating changing market dynamics and consumer behavior (14:10)- How Helayna developed an aptitude for hiring top performers and building high performance teams (16:05)- Comparing the approach to talent and hiring at different brands (18:25)- What Helayna looks for when she’s hiring for her own leadership teams (20:09)- How she approached leading a turnaround for J&J in China (22:17)- Cultural differences when working in China that adapted her thinking -(25:27)- Advice Helayna has for people early in their careers (28:33)- What’s next for Helayna (30:29)
Noto Group’s senior partners break down key hiring and leadership trends that they’re seeing for 2026 and beyond. Sara Spirko, John Copeland, and Tami Bumiller discuss common pitfalls, market forces, predictions, and actionable advice for those seeking top talent – and for candidates looking to be hired – in the year ahead.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Unexpected obstacles to hiring top leaders in 2025 (3:08)
- Shifts in client, company, and candidate priorities and needs (4:59)
- Competencies and capabilities that are essential for leadership in today’s market (7:37)
- Best indicators to predict executive success in the current hiring environment (9:42)
- How CEOs and boards can get the best results when engaging a search firm (10:53)
- The team’s take on whether hiring in 2026 is shaping up to be smoother or tougher than in previous years (15:59)
- In-office versus remote versus hybrid trends for 2026 (19:24)
- The evolution of compensation packages (20:34)
- How companies are thinking about hybrid or remote leaders (23:38)
- Advice for executive-level leaders considering making a move in 2026 (27:15)
- How candidates can show up authentically, especially given AI trends (32:09)
- How candidates can best connect with search firms like Noto Group (33:19)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode. Check out the full 2026 Leadership & Hiring Trends Report.
Follow Roy Notowitz and Noto Group Executive Search on LinkedIn for updates and featured career opportunities.
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Shaun Belongie is the CEO of New Belgium Brewery. He previously served as VP of Marketing for New Belgium before becoming CMO and then CEO in 2023. Shaun has over 20 years of CPG experience, having managed marketing innovation and brand direction for iconic companies like Nestle Purina and Kraft Foods. He’s helped build and maintain New Belgium’s human-powered business model as the brand grows and expands, all the while stewarding the brewery’s legacy and people-centric culture. Shaun joins Roy to discuss the challenges and opportunities during his journey from CMO to CEO, the differences between working at a large CPG brand versus a smaller, more nimble company, how New Belgium embodies and enacts their foundational values, and much more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Shaun’s transition from CMO to CEO at New Belgium (3:35)
- Challenges he’s confronted as New Belgium’s CEO (6:14)
- Shaun’s experience serving as New Belgium’s CMO (9:53)
- Shaun’s perspective on building and shaping culture as CEO (12:09)
- New Belgium’s human-powered business model (14:55)
- Maintaining authentic values throughout periods of growth (16:16)
- How his son’s health crisis inspired him to think differently about life and leadership (18:35)
- Leadership lessons that carried over from Shaun’s Kraft and Purina days (21:11)
- How changes in the industry are affecting Shaun’s approach to hiring (23:08)
- Leadership qualities that Shaun seeks in his senior executive team (25:01)
- How technology fits into his strategic plan (25:48)
- Guidance he’d offer to somebody early in their career (28:18)
- What Shaun’s most excited about in the future (30:13)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.
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David Stever is the former CEO and CMO of beloved ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s. David started with the company back in the early 80’s, working as a tour guide at their factory in Waterbury, Vermont. Over time, David ascended within Ben & Jerry’s, helping to grow the then start-up into an iconic, multinational corporation. Over the course of his decades-long career there, David led marketing initiatives, drove massive brand growth, expanded global market share, and helped facilitate reinvention and product innovation, all while keeping Ben & Jerry’s social mission front and center. He joins Roy to discuss his journey from tour guide to C-Suite, the many learnings he took from founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the profound effect of pursuing a triple bottom line, and much more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- David’s initial interest in the ice cream industry and how it evolved into his career (1:32)
- Working with Ben and Jerry in the early days (3:50)
- Leadership lessons learned through periods of massive growth and scaling (6:13)
- David’s strengths and keys to success as Ben & Jerry’s CMO (8:48)
- What surprised him the most when he transitioned from CMO to CEO (13:48)
- What it means to do “business as unusual” (15:29)
- The influence of Ben & Jerry’s blend of activism and commerce on his leadership (18:12)
- How David defines Ben & Jerry’s unique culture and how he helped sustain it through the years and through acquisition (20:26)
- Successful hiring throughout Ben & Jerry’s different phases (22:48)
- Qualities David sought in his top leadership team (27:40)
- What he believes is often overlooked when assessing prospective talent (28:47)
- David’s next chapter and what he’s most excited about in looking ahead (31:00)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.
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Jason Bronstad is the CEO of Malk Organics, a clean-label, plant-based milk and creamer brand. Jason began his career in the food and beverage industry at Sara Lee, serving across several managerial and directorial positions between 2004 and 2010. He then went on to become VP of Sales at Mike’s Hard Lemonade and then the President of Mighty Swell Cocktail Company before joining purpose-led start up, Malk Organics, in 2020. He joins Roy to discuss the ins and outs of shaping culture, values-driven hiring, evaluating talent, learning to keep things simple, and much more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Core beliefs and values that comprise Jason’s leadership playbook (3:55)
- Connection to mission (6:12)
- Hiring lessons learned during periods of brand growth and development (8:20)
- Key characteristics of high-performing leaders (11:40)
- Important traits Jason seeks in his direct reports (14:15)
- Evaluating cultural fit in prospective talent (15:50)
- The parts of Malk’s culture that make Jason most proud (18:08)
- Jason’s definition of success and how it’s evolved over the course of his career (20:22)
- His advice for the next generation of CPG leaders (21:10)
Christiana Smith Shi is a seasoned leader in global, multichannel retail, co-author of national, best-selling book Career Forward: Strategies From Women Who’ve Made It, founder and principal at Lovejoy Advisors, LLC., and an experienced corporate director on multiple Fortune 100 boards. Christiana made an early career pivot from finance to join McKinsey & Company, where she ultimately served as Senior Partner. After 25 years in management consulting, Christiana became the President of Direct-to-Consumer at Nike. In 2016, she retired from Nike and founded Lovejoy Advisors to help provide guidance around digital transformation for consumer and retail businesses. She joins Roy to share insights into navigating a rewarding career, talent lessons from McKinsey and Nike, and much more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- The timely issue that prompted her to write a book (3:58)
- Why Christiana puts career first, job second (9:18)
- How to take a strategic long view with your career (10:55)
- Advice for building “professional equity” (15:27)
- What it means to “think like an investor” when it comes to your career (16:58)
- Christiana’s core leadership philosophy (22:20)
- Her perspective on the value of leadership coaching (25:38)
- The role of feedback as a leader (26:47)
- Lessons learned about hiring and talent and the major differences between hiring at McKinsey and Nike (30:25)
- How Christiana worked to integrate her team into the culture of Nike (35:35)
- Identifying strengths and opportunities of a team (37:20)
- How to avoid what she calls "benevolent stagnation” (42:09)
- How Christiana has applied her career experience and strategies to her work on boards (45:19)
- Advice for landing board roles (46:45)
- The ultimate payoff of a rewarding career and what Christiana is thinking about for the future (55:05)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.
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Fabrizio Gamberini is a seasoned executive with nearly three decades of strategic leadership expertise and global brand management across a wide variety of business sectors. He currently serves as Vibram Corporation’s President and Global Chief Brand Officer. Prior to his time at Vibram, Fabrizio led large-scale marketing and retail management efforts for major brands like HP and Nike. He also led brand redevelopment, evolution, and acquisition for eyewear companies like Marcolin and Geox before landing at Vibram. Fabrizio joins Roy to discuss how his foundational leadership skills were honed at HP, the importance of getting out from behind the desk to engage the consumer, how truth and trust are key to effective teambuilding, and much more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Core leadership lessons learned in his early career (3:19)
- Key values and beliefs instilled during Fabrizio’s tenure at Nike (6:05)
- Navigating and leading through cycles of massive consumer change (10:07)
- The role that talent has played across his many executive positions (11:21)
- The efficacy of leadership coaching in developing teams (17:06)
- Attracting mission and purpose-aligned candidates (19:01)
- Hiring in large companies vs. smaller, scrappier organizations (22:47)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.
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Jennifer Ingraffea is a seasoned executive leader with over 25 years of experience in the retail, apparel, product merchandising, and management sectors. In July 2025, Jennifer became the CEO of Pendleton Woolen Mills; a family-owned business since its founding in the 1860s. Before joining Pendleton, she served as Chief Product & Merchandising Officer at The North Face, prior to which, she worked at Nike in a number of high-level executive leadership roles. Jennifer and Roy discuss her new role and dig into essential leadership skills like curiosity, stewardship, and much more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Core beliefs, values, and principles in Jenn’s leadership playbook (2:53)
- Leading through cycles of massive consumer and retail evolution (5:39)
- Identifying areas of a business that are in need of clarification and simplification (7:36)
- Aligning a team towards a long term vision (11:01)
- Lessons learned around hiring and team building at major brands (14:58)
- How Jenn developed her hiring process and philosophy (17:07)
- What a great leader looks like to Jenn (18:36)
- Valuable traits that Jenn identifies when hiring direct reports (22:58)
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Kiernan Laughlin is the General Manager and co-creator of Deep Indian Kitchen, a growing CPG brand whose mission is to bring a modern, high-quality Indian food experience to consumers worldwide. Kiernan previously held senior brand management roles at large CPG companies like Johnson & Johnson and Unilever, and he spent his early career in marketing, promotions, and partnership leadership at Gorton’s Seafood.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Core business and leadership lessons from Kiernan’s career in multi-stage CPG (1:26)
- Useful skills Kiernan picked up outside of work that have percolated into his leadership style (5:27)
- Going from a structured corporate environment to leading an emerging brand (8:01)
- The challenges and opportunities of building a team through rebranding (11:22)
- Elements that make a successful relationship between CEO and Founder (19:36)
- Keeping his team aligned and agile as the company evolves (21:48)
- Hiring for qualities that go beyond the resume (22:49)
- How Deep connects their mission to action through their foundation (27:08)
- Advice for the next generation of CPG leaders (30:13)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.
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Executive leader and board member Wilma Wallace joins Roy to discuss her experience recruiting and mentoring leadership teams at Gap and REI during her extensive career at both legacy brands. After spending over 20 years in senior roles at Gap, Wilma served as Chief Diversity and Social Impact Officer, as well as Chief Legal Officer at REI. In 2024, she retired to focus on impacting change, particularly from an equity, access, and justice perspective, on several boards. Her work centers social impact, environmental justice, and human rights in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Wilma and Roy discuss accounting for and addressing changing levels of trust across organizations, internal succession planning versus seeking external candidates, the link between alignment of purpose and successful performance in leadership teams, and much more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- How Wilma evaluates candidates’ leadership abilities (4:18)
- Creating an environment that fosters high potential future leaders (6:48)
- Recruiting external talent (8:26)
- Leadership assessment practices at Gap & REI (11:08)
- Ensuring that an organization’s culture stays dynamic and resilient (14:01)
- Leading and hiring through periods of growth and change (17:35)
- Ways in which leaders should be vetting culture and values before taking on new leadership roles (20:30)
- What gives Wilma hope about the next generation of leaders (23:00)
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Talent acquisition expert Heather Flynn joins Roy to discuss the ins and outs of successful recruitment strategy. Heather recently served as the SVP of Talent Acquisition for Aritzia, prior to which she led hiring efforts for other major brands like Nike and ASML. Roy and Heather dig into the essential role of talent strategy, the importance of strong employment branding and candidate engagement, the emerging application of AI in recruiting, and much more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- How holistic talent strategy informs a successful business strategy (5:52)
- Current trends, challenges, and opportunities facing top talent acquisition leaders (7:54)
- Key elements of a successful talent acquisition strategy (9:58)
- How Heather assesses an organization’s hiring bar (13:45)
- Ways that hiring leaders can step up their game (16:11)
- Heather’s approach to helping hiring teams make the best candidate decisions (17:45)
- What growing consumer brands look for in a leader and how it’s evolved recently (20:07)
- How she approached talent strategy at Aritzia (22:14)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.
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Coach, speaker, and author Patrick Galvin joins Roy to discuss the principles laid out in his recent book The Connector’s Way. Patrick’s work focuses on the essential role of personal connection and relationship building in our day to day life, our business practices, our sense of success, and more. As co-founder and partner of The Galvanizing Group and author of several books exploring the nuances of social connection and trust building, Patrick helps high-performing companies and individuals achieve greater levels of success in business by strengthening internal and external relationships. Patrick and Roy dig into the many ways to practice relationship building, the pitfalls of networking without connecting, why it pays to be “the keener,” and much more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- The important distinction between connecting and networking (5:02)
- Ways in which hybrid/remote work impact connection (7:11)
- Using Patrick’s methods to build trust, engagement, and performance (9:16)
- Embedding relationship building into company culture and leadership development practices (12:53)
- The intersection of connection and recruiting (18:52)
- Balancing work, life, and maintaining strong relationships (20:58)
- Metrics that leaders can use to track or improve their ability to foster connections (26:36)
- How Patrick sees technological advances impacting the formation and maintenance of relationships (29:59)
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Fred Miller and Judith Katz of The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group have spent the last few decades on the cutting edge of diversity and inclusion thought leadership and organizational development. For the last 50 years, KJCG has assisted organizations in creating inclusive, collaborative workplaces that leverage differences to achieve higher performance and engagement. Judith and Fred have co authored multiple books on diversity, inclusion, collaboration, trust, authenticity, and teamwork, and they join Roy to discuss their latest groundbreaking book, The Power of Agency: Cultivating Autonomy, Authority, and Leadership in Every Role.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- The next crucial step beyond inclusion and diversity (2:30)
- How agency impacts organizational efficiency and performance (4:24)
- The key difference between empowerment and agency (7:18)
- A leader’s role in an agency-forward organization (8:50)
- How to evaluate a leader for their capacity to promote agency (10:00)
- What this leadership shift means for organizations (11:10)
- How the COVID 19 pandemic influenced changes around agency (12:28)
- Six critical factors that foster a culture of agency (16:00)
- How to avoid a “runaway train” when implementing this strategy (18:36)
- The first steps leaders can take toward unleashing agency (20:42)
- How to evaluate the level of agency in an organization (22:45)
- Common barriers in unleashing agency (23:30)
- The important distinction between being kind and being nice (24:55)
- How AI and other technologies might affect agency in the workplace (27:06)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode, and check out Roy’s past conversation with Fred and Judith on recruiting, supporting, and retaining a diverse workforce.
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Career coach and HR consultant Kate Sargent returns for the third installment of our series exploring tips, insights, and advice for job seekers. Kate is the founder of KJS Consulting, where she helps candidates prepare and polish all aspects of their job search strategy. Prior to starting her coaching business, she recruited for brands like The North Face, Allbirds, Method, and The Citizenry. In Part 3 of their deep dive, Kate and Roy discuss the art – and science – of negotiation. Together, they dig into the complexities of reaching agreeable compensation for a new role, the pros and cons of equity, how to leave a job graciously, and the importance of maintaining positivity through employment changes.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Negotiating compensation when fielding a job offer (1:43)
- Skillfully navigating and understanding equity, bonuses, and benefits (5:03)
- Other important variables to be aware of while negotiating a new role (7:16)
- How to quit and gracefully negotiate your exit (12:33)
- When, why, and where to get HR involved (14:27)
- The nuances of separation agreements (16:36)
- Contracting after leaving your role versus making a clean break (21:48)
- Dos and don’ts of posting on social media after leaving your job (23:02)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode, and check out Part 1 and Part 2 of Roy and Kate’s job search series, as well as our in-depth conversations about networking and interviewing.
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Career coach and HR consultant Kate Sargent is back for Part 2 of our three-part discussion series around strategies, guidance, and best practices for job seekers. Kate is the founder of KJS Consulting and has led extensive recruiting efforts for brands like The Citizenry, Method, The North Face, and Allbirds. In Part 2, Kate and Roy explore the ins and outs of interviewing. Together, they dig into important topics like recommendations for feeling and appearing prepared, ways to successfully frame competencies and experience, how to best approach challenging interview questions, and much more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Important things to research about a company before your interview (1:44)
- Preparing for difficult interview questions (3:47)
- How to clearly and accurately convey leadership experience (7:14)
- Going high level in answering interview questions vs. getting into the details (9:39)
- Cues to be aware of (11:24)
- How to communicate weaknesses or limited experience (17:24)
- The value of having good questions prepared as an interviewee (20:54)
- How to follow up after an interview (24:30)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.
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Career coach and HR consultant Kate Sargent returns to the podcast for a special, three-part deep-dive into advice, insights, and recommendations for job seekers. Kate is the founder of KJS Consulting and has an impressive track record in recruiting for major brands like The North Face, Allbirds, Method, and The Citizenry. At KJS Consulting, Kate helps job seekers contextualize, articulate, and organize their stories in order to land ideal opportunities. In Part 1 of this conversation series, Roy and Kate dig into the functions of different kinds of recruiters, best practices for candidates in cultivating relationships with search firms and consultants, major do’s and don’ts during the hiring process, and the long range perspective necessary to building a comprehensive job search strategy.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Ways in which Kate supports and coaches job seekers (3:12)
- Understanding the role of different recruiters and how they work (4:30)
- Why communication from recruiters might feel inconsistent or challenging at times (5:58)
- How candidates can evaluate whether or not a search firm is a good fit (10:18)
- What candidates should expect when reaching out to a recruiter (12:29)
- Effective ways for candidates to build relationships with search consultants (15:00)
- Respecting the recruiter during the hiring process (16:08)
- The importance of candidate honesty and accuracy in targeting opportunities (21:51)
- Leveraging your relationships for a long game strategy (23:43)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.
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Board recruiting advisor Kris Stred breaks down the role and impact of an effective board and how to find experienced directors. Kris has over 15 years of board search experience and is the founder of Stred Executive Search LLC. Before starting her own firm, Kris was a lawyer for publicly-traded and privately-held companies. Her first-hand involvement with the board’s fiduciary duties in high-stakes situations and the important dynamics of teams of business leaders propelled her to become a recruiter. She gained a deep understanding of what it takes to form a balanced and functional board of directors.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- The role and common structure of a board (3:19)
- How boards are evolving (5:59)
- When companies should develop a board (7:20)
- Why companies might look for professional support when recruiting a board (9:28)
- Pitfalls of the traditional board recruiting process and how to avoid them (11:56)
- The biggest difference between board and executive recruiting (15:27)
- What to look for in a board candidate (17:42)
- Screening for mission and values (21:14)
- One vital lesson from successes and failures (22:40)
- Mitigating risk factors (24:00)
- Key advice for incoming directors (25:27)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.
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Noto Group’s team of principal search consultants break down key workforce and leadership trends they’re seeing for 2025 and beyond. Sara Spirko, Lena Knofler, and Tami Bumiller discuss predictions and actionable advice for those seeking top talent in the year ahead.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Challenges, opportunities, and reflections on 2024 (2:27)
- How client and candidate priorities are shifting (5:01)
- 3 essential competencies for modern leaders (10:00)
- How boards and CEOs can leverage search firms for success in 2025 (13:00)
- What’s making employers competitive in the talent market today (17:46)
- Creative compensation packages (20:11)
- Smart solutions to persistent hybrid/remote/on-site challenges (22:35)
- Attracting top talent to outlying locations (22:58)
- Current factors to consider when asking candidates to relocate (25:12)
- Guidance for executives seeking new roles this year (26:29)
- Reasons to be optimistic in 2025 and beyond (29:29)
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When the stakes are high, hiring the right leader can make or break your business. How I Hire dives into bold hiring strategies, historic market shifts, and heroic leadership stories from the best executives in the game.
Organizational psychologists Dr. Ted Freeman and Dr. Stacey Philpot return to the podcast with a deep dive into their approach to working with teams.
Ted is the founder of Ted Freeman Advisory, where he applies his decades of experience in organizational knowledge and strategy to help companies function more smoothly. His clients include major brands like Arcteryx, Eileen Fisher, Bristol Myers Squibb, Wüsthof.
Stacey is a managing partner at Executive Development Consulting, where she utilizes over two decades of leadership development, executive coaching, and high-performance succession planning. Stacey’s clients include Apple, General Mills, Harley Davidson, Johnson & Johnson, and Nike.
Ted and Stacey often collaborate on their advisory work, leveraging their combined experience in organizational effectiveness and culture and brand development to help increase the competitive edge of some of the world’s largest companies. Both are longtime friends and colleagues of Noto Group and How I Hire.
In this episode, Ted, Stacey, and Roy delve into the complex dynamics inherent to working with teams. They discuss challenges they consistently hear from leaders, how to enhance a sense of inter-team competency, the necessity of translating and communicating context between leaders and teams, as well as commonly accepted myths about what constitutes a high-performing team.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- How leaders and team members struggle with team dynamics in different ways (5:35)
- Common concerns expressed by leaders about teams (9:21)
- How to diffuse and rectify a lack of trust between leaders and teams (11:29)
- Important guidelines for Ted & Stacey’s approach (14:17)
- What high-performing teams really look like (18:33)
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Jackson Jeyanayagam is an accomplished executive leader whose work has spanned across many industry sectors and a wide range of organizations. He began his career on the agency side, where he worked for 15 years before pivoting into digital marketing, P&L management, and DTC growth for top brands like Chipotle, Clorox, and AB InBev. Jackson also has experience on the startup side, having served as CMO for Boxed, a DTC startup. Most recently, Jackson was responsible for founding and scaling RTD brand Hey, Hei for AB InBev, helping to incubate the brand and develop a startup mentality under AB InBev’s larger corporate umbrella.
Jackson and Roy discuss the parallels between agency work and developing a startup, the necessity for widening the hiring funnel to better include outside strategies and perspectives, and the ways in which conventional interviewing methods are keeping brands from attracting and securing top tier talent.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Jackson’s experiences at startups vs. more established brands (2:07)
- How he builds teams when coming into new organizations (5:11)
- Jackson’s process for determining opportunities for change (and what not to mess with when starting a new role) (8:19)
- Gauging intentional and unintentional toxicity within one’s team (13:21)
- The intersection between curiosity, vulnerability, learning, and hiring (16:07)
- How Jackson is intentional about influencing and shaping culture (21:58)
- His process for making executive-level hiring decisions and who’s involved (23:18)
- Ensuring the hiring process is equitable and attractive to a diverse range of talent (24:06)
- Talent market trends Jackson’s noticed from both the candidate and hiring sides (25:26)
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Ben Steele is a seasoned marketing and brand development leader, having most recently served as REI’s inaugural chief customer officer. Prior to carving out this new role at the Co-op, Ben began at REI in 2014 as chief creative officer. Over more than ten years at one of the country’s largest and most preeminent outdoor retailers, Ben has led brand stewardship and strategy, shepherded large-scale marketing initiatives, engaged and grown REI’s 24.5 million-strong worldwide membership, and connected essential merchandising, digital, and physical assets – amongst many other functions at the Co-op – all with the goal of sharing and facilitating a deep passion for the outdoors.
Ben and Roy discuss the inspiration for creating the chief customer officer role (as well as the challenges of being the first to occupy the position), navigating the ever-changing context of customer experience, and vital competencies he’s learned to nurture and develop within his teams.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- His initial action items upon joining REI (3:57)
- How Ben translated REI’s brand and culture through its employee base (6:07)
- The functions reporting into the chief customer officer role and the structure of Ben’s former team (9:55)
- Opportunities he’s had to bring the REI brand life for customers and members (12:35)
- Necessary adaptations and evolutions at REI in the past five years (17:42)
- The ways in which being a part of a co-op influenced Ben’s approach to leadership and collaboration (20:40)
- How to determine whether or not a company is serving their customers well (26:58)
- Ben’s predictions for the future of retail (32:03)
- Recommended resources for professional development, news, and networking (35:48)
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To kick off a new series of special episodes here at How I Hire, we’re taking a close look at the chief digital officer role. Throughout this series, we’ll hear from different C-level executives about their unique functions, responsibilities, and skill sets in order to learn just what it takes to successfully hire – or be hired as – top tier talent.
Jamaliya Cobine is an accomplished chief digital officer and digital marketing expert, having spent the past decade plus helping businesses develop their user experience, e-commerce platforms, and strategic digital initiatives. Jamaliya has an impressive track record, working for major brands like Urban Outfitters, Burton Snowboards, Wüsthof, and Topshop. She is currently the CDO of Omorovicza Cosmetics, where she continues her legacy of implementing consumer-centric business strategy, omni-channel technology, and transformative approaches to digital marketing. With in-depth experience across the apparel, outdoor, beauty, home goods, and fashion industries, Jamaliya is the perfect leader to help us learn everything there is to know about the chief digital officer role.
Jamaliya and Roy discuss the key functions of a CDO (and how they vary, depending on business structure), how competitive the market is for hiring CDOs, important trends affecting CDOs’ work, and much more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- The scope and primary accountabilities of the CDO role (2:13)
- Strategy and goal-setting when starting at a new company (4:44)
- Challenges and opportunities facing CDOs today (6:30)
- How company structure affects a CDO’s functions and responsibilities (12:03)
- The structure of Jamaliya’s team (13:08)
- Competencies and capabilities necessary to be a successful CDO (17:15)
- What boards, investors, or CEOs should be aware of when initiating a CDO search (20:00)
- Common hurdles or barriers to success faced by incoming CDOs (21:28)
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Nadine Hall is a cross-functional business leader, having spent decades innovating in apparel and consumer products at companies like HanesBrands and Sara Lee. At both the president and SVP levels, Nadine oversaw billions of dollars of retail value, built and developed successful teams, and established high-growth business models across a variety of product lines and business units. Nadine’s leadership style includes a collaborative approach to innovative business strategy, data-driven analytics, and breakthrough models for brand growth and development. She’s also a board member, consultant, and advisor for companies in and outside the apparel industry.
Nadine and Roy discuss how she developed her approach to leadership, what she looks for when interviewing potential candidates, the importance of a forward-thinking hiring strategy, and much more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Experiences that shaped Nadine’s approach to leadership and hiring (3:20)
- Development internal teams vs. recruiting external candidates (10:34)
- What Nadine looked for when hiring for her leadership team (12:28)
- Evaluating a candidate’s ability to navigate a large corporate matrix (19:14)
- Supporting her team when they were making high stakes hires (25:37)
- Lessons learned from hiring successes and failures (27:43)
- What Nadine wishes she knew earlier in her career (31:16)
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International business leader Hans Melotte has over 30 years of experience that combines global P&L accountability with functional leadership expertise across supply chain, procurement, technology, and sustainability. Hans is originally from Belgium, where he began his career in CPG at Procter & Gamble. Hans then spent over 20 years at Johnson & Johnson in the United States where he ultimately served as the Chief Procurement Officer before moving into food and beverage retail at Starbucks. Hans retired from his role as President of Global Channel Development at Starbucks in 2022 and is now focused on giving back as an adviser and mentor.
Hans and Roy discuss what it takes to be a modern supply chain leader, the lessons Hans learned working with some of the largest brands in the world, the differences between North American and European business cultures, and much more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Factors that influenced Hans’s approach to leadership (5:07)
- CPG experience at P&G and J&J versus retail experience at Starbucks (6:48)
- Differences between American and European business cultures (11:38)
- His motivation to change industries and roles (15:09)
- Assessing and developing the capabilities of teams (18:06)
- The value of authentic leadership (21:06)
- Hans’s hiring strategy (22:40)
- Qualities that Hans looks for in fellow leaders and teammates (24:51)
- Incorporating stakeholders/partner perspectives into the recruitment process (27:42)
- Authentic interviewing and talent evaluation (29:02)
- Essential qualities of a successful supply chain leader (32:26)
- The importance of being in the moment (38:15)
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Kate Sargent is a talent acquisition expert and job search strategy coach, assisting both companies and candidates alike in matching top talent with career defining roles. In Part 2 of their deep dive conversation, Kate and Roy dig into best practices for interview preparation, how to effectively assess whether a job opportunity is a good fit, the most common mistakes job seekers make when interviewing, and what interviewers are listening for in the process.
Kate lends a unique perspective to the conversation – she’s served as Head of Global Talent Acquisition for iconic brands like Allbirds and Method, and has most recently served as the VP of People Operations at The Citizenry. Simultaneously, Kate’s built a successful career coaching business, helping candidates refine their search strategy, hone their job seeking assets, and distill their experience into highly relevant and engaging interviews. Her expansive knowledge of the talent pipeline and acquisition process make this discussion essential listening for both candidates and recruiters.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Common interviewing mistakes (1:19)
- Tips and tricks for getting back on track during an interview (5:21)
- How interviewees can gather information about a potential opportunity during the interview process (10:00)
- What you should know about a company before interviewing (11:28)
- One important skill to demonstrate interviews (13:44)
- How to expertly answer the notorious “weaknesses” question (16:10)
- What interviewers are listening for in a job seeker’s responses (20:56)
- Assessing whether a role is right for you as a job seeker (23:06)
- Kate’s advice on staying resilient during the job search process (25:01)
- The importance of being a good steward for others (26:56)
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Kate Sargent is a talent acquisition expert and job search strategy coach, assisting both companies and candidates alike in matching top talent with career defining roles. In Part 1 of their deep dive conversation, Kate and Roy discuss how candidates can successfully approach and prepare for a job search, and how fostering authentic relationships in the networking process can make or break a job search.
Kate lends a unique perspective to the conversation – she’s served as Head of Global Talent Acquisition for iconic brands like Allbirds and Method, and has most recently served as the VP of People Operations at The Citizenry. Simultaneously, Kate’s built a successful career coaching business, helping candidates refine their search strategy, hone their job seeking assets, and distill their experience into highly relevant and engaging interviews. Her expansive knowledge of the talent pipeline and acquisition process make this discussion essential listening for both candidates and recruiters.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- How Kate coaches and supports job seekers (3:59)
- How to prepare for a job search (5:47)
- The importance of distilling and communicating personal narratives (11:29)
- Ways in which Kate helps job candidates develop a focused job search (17:02)
- How to track progress during the job search (22:23)
- Using resources like Linkedin to research roles, network, and maintain relationships (25:36)
- Ways to foster authentic and reciprocal relationships (27:29)
- Tips to help job seekers network more successfully (30:26)
- Building and maintaining relationships with recruiters (34:18)
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Bryan Adams is the founder and CEO of Ph.Creative, an employer branding agency helping companies attract top talent. Ph.Creative works with brands to distill and express clear, authentic employee value propositions in order to enhance the applicant experience and retain candidates. Their clients include LinkedIn, Apple, Nike, and many more.
Bryan is also the best-selling author of Give and Get Employer Branding: Repel the Many and Compel the Few with Impact, Purpose, and Belonging, in which he discusses the ins and outs of employer branding, as well as the philosophy and methodology behind his work. Bryan and Roy discuss the integral role of brand reputation in talent attraction, the importance of culture and citizenship within a company, recent recruitment trends, and much more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- The concept of repelling and compelling the right talent (3:22)
- How Bryan and his team at Ph.Creative help client companies (4:45)
- The process of distilling and refining an organization’s EVP (6:01)
- Finding the balance between an organization’s reality of today and their aspirations for tomorrow (7:36)
- The business case for employer branding strategy (9:19)
- When differently sized brands should start developing/implementing their employer strategy and who typically initiates the process (10:55)
- Aligning business strategy with employer brand strategy (14:30)
- How to measure ROI on employer branding and talent attraction efforts (17:36)
- Maintaining an employer brand (19:52)
- Recent talent acquisition trends, challenges, and opportunities (21:51)
- Where companies typically fall short in employer branding and talent attraction (27:23)
- How Ph.Creative helps companies avoid false negatives and hiring mistakes (29:16)
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As we look ahead to 2024, we’re reflecting on some of our favorite moments shared on the podcast over the past year. Our guests brought an incredible mix of hiring insights and experience to the show. Highlights from this episode include:
- Noto Group’s team of executive recruiters:
- Why openness is necessary in finding the right candidate (1:13)
- Why it’s important to attract talent with different perspectives or lived experiences (1:55)
- What candidates are looking for in a potential leader or company (2:42)
- The necessity of having a strong talent strategy (3:56)
- John Vlastelica, Founder and CEO of Recruiting Toolbox:
- How to avoid costly hiring mistakes (4:39)
- Katherine Melchior Ray, Global CMO
- The importance of adaptability in prospective talent (7:02)
- Jean Batthany, CCO
- Why passion is essential to both sides of the hiring process (8:05)
- Andy Ruben, Founder of Trove
- The essential role of clarity in interviewing (9:23)
- Darcy Winslow, Co-Founder of the Academy for Systems Change (fmr. Nike)
- The value of curiosity and learning in recruitment and hiring (10:34)
- Seth Ellison (fmr. Nike, Quiksilver, Levi Strauss & Co.)
- How candidates’ experiences in previous roles can provide major insights into the value they might bring to a new position (11:24)
- Amani Duncan, Music and Entertainment Executive
- The importance of looking beyond “perfect” to add to your team (12:40)
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John Vlastelica is the founder and CEO of Recruiting Toolbox, a consulting and training firm helping companies recruit and hire better; with more speed, efficacy, and diversity. John and Roy dig into current and future trends in recruiting, common mistakes that companies make in the hiring process, and how clarity and alignment can make all the difference in attracting and retaining top talent.
John brings an incredible wealth of recruiting experience and perspective to the conversation. He has spent the last two decades refining effective hiring tools and processes, developing employment sourcing and interviewing strategies for a wide range of legendary brands like Google, Amazon, LinkedIn, Pepsi, Nike, and many more. John and his team at Recruiting Toolbox develop customized training for corporate recruiters and hiring managers to help them improve who and how they hire.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- How John and his team help client companies (2:46)
- The components and importance of a holistic talent strategy (3:45)
- When companies need to start thinking about talent strategy (6:20)
- Trends, challenges, and opportunities facing talent acquisition leaders (11:56)
- Where companies are falling short in talent acquisition (13:41)
- How John and his team help companies determine what good looks like in hiring (15:54)
- Ways in which companies can inventory their processes and personnel to enhance the recruitment process (19:25)
- Helping companies avoid false negatives and improve their hiring decision quality (22:41)
- John’s predictions for the future of recruiting (25:33)
- Hiring advice for smaller companies without talent acquisition leadership (30:42)
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Organizational coach Greer Van Dyck joins Roy to explore how organizations can better support, motivate, and retain people throughout their parenthood journey.
Maintaining a full time job and starting a family presents unique challenges – along with an opportunity for organizations to more effectively support their employees in the process. Through her coaching business, Windrose, Greer works with management and leadership teams to foster psychological safety, transparency, and support for employees in all stages of parenthood. In her own words, Greer is “helping change the way organizations lead.”
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Greer’s approach to supporting clients (2:36)
- Challenges, failure points, and risks organizations run into around parenthood (4:38)
- When leaders should look for outside support (7:29)
- How to address troubling workplace statistics related to parents and parental benefits (9:51)
- The importance of communicating needs in order to affect organizational change (13:19)
- How somebody might initiate a dialogue with their company around parental support (15:36)
- How candidates can evaluate parental support within an organization (16:45)
- Incorporating and communicating parental support within the recruitment process (18:52)
- Initial steps to make your company more parent friendly (19:57)
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Seth Ellison has led teams at iconic brands like Nike, Levi Strauss & Co., and Quiksilver. Today, he joins Roy to discuss how these roles have shaped his hiring philosophy and what we can learn from the talent strategy of top apparel companies.
Seth has decades of experience in brand building and merchandising, having led and built global teams for legendary brands. Seth’s extensive resume includes the growth of large-scale DTC and wholesale businesses across international markets, industry leading corporate strategy, widely successful C-Suite leadership, extensive team building and brand development, and high level execution across diverse consumer segments.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Lifelong lessons from Seth’s early days in the surf apparel business (4:15)
- How his time at Nike shaped his hiring philosophy (9:05)
- Developing internal talent vs. seeking external talent (11:55)
- Opportunities and challenges he experienced during Nike’s acquisition of Hurley (15:26)
- Seth’s process for making decisions on important hires (18:13)
- Seth’s interview strategy and criteria (22:35)
- The elements of successful hires vs. hiring mistakes (25:22)
- Advice for young and emerging leaders (27:31)
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International marketing specialist Katherine Melchior Ray joins Roy to discuss her impressive career and the wisdom that she’s gained as a global business leader. They dig into what makes an outstanding, modern CMO, the benefits and challenges of pursuing a global career, and how to connect across cultures as an expat leader.
Katherine’s professional journey spans nearly three decades and includes mobilizing growth in a variety of businesses across five different industries and three continents. Her wealth of experience extends across a wide spectrum of business sectors, including beauty, hospitality, and fashion. She’s worked with legendary brands like Gucci, Shiseido, Nike, Louis Vuitton, and Hyatt, and currently teaches International Marketing at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Factors and experiences that shaped Katherine’s leadership and hiring philosophy (6:48)
- Navigating language barriers and developing cultural competency (8:27)
- Lessons learned from hiring and leading global teams (10:10)
- How to develop and manage the capabilities of new teams (11:22)
- How she makes decisions around important hires (14:09)
- Insights gained from hiring successes and failures (14:54)
- What makes a great CMO (15:58)
- How Katherine applies her knowledge of history to marketing strategies (17:19)
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Trove Founder and Executive Chairman Andy Ruben joins Roy to discuss his journey to entrepreneurship, how his business’s needs and culture have evolved over the years, and why he values thoughtful talent strategy.
Andy has spent the better part of the past three decades working in brand strategy, retail, consumer products, and sustainability. In 2004, he became Walmart's inaugural Chief Sustainability Officer, where he led change across the business and its suppliers before serving as a VP with the retailer. While Andy hadn’t always planned to pursue sustainability, he discovered a passion for the work and went on to found Trove, one of the most innovative companies in the space.
Over the years, Andy and his team have helped drive the growing re-commerce market. Through their trade-in and branded resale services, Trove has teamed up with world-class brands like Lululemon, Patagonia, Levi’s, REI and others to keep their products in circulation and reduce waste.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Andy’s unexpected path to sustainability work (3:24)
- How he brought sustainability into Walmart’s boardroom (6:09)
- Taking the leap from Walmart to Trove (9:44)
- How Trove’s hiring needs changed as the brand scaled (15:13)
- The role vision and mission plays in recruiting prospective talent (17:43)
- Andy’s approach to building success profiles (20:23)
- Lessons learned from past hiring mistakes (26:16)
- Understanding cultural elements that attract or repel talent (30:25)
- How Trove is navigating in-office, remote, hybrid, and flexible arrangements (39:02)
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Darcy Winslow is an inspiring leader whose decades of experience at Nike and sustainability-focused nonprofits have cemented her legacy as a forward-thinking, values-driven executive. In her time at Nike, Darcy focused on how the company could employ sustainable practices in footwear and apparel manufacturing. As a part of this process, she created Nike’s groundbreaking Sustainable Business Strategies Division and set her sights on sweeping systems transformation within the company. Darcy was able to marry Nike’s distinct approach to design and creation with the innovative spirit inherent to sustainability work. Darcy left the company in 2008 to further pursue these goals, founding the Academy for Systems Change and the Magnolia Moonshot 2030 project. She and her collaborators empower current and emerging leaders with the skills, networks, and values needed to tackle the climate crisis via global systems change.
Darcy joins Roy to discuss her foundational experiences at Nike, the necessity for authenticity in effective leadership, her vision for building networks of future leaders and system thinkers, her unique perspective on assembling teams that can collectively work towards widespread, positive change, and much more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Darcy’s career journey and sustainability achievements (1:50)
- Experiences that influenced her leadership approach (7:25)
- How Darcy was able to put sustainability on the radar at Nike (9:30)
- Contemplating and incorporating values as part of her leadership (12:46)
- The inner and outer journey of a leader (14:06)
- How Darcy’s experience influenced her approach to hiring (15:02)
- Examples of hiring successes and challenges (16:46)
- How she inspired leaders to integrate and scale sustainability (18:37)
- Her connection and work with MIT’s Peter Senge (21:04)
- The vision and accomplishments of the ASC (22:36)
- How leaders and businesses can affect positive change in the climate crisis (23:47)
- The Magnolia Moonshot 2030 Project (26:23)
- The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
- Advice for current and emerging leaders (28:22)
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Award-winning global creative executive Jean Batthany sits down with Roy to dig into the nuances of creative leadership, when organizations should hire a creative leader, and how to assess the skills and competencies that make them successful.
Jean brings a wealth of experience and insight to the podcast; she has spent over thirty years leading brand-side and agency creative teams. Jean began her career at top advertising agencies like BBDO, M&C Saatchi, Merkley+Partners, and Saatchi & Saatchi before transitioning to leading in-house creative strategy for Disney Parks and Resorts, where she served as VP, Global Creative. Most recently, she led a team of over 300 creatives at Walmart as Chief Creative Officer.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- The key elements of a successful brand strategy (4:44)
- Balancing creativity and leadership skills in teams (5:33)
- When and why brands should hire a Chief Creative Officer (7:14)
- How to measure the success of a brand creative leader (7:50)
- The role CCOs play in driving great creative (9:59)
- The best advice Jean received as a young creative (12:28)
- What she looks for in creative leaders (13:40)
- The difference between a brand creative leader and a CMO -- and how they work together (14:29)
- Jean’s advice to early-career creatives (15:51)
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Music and entertainment marketing executive Amani Duncan joins Roy for a conversation about empathetic leadership, why she chooses to be a mentor-manager, how the justice, equity, diversity and inclusion movement impacts the kind and quality of the work you’re doing, and much more.
Amani has more than 20 years of experience spanning a variety of industries. She began her career at Def Jam Recordings. She navigated a time of sweeping change in the music industry as she worked with iconic companies like Bad Boy Entertainment, C.F. Martin & Co, Virgin Records, Capital Music, and MTV/ViacomCBS. Most recently, she served as the CEO of creative agency BBH USA, where she and her team delivered data-driven, full stack marketing and strategic partnership support to leading consumer brands. Today, she serves on the board of Fender Music Instruments and FYLi.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- How hiring happens in the music industry (5:55)
- What leaders can learn from the ever-evolving music industry (8:32)
- How being a mentor-manager influences her hiring approach (10:09)
- Balancing gut with calculated risk when hiring (13:20)
- Red (and green) flags when assessing a candidate (15:12, 27:29)
- How Amani and her team set a vision to diversify BBH... (17:16)
- ...And how their success transformed the business (20:41)
- The “spark” she looks for in candidates (24:27)
- How Covid impacted hiring...
- And how she handled mis-hires (29:04)
- The benefits and pitfalls of references (30:31)
- What teams need from leaders in this moment (33:33)
- Amani’s advice for candidates (38:08)
Get your tickets for MO Summit 2023: April 24th-26th in Austin, Texas!
Tickets are available at mo-summit.com - use code NOTO for a discount.
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In this special episode of How I Hire, Roy is sitting down with Noto Group’s team of executive search consultants. He’s joined by Sara Spirko, Bridget Hope, Tami Bumiller, and Lena Knofler to dig into essential leadership, workforce, and hiring trends that they’re seeing for 2023 and beyond, along with the best ways to navigate them successfully for candidates and companies alike.
Managing Director Sara Spirko began her career in recruiting with large consumer products companies. She then transitioned into marketing and brand activities before moving into project management for supply chain and global HR functions. She worked with companies like Gibson Guitar Corporation, Mars Incorporated, CSL Behring, and Godiva Chocolatier before moving back to Portland, joining Noto Group in 2019, and reentering the world of talent recruitment.
Executive Recruiter Bridget Hope has over 20 years of experience in leadership, merchandising, and category management in the outdoor sporting goods, athletic fitness, and lifestyle industries. She got her start at Banana Republic as a project manager before relocating to Nike to work in category management. She went on to work in merchandising, licensing, and consulting for brands like Eagle Creek, Puma, and Skull Candy before reconnecting with Roy and joining Noto Group in 2022.
Principal Search Consultant Tami Bumiller has 20 years of experience in hospitality operations, retail human resources, and agency recruiting. The first 10 years of her career were spent in restaurant operations for a variety of independent brands across the country, after which she transitioned into retail, working at Eddie Bauer and eventually serving as their Senior VP of HR. After working with Roy to build out Eddie Bauer’s leadership, Tami joined the team at Noto Group in 2019.
Principal Search Consultant Lena Knofler started her career doing accounting and tax work at a family-owned aviation engineering investment company. After coaching sports teams in the area, she was inspired to shift gears towards talent development for a small local agency in Portland, in addition to doing in-house recruitment work for Providence Healthcare. Her career journey led her to Noto Group, where she has been a Search Consultant since 2019.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- What it’s like to be an executive recruiter (5:54)
- What today’s candidates want and need (9:06)
- Key talent strategy trends for 2023 (13:38)
- Leadership qualities executives should have in order to stand out (19:30)
- Factors that will make the difference between success and failure in hiring this year (24:59)
- Developments in executive compensation (29:22)
- What the team is excited about moving forward (31:07)
Get your tickets for MO Summit 2023: April 24th-26th in Austin, Texas!
Tickets are available at mo-summit.com - use code NOTO for a discount.
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Roy sits down with Seungah Jeong, President and CEO of MPOWERD, a Certified B Corporation specializing in sustainable, affordable, and thoughtfully designed renewable energy products. Not only does MPOWERD offer a host of highly functional, energy efficient tools for lighting, charging, utility, recreation, and power storage, they are also dedicated to distributing clean energy to people worldwide via their partnerships with hundreds of NGOs and non-profit organizations. Prior to her tenure at MPOWERD, Seungah built her experience in CPG at companies like Procter & Gamble and Nest Fragrances. She came to MPOWERD in 2016 to help develop the brand, expand their range of products, and amplify the company’s social and environmental impacts in the process. Seungah and Roy discuss her team building experience at Nest, how MPOWERD’s mission and values influence their recruitment practices, as well as the key characteristics she looks for in bringing talent along on a purpose-driven brand journey.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Building a successful team from the ground up at Nest (4:36)
- One crucial trait she looks for in potential candidates (7:56)
- Similarities between the outdoor and beauty industries (12:19)
- Why an innovation mindset is essential in business (15:10)
- How MPOWERD’s values factor into their recruitment process (17:53)
- How she assesses a candidate’s connection to mission and purpose (20:38)
- When to hire internally vs. externally (26:20)
- Developing an effective hiring strategy and roadmap (28:40)
- How to maximize a team’s potential during periods of growth (29:38)
- Key qualities Seungah looks for in evaluating leaders (32:23)
- Factors that have contributed to hiring mistakes (36:27)
- Seungah’s perspective on in-office vs. remote vs. hybrid work (40:22)
- Her advice to entrepreneurs just starting out in their career (44:24)
Use code HOWIHIRE at MPOWERD.com to receive 20% off your order.
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Roy is joined by Jan-Patrick Schmitz, CEO of the Wüsthof Group. Wüsthof is a family-run business that has been manufacturing quality cutlery for over 200 years. Prior to Wüsthof, Jan-Patrick served as a key member of the leadership team at Montblanc. He’s spent over 20 years working in brand management, establishing himself as a seasoned thought leader in the consumer space. His extensive experience ranges from the development of luxury brands as the Founder and CEO of Muirbury & Co, to serving on the board of directors of Thornwillow Press and the German American Chamber. Roy and Jan-Patrick discuss key factors to consider when hiring and leading teams across borders and cultural contexts.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Lessons from Jan-Patrick’s early career move from Germany to Japan (3:47)
- How leaders can cultivate trust and credibility with global teams (7:09)
- Advice for navigating culturally complex business dynamics (8:28)
- How Jan-Patrick builds cohesion in remote and global teams (12:08)
- Methods for assessing the performance of international teams (21:07)
- What Jan-Patrick looks for in a leader (24:45)
- His experience building a DTC business at an established company (26:12)
- How Jan-Patrick’s vision informs competencies and roles (28:28)
- His “unorthodox” interview style (30:47)
- How he engages stakeholders in global hiring processes (32:56)
- The three most essential skills effective global leaders must have (34:33)
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Starting your own business can present a wide variety of challenges, especially when it comes to building out strong, competent teams that can scale with the organization. Thousand is an urban cycling helmet and accessory brand based in Los Angeles. Founder and CEO Gloria Hwang joins Roy to share the wisdom she’s gained in her entrepreneurial journey from Thousand’s startup days in her garage to its success as an innovative outdoor brand. Gloria takes Roy through the obstacles she faced when Thousand was a fledgling company, and the pair discuss the skills, recruitment acumen, and flexibility it takes to grow a purpose-driven, values-based company.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Early career lessons at TOMS (4:10)
- The beginnings of Thousand (5:16)
- The challenges faced by new entrepreneurs when trying to hire (7:02)
- How to develop the skills needed for effective talent recruitment as an entrepreneur (9:30)
- The less tangible qualities she looks for in a prospective hire (13:41)
- Thousand’s core values and how they influence recruitment (14:26)
- Cultivating a diverse and equitable candidate pipeline (15:06)
- Developing a hiring roadmap for Thousand in the midst of growth (18:18)
- How the hiring process has changed at Thousand as they’ve become more established (24:10)
- Lessons learned from hiring successes and failures (26:02)
- What makes an authentic and capable leader (29:02)
- The pros and cons of remote/hybrid/flexible work environments (32:03)
Mentioned in this episode:
- The Performance Pipeline: Getting the Right Performance At Every Level of Leadership by Stephen Drotter
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Starting your own business can present a wide variety of challenges, especially when it comes to building out strong, competent teams that can scale with the organization. Thousand is an urban cycling helmet and accessory brand based in Los Angeles. Founder and CEO Gloria Hwang joins Roy to share the wisdom she’s gained in her entrepreneurial journey from Thousand’s startup days in her garage to its success as an innovative outdoor brand. Gloria takes Roy through the obstacles she faced when Thousand was a fledgling company, and the pair discuss the skills, recruitment acumen, and flexibility it takes to grow a purpose-driven, values-based company.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Early career lessons at TOMS (4:10)
- The beginnings of Thousand (5:16)
- The challenges faced by new entrepreneurs when trying to hire (7:02)
- How to develop the skills needed for effective talent recruitment as an entrepreneur (9:30)
- The less tangible qualities she looks for in a prospective hire (13:41)
- Thousand’s core values and how they influence recruitment (14:26)
- Cultivating a diverse and equitable candidate pipeline (15:06)
- Developing a hiring roadmap for Thousand in the midst of growth (18:18)
- How the hiring process has changed at Thousand as they’ve become more established (24:10)
- Lessons learned from hiring successes and failures (26:02)
- What makes an authentic and capable leader (29:02)
- The pros and cons of remote/hybrid/flexible work environments (32:03)
Mentioned in this episode:
- The Performance Pipeline: Getting the Right Performance At Every Level of Leadership by Stephen Drotter
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Your organization just made an important executive hire – now what? Organizational Psychologists Dr. Stacey Philpot and Dr. Ted Freeman are here to answer this question and more. The two join Roy to continue their conversation around leadership transitions, discussing the ins and outs of leadership integration and acceleration. Drawing on their wealth of experience, Ted and Stacey outline the essential steps in implementing executive talent and speeding up the likelihood of success, as well as the positive impact they can have in their new role.
- Ted and Stacey have been partnering with Noto Group on these kinds of complex and mission critical VP and C-Level hires for the last few years. Ted has extensive experience as an organization development consultant and executive. He previously served as Culture Officer at EILEEN FISHER, INC and couples this expertise with more than a decade of consulting experience in the areas of leadership development, organizational effectiveness, and executive coaching. Stacey brings over 20 years of experience as an organizational consultant to her role as Managing Partner at Executive Development Consulting. She’s advised Fortune 500 companies and CEOs on how to use leadership development to accelerate growth and increase their competitive advantage.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Concerns senior executives may have when entering new organizations (2:55)
- The four essential elements of success for new executive hires (5:17)
- Key steps when onboarding and integrating leadership teams (6:59)
- How to help new leaders productively and successfully engage with stakeholders (7:52)
- Challenges and risks faced by organizations when bringing in senior executives (9:29)
- The necessity for self-awareness and planning when entering a role (15:03)
- How to speed up the process of recalibration (18:15)
- The importance of contextualizing a new hire’s mandate for change within the ecosystem of the organization (21:16)
- The recipe for organizational success (22:10)
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Roy is joined by Wylie Robinson, CEO and Co-Founder of Rumpl, a Climate Neutral Certified B Corp and proud member of 1% for the Planet. By using performance materials that are most commonly found in premium outdoor gear, Rumpl is on a mission to introduce the world to better blankets. Before moving out to Portland, OR and modernizing the puffy blanket, Wylie worked as a designer with branding agency Landor in San Francisco. Wylie shares how his approach to hiring has evolved throughout Rumpl’s growth. The two also discuss how the brand’s compelling vision and values have helped attract top talent and drive its success.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Wylie’s path to becoming an entrepreneur (1:51)
- Making Rumpl’s very first hires (7:26)
- Overcoming the growing pains of starting a company (8:53)
- Lessons learned from hiring challenges (10:41)
- Pursuing more equity in the hiring process (12:05)
- How he attracted talent with limited resources early on (14:35)
- How hiring needs have shifted as the company has grown (16:15)
- What makes the Rumpl culture so unique? (22:55)
- The value of hiring engaged employees (24:50)
- The employment brand’s development (28:23)
- The pros and cons of remote and hybrid work (36:23)
- Advice for entrepreneurs who are just starting out (37:16)
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Hiring a new CEO is a high stakes event, especially when a founder is involved. Roy sits down with Organizational Psychologists Dr. Stacey Philpot and Dr. Ted Freeman to discuss what it takes to successfully navigate these founder transitions. The three walk through each step involved. They share their insights into the challenges and opportunities at play and the unique partnership between a new CEO and founder.
Ted and Stacey have been partnering with Noto Group on these kinds of complex and mission critical VP and C-Level hires for the last few years. Ted has extensive experience as an organization development consultant and executive. He previously served as Culture Officer at EILEEN FISHER, INC and couples this expertise with more than a decade of consulting experience in the areas of leadership development, organizational effectiveness, and executive coaching. Stacey brings over 20 years of experience as an organizational consultant to her role as Managing Partner at Executive Development Consulting. She’s advised Fortune 500 companies and CEOs on how to use leadership development to accelerate growth and increase their competitive advantage. Both will be back in the future to dig further into leadership integration.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Why founder transitions happen (3:16)
- The importance of having a plan in these high risk events (4:00)
- The kind of support available to organizations (5:33)
- The distinct partnership between a CEO and founder (7:33)
- What experts like Ted and Stacey consider when approaching these processes (8:56)
- How they help companies handle bumps in the road (10:57)
- Helpful scenarios they’ve worked through with clients (12:30)
- How these transitions impact existing teams (24:51)
- Tools and assessments that can inform CEO selection (27:38)
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Alyssa Kessler is the Director of Recruiting at Trove, a company whose technology supports circular shopping and aids in shaping environmentally responsible commercial ecosystems. Their end-to-end operating system facilitates the processes behind used inventory and recommerce sales for top brands like Arc'teryx, Levi's, lululemon, Patagonia, Eileen Fisher, and many others. Alyssa has always centered mission in her work. She began her recruiting career here at Noto Group before joining Patagonia as a Recruiting Manager. In this episode, Alyssa shares her experience in the recruiting field, as well as the essential elements of successful talent acquisition strategy at purpose-driven companies.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- The most important elements of a successful talent acquisition strategy (6:26)
- How to optimize the employment brand and candidate experience (8:39)
- The unique elements of working as a talent acquisition leader at a purpose-driven and sustainability-minded company (12:33)
- What makes a great talent acquisition professional (14:53)
- How talent acquisition teams add value to their organization (17:24)
- Her assessment of the current talent market (19:57)
- How the pandemic has shifted candidate expectations (20:48)
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Denise Novosel is the VP of Recruiting for personal styling service Stitch Fix. She spends her days crafting effective talent acquisition strategies for the brand. Before joining Stitch Fix, Denise was a senior talent leader at Nike and Microsoft. She and Roy break down the elements of world class talent acquisition models, recruiting best practices, and current talent market dynamics.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Her path to becoming a talent acquisition leader (1:52)
- Key elements in an effective talent strategy (5:18)
- Planning for long term success in recruiting (6:18)
- The systems and tools that help streamline the hiring process (7:16)
- Offering candidates a positive experience (8:40)
- Comparing talent acquisition processes at Microsoft and Nike (11:01)
- Shifting from a leader-led model to a recruiter-led model (12:59)
- The benefits of being a hands-on talent acquisition leader (18:42)
- How Denise evaluates candidates at an executive level (19:58)
- Recruiting recruiters and what makes a great talent acquisition professional (21:40)
- How the COVID 19 pandemic has changed the talent landscape (23:33)
Our friends at Big Path Capital are hosting the 5th annual MO Summit in Portland, OR on April 19th and 20th! MO Summit is one of the largest convenings of positive impact CEOs. Attendees will engage, learn, and forge a new path on critically important topics. How I Hire listeners can use code “Noto22” to register at a discounted rate: mo-summit.com/register
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Paloma Medina is a speaker, coach, and entrepreneur specializing in organizational performance improvement. She approaches her work in leadership, equity, and inclusion through the lens of psychology and systems thinking. In 2019, Paloma challenged the model of diversity in the workplace through her TEDxPortland talk. In this episode, she’ll expand on the ideas she introduced in the talk and explore ways to make hiring processes more equitable.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- How she became interested in systems thinking (1:32)
- The genesis of her TEDx talk (3:50)
- Why “diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusion” are not synonyms (6:16)
- How Paloma would update the talk for our current context (7:22)
- The psychology of bias and how it shows up in hiring (11:15)
- How leaders can evaluate bias in their own processes (15:24)
- The outsized impact of the pandemic on women and BIPOC talent (21:22)
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Keywords: Leadership, executive search, hiring, talent, recruiting, entrepreneurship, business, culture, systems, systems thinking, diversity, equity, inclusion, executive recruiting, workplace, HR, remote work, TED, bias, psychology, neurology
Tom Duncan spent 15 years as the CEO of Positec, the innovative, market-leading power tool company, where he now serves on the board. Tom started the American division of Positec in 2005 and oversaw their successful growth strategy; Positec’s direct to consumer brands, Worx and Rockwell, are two of the fastest growing tool brands in the world. With a wealth of experience leading this challenger brand, Tom has developed an agile and process-oriented approach to hiring.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Positec’s formula for success (4:26)
- His “two way street” hiring philosophy (7:33)
- One valuable lesson he’s learned from hiring mistakes (9:27)
- Why process is key (10:10)
- Early hiring challenges during Positec’s rapid growth (12:44)
- How Positec’s global business factored into their talent strategy (15:28)
- The benefits and drawbacks of hiring within your network (17:09)
- Tom’s advice for emerging leaders (27:00)
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Theresa Watts is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at True Religion Brand Jeans, where she has helped to redefine and shape culture in order to design, build, and implement programs and policies that strengthen the organization. Employee relationships are central to Theresa’s leadership philosophy, and they inform her hiring strategy.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- How she stays connected to remote workers (8:04)
- The brand’s current priorities (9:37)
- How Theresa views candidates who have made mistakes or faced failure (12:04)
- Her approach to implementing equitable, inclusive, and effective hiring processes (13:41)
- Why it’s important to open doors and see talent in different forms (21:44)
- Her success profile for a C-level or VP role (24:03)
- Theresa’s take on flexibility and remote work (25:47)
- Her advice for current job seekers... (30:25)
- ...And those who are just starting their careers (33:08)
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Carola Frisch is the Founder of Frisch Search, an executive search firm based in London that works with iconic lifestyle and consumer brands in high growth and transformation. Their clients have included Nike, Vans, The North Face, Starbucks, and many more. Carola has been championing a concept she calls Modern Leadership; leaders inspire purpose and culture as much as they drive performance and growth.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Executive search trends (4:13)
- The true value of executive search services (5:14)
- What’s happening in the European business and talent market (8:34)
- Changes in leadership skills and mindsets (10:53)
- Debunking ageism in hiring (12:34)
- Defining modern leadership (14:33)
- Why some companies still struggle to select capable leaders (18:03)
- Advice for talent acquisition professionals (21:32)
- How modern leadership supports DEI efforts (23:35)
- 3 things hiring executives should take action on (27:35)
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Jan Singer is an influential and incredibly accomplished executive leader with over 25 years of experience in footwear, apparel, and cosmetics. She’s served as CEO at Victoria’s Secret, Spanx, and J. Crew. Earlier on, she held key roles at footwear giants like Nike and Reebok. In this episode, Jan shares how these experiences have shaped her successful leadership style, how she evaluates leadership in others, and a few key lessons she’s learned along the way.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Key takeaways from Jan’s time at Nike (2:53)
- How she adapted her leadership style to Nike’s culture (8:54)
- Building teams during transformational times at companies like Spanx, Victoria’s Secret, and J. Crew (11:49)
- How she evaluated capabilities across different teams and functions (14:19)
- Jan’s approach to recruiting outside talent (16:57)
- What she looks for in leaders (19:48)
- Does the perfect candidate exist? (24:10)
- Why diversity, equity, and inclusion works is key in team success (24:37)
- Jan’s advice for aspiring leaders (28:00)
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Monica Williams is the Senior Vice President of Digital Products and Operations at NBCUniversal Content Distribution. In her 16 years at NBCUniversal, Monica has held a variety of roles and led innovative growth in the digital product space. Monica is also the founding member of the private network Chief’s Los Angeles location.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Monica’s transition from GE Aviation to NBCUniversal (1:43)
- Key lessons from her leadership training (8:31)
- How Six Sigma has influenced her hiring approach (10:54)
- Identifying candidates who will thrive in a quickly evolving industry (11:56)
- Why creative thinking is essential in her world (15:10)
- Monica’s go-to interview questions and red flags (17:14)
- How she empowers and unlocks talent within her team (20:11)
- How her team geared up for the Olympics (26:40)
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Harvey Kanter is the CEO of Destination XL Group, a specialty retailer of men's big and tall apparel. He’s brought his unique and thoughtful approach to CEO, President, and Executive Vice President roles at companies like Blue Nile, Michaels, and Eddie Bauer. His book, Choosing to Lead: Being Comfortable Being Uncomfortable, details experiences that have shaped his leadership style and forged his resilience. Harvey will share how he builds outstanding teams, as well as what he looks for in an authentic leader.
Highlights from the conversation include:
- Why good leaders are comfortable being uncomfortable (3:02)
- How Harvey helped shape the hiring strategy at Eddie Bauer (7:42)
- The “hire for attitude, train for skill” mindset (9:07)
- Hiring “failures” (14:59)
- How COVID has transformed the workplace (17:06)
- The importance of communication in leadership (21:33)
- How Harvey interviews and evaluates candidates... (25:32)
- ...and red flags he looks for (29:25)
- Harvey’s thoughts on the future of retail and e-commerce (31:09)
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Kara Goldin is the Founder and CEO of Hint, Inc., the healthy lifestyle brand known for award-winning, unsweetened, flavored water. Kara successfully broke into the beverage industry after leaving her role at America Online, determined to create a satisfying drink free from sweeteners. Her podcast, The Kara Goldin Show, features insightful conversations with fellow changemakers. She’s also the author of the bestselling book, Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters. In the book, she details her entrepreneurial journey and the lessons she learned along the way. Kara shares how her founding journey forged her distinct approach to hiring.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Kara’s “accidental entrepreneurship” (3:01)
- Her undaunted approach to life and hiring (6:17)
- How she handles talent management and development (10:09)
- Her experience hiring throughout Hint’s growth (15:19)
- What she looks for in candidates beyond experience (22:25)
- Kara’s advice to young people entering the workforce (32:42)
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As CEO and Co-Founder of Swift, a Portland-based, client-founded creative agency, Liz Valentine leads her team in making brilliant digital work for notable brands like Google, Gatorade, PayPal, Venmo, and many others. Liz began her career at Nike and brings over twenty years of experience in digital marketing to her current role. In 2014, Swift was acquired by the global data, tech, and creative powerhouse WPP. Liz was brought on as CEO of Wunderman Thompson West and Mobile for North America in 2019. She’ll share her inclusive, values-driven approach to building creative teams. We’ll also hear her hiring advice to leaders of fast-growing startups.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Entrepreneurial thinking and digital innovation (2:10)
- Starting a creative agency (3:55)
- Her approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (7:56)
- How she looks for candidates who thrive in an agency environment (11:26)
- “Swiftology” and how she assesses value-alignment (14:25)
- Making the shift to virtual work (18:43)
- Culture “fit” vs. culture “add” (21:19)
- What changed for Liz after the WPP acquisition (22:11)
- Hiring differences between Swift and WT (24:02)
- Overseeing values-driven hiring on a large scale (26:59)
- The many hats a modern CMO has to wear (29:15)
- Marketing during an economic downturn (30:34)
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Originally released June, 2020. Before starting Workplace Change, Serilda was the Chief Human Resources Officer for the City of Portland, and has worked with clients like Wieden + Kennedy, the Portland Trail Blazers, Kaiser Permanente, the Oregon Department of Education, and many others. She believes in fostering cultures that accept people for who they are and empower them to thrive. Her book, Change the WorkGame: Building and Sustaining a Diverse Workforce, goes into depth about how to accomplish this and more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Serilda’s approach to working with clients (2:46)
- Defining diversity, equity, inclusion, and transparency (4:46)
- Why many hiring managers fail to find and hire diverse candidates (7:46)
- The various biases that come up in the workplace (8:44)
- How sexism, racism, classism, and elitism play into hiring decisions (12:26)
- What it means to be ready for workplace change (13:36)
- How to be more successful in recruiting and retaining diverse talent (17:48)
- The importance of asking why you want more diversity in your organization (20:42)
- Why you should start by diversifying your network (23:40)
- What an inclusive selection process looks like (24:46)
- How to create a more inclusive culture (28:43)
- What role human resources should play (33:12)
- Why change requires leadership to act (34:12)
- Serilda’s strategy for hiring (34:51)
- Her predictions about the future of work (37:14)
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Before joining Nuun, Kevin spent his early career as a Senior Brand Manager at SC Johnson and Miller Brewing Company before serving as Marketing Director at Kashi Company and eventually CEO at Caldrea Company. Kevin shares his people-first approach to hiring and evaluating teams. We also discuss how he leverages purpose and vision to build thriving cultures.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- How optimism became integral to Kevin’s leadership style (1:42)
- Lessons about people, inclusivity, and positivity from his career path (3:04)
- Connection to mission and purpose (9:01)
- Canadians’ unique scrappiness (10:57)
- His approach to building leadership teams (12:22)
- Culture add vs. culture fit (15:56)
- His experience coming into Nuun (20:30)
- Defining leadership competencies (22:35)
- How his team contributes to hiring decisions (24:10)
- The benefit of working with recruiters to make key hires (26:49)
- How the recent health and social crises have affected Kevin’s approach (31:54)
- Nuun’s success hiring virtually (36:26)
- Adapting to 2021’s accelerated pace of change (37:49)
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Highlights from our conversation include:
- Taking Starbucks from relative obscurity to global ubiquity (2:31)
- Hiring with the customer in mind (5:33)
- Putting a purposeful philosophy into practice (7:47)
- The importance of servant leadership (9:08)
- Lessons from Howard Schultz and other influential leaders at Starbucks (10:16)
- One key quality Wendy values in leadership (13:07)
- How she and the Starbucks team scaled hiring as growth exploded (14:33)
- 5 principles of servant leadership at New Seasons (21:50)
- Her experience driving growth in a triple bottom line culture (22:43)
- Why hiring the “whole” person is key to her approach (26:05)
- How a change to orientation gave hires a thorough understanding of the brand (31:52)
- Why the sequence of getting to know a candidate matters (33:28)
- How storytelling benefits the interview process (37:52)
- How she set expectations and assessed existing teams for their ability to scale (38:51)
- How New Seasons’ status helped facilitate hiring (43:07)
- Wendy’s favorite interview questions... (49:23)
- ...and red flags (50:42)
- How COVID 19 shaped her approach to building teams at Evergreens (55:48)
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Dr. Charles Handler is an industrial-organizational psychologist and talent assessment specialist.
Fun fact: Charles also has a love of classic cars and was featured on the History Channel’s Big Easy Motors.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- How organizational psychology can inform every step of the hiring process (5:02)
- Job fit versus organization fit (7:37)
- Why humans are inherently flawed in evaluating candidate capabilities (9:55)
- Why some popular assessments are not appropriate for selection (13:11)
- How much weight we can put in the Hogan Assessment (15:01)
- Models for executive assessment (17:35)
- The importance of human judgment in executive level assessment (20:49)
- How to evaluate leadership (22:50)
- AI’s strengths and weaknesses (25:06)
- How remote work will influence companies’ needs (28:41)
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Check out Roy's upcoming webinar on the future of hiring, part of Big Path Capital's Impact CEO Series.
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- Dr. Stacey Philpot (Executive Development Consulting) discusses the ways companies are shifting how they think about leadership (0:52)
- Lisa Bougie shares how Stitch Fix assessed for people, values, and leadership (2:56)
- Jodi Bricker’s approach to shaping culture at Quay Australia (5:09)
- Serilda Summers-McGee on building healthy, inclusive workplace cultures (6:30)
- Kristi McFarland explores the value of strong community at New Seasons (7:36)
- Trip Randall’s advice for avoiding hiring mistakes (8:42)
- The two main qualities Aimée Lapic (GoPro) looks for in candidates (11:43)
- Jaime Schmidt on hiring at a fast-growing company (12:43)
- Why Scott Allan hired overqualified talent at Hydro Flask (14:09)
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Highlights from our conversation include:
- How Nike’s EKIN program fed the brand’s leadership talent (5:35)
- How leading footwear brands approach hiring (7:18)
- The key difference between a company and a brand (10:15)
- The two questions Gene asks to understand team capabilities (11:52)
- How one hire can stimulate an entire organization (12:51)
- Why Gene looked outside of the industry for talent (14:58)
- What he looks for in leaders (16:30)
- Why he brought together unconventional teams (17:33)
- The common mistake hiring managers make (19:12)
- His approach to interviews (20:55)
- Advice for people who want to get a job in the athletic industry (22:41)
Gene’s new podcast, Chasing 4, will debut on the Sport Lifestyle Network.
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Aimée Lapic is the Chief Digital and Marketing Officer at GoPro. Before joining GoPro, she served as CMO at Pandora. She spent over 14 years with Gap, Inc. in various roles, including CMO of Banana Republic and SVP and GM of International Gap Outlet. Aimée was featured in the top 50 on Forbes’ Most Influential CMOs list in 2018. She has built world-class teams and driven results through her leadership and effective approach to hiring. Because Aimée was hired at GoPro in the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic, she has a unique take on virtual hiring and remote onboarding.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- How Aimée’s background has shaped her leadership (3:32)
- What it takes to be a great CMO (5:09)
- Her approach to hiring (7:17)
- Balancing creative and analytical team capabilities (11:22)
- What she looks for in candidates (12:37)
- The questions she asks in interviews (14:13)
- Why positivity is integral to her philosophy (17:41)
- Her experience being hired virtually (19:48)
- How being remote has changed her approach (20:49)
- What Aimée has learned from hiring mistakes (25:36)
- How company culture and decision-making influence hiring (26:57)
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Trip Randall is the former VP of Running at Nike and has held a number of positions with the brand over the last 20 years. In this episode, he shares how he navigated the iconic company’s scale, complexity, and reputation to make great hires.
Most recently, Trip led merchandising, marketing, sales, and operational efforts in the U.S. and Canada for Nike Running. His past roles at Nike include Director of Product Creation, Director of USA Performance Footwear, VP of Global Sales for Nike Kids, and VP and Global GM for nike.com. Trip is dedicated to building and leading effective teams and understands the value of a strong culture.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Nike’s evolving hiring landscape (7:03)
- Internal career paths and development at Nike (9:42)
- Trip’s approach to teams and culture (11:31)
- How people and business strategy inform each other (14:33)
- Why Nike Running rethought their people strategy (15:20)
- What Trip looked for in Nike candidates (18:20)
- The top three competencies for success at Nike (24:31)
- Trip’s advice for anyone aspiring to build their career at Nike (32:06)
- How hiring decisions were made in a consensus-driven organization (35:03)
- What Trip has learned from hiring successes and failures (36:38)
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Fred Miller and Judith Katz of The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group are dedicated to helping companies recruit, support, and retain diverse workforces. For the last 50 years, KJCG has assisted organizations in creating inclusive, collaborative workplaces that leverage differences to achieve higher performance and engagement.
As CEO and Lead Client Strategist, Fred Miller develops workforce utilization strategies that accelerate higher individual, team, and organizational performance. Fred is a pioneering change agent and thought leader whose work reflects a lifelong commitment to pushing back on the status quo to help organizations become places where human beings can be fully human. He has led transformative change interventions in Fortune 50 corporations, large not-for-profit organizations, and government agencies throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and Asia, including Merck, Allstate, United Airlines, Toyota, EILEEN FISHER, Northeast Utilities, Singapore Telecom, the McArthur Foundation, the City of San Diego, and many others. Read more about Fred and his work at kjcg.com/frederick-a-miller.
Judith Katz is the Executive Vice President of The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group. She has distinguished herself as a thought leader, practitioner, educator, author, and strategist around change management, the development of high performing, inclusive organizations and the issues of oppression and diversity. She’s led many transformational change initiatives in the United States and around the globe, partnering with such organizations as Allstate, Ecolab Inc., EILEEN FISHER, INC., Merck, the City of San Diego, Telecoms of Singapore, and United Airlines. She also co-created the Covert Process Concept and Lab with Bob Marshak. Learn more about Judith at kjcg.com/judith-h-katz.
Judith and Fred have co authored four books on diversity, inclusion, collaboration, trust, authenticity, and teamwork:
- Safe Enough to Soar: Accelerating Trust, Inclusion, and Collaboration in the Workplace
- Opening Doors to Teamwork and Collaboration: 4 Keys that Change EVERYTHING
- Be BIG: Step Up, Step Out, Be Bold
- The Inclusion Breakthrough: Unleashing the Real Power of Diversity
They draw on their foundational framework, Inclusion as the HOW, to enable clients to achieve higher performance and accelerate results.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- How client needs and attention have shifted recently (4:46)
- Their approach to working with new clients (8:09)
- How to recognize the full potential of a diverse workforce (10:32)
- Why hiring is one piece of a larger strategy (11:14)
- How employee expectations have evolved (11:56)
- What companies need to do to retain talent (13:50)
- New and necessary competencies for leaders (16:29)
- Key conscious actions for inclusion (18:15)
- The importance of safety in the workplace (19:13)
- Next steps for companies who are serious about change (21:57)
- How KJCG sets the foundation for hiring success (24:36)
- Why companies should move away from culture “fit” (26:10)
- Ways to mitigate bias in the hiring process (28:24)
- Why organizations need to be thoughtful about onboarding (31:52)
- How COVID-19 has affected their work (35:15)
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Dr. Stacey Philpot is a Managing Partner at Executive Development Consulting. She has spent over 20 years as an organizational consultant and has advised Fortune 500 companies and CEOs on how to use leadership development to accelerate growth and increase their competitive advantage. Stacey’s clients have included Apple, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase, Nike, and PayPal. Previously, she was the head of Deloitte’s Succession & Leadership Development Practice. Stacey masterfully combines her expertise as a psychologist and executive in her work. She emphasizes a thoughtful and thorough data-driven approach to hiring and joins the podcast to share her perspective on this vital trend as well as three things hiring executives should do as they reset and rehire their teams.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- How our current moment has shifted leadership expectations (3:48)
- Why a data-driven approach can increase diversity and retention (6:30)
- The key to unlocking high performance within organizations (7:52)
- Changes in how companies view leadership (9:09)
- The high cost of hiring mistakes (12:33)
- Why many companies aren’t selecting the right leaders (13:50)
- What makes an effective leader (14:44)
- Why leadership is context-dependent (15:57)
- Understanding common biases (16:57)
- Three things successful organizations are doing (18:36)
- How Stacey helps companies transition to new types of leadership (19:18)
- How companies can use data to improve their process (21:22)
- How companies can move toward an “elastic culture” (24:16)
- Culture fit vs. culture add (25:17)
- Three things hiring executives should do as they reset and rehire their teams (28:15)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.
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Jodi Bricker is the CEO of Quay Australia, a buzzworthy brand aiming to disrupt the monopolized eyewear industry through bold style, affordability, and self-expression. She and her team have cemented Quay’s status as the fastest growing eyewear brand on Instagram and launched a series of celebrity collaborations with some of the most notable names in Hollywood, including Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez, and Chrissy Teigen.
Jodi honed her leadership skills with brands like Levi Strauss and Gap. She’s an omnichannel retail expert and inspiring leader with a keen understanding of customers, products, and innovation. Jodi has a unique take on what makes a successful candidate and is committed to paying it forward by lifting up women in business.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Her early career and how she adapted to a digital mindset (2:33)
- How she pivoted to working with smaller, growth-oriented teams (4:43)
- Why she sees this moment as an acceleration rather than a disruption (6:01)
- Her hiring philosophy and why she gravitates toward “athletes” (6:54)
- Her approach to leading teams (11:01)
- What she looks for in candidates beyond their resume (14:58)
- The delicate balance between growing a brand and preserving its culture (17:45)
- The challenges and opportunities presented by the COVID 19 pandemic (19:04)
- How the Quay team connects to purpose in their work (21:57)
- Jodi’s predictions for the future of retail (23:58)
- How she empowers other women and the future generation of leaders (27:38)
- Her advice to current job seekers (29:20)
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Virtual hiring became a necessity when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the hiring process. Pacific Cycle was in the middle of hiring their VP of Brand and Creative when they were forced to close their offices. They moved forward with the process remotely, making a key hire without the traditional in-person interview.
The entire hiring party joins us via Zoom to share the challenges and successes they encountered. This panel includes Pacific Cycle’s Nando Zucchi (President), Tim Sheridan (VP of Human Resources), Lee Jakobs (VP of Brand and Creative), as well as Senior Executive Recruiter Sara Spirko.
Pacific Cycle is based in Madison, Wisconsin, and is the parent company of legendary brands like Schwinn, Mongoose, and Kid Trax.
Highlights from our conversation include:
-What they thought the hiring process would look like (6:24)
-Their concerns about virtual hiring (9:00)
-How they addressed those concerns (10:40)
-How the team and Sara effectively worked together (12:42)
-Lee’s experience on the candidate side (14:52)
-Why they chose to focus on competencies (18:59)
-The importance of the project (20:37)
-How they involved stakeholders (26:17)
-What their remote onboarding process looks like (27:42)
-Lee’s strategy for getting to know his team and their capabilities (29:39)
-What relocation looks like in a pandemic (31:38)
-How this experience will change how they hire in the future (35:14)
-Sara’s timely advice for talent acquisition leaders (36:11)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.
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Serilda Summers-McGee is a workforce development and human resources expert. She is the Founder of Workplace Change, where she works with clients as Chief Human Resources Officer to assess culture, resolve workplace challenges, and recruit and retain underrepresented executives and staff in inclusive, positive, and high functioning work environments.
Before starting Workplace Change, Serilda was the Chief Human Resources Officer for the City of Portland, and has worked with clients like Wieden + Kennedy, the Portland Trail Blazers, Kaiser Permanente, the Oregon Department of Education, and many others. She believes in fostering cultures that accept people for who they are and empower them to thrive. Her book, Change the WorkGame: Building and Sustaining a Diverse Workforce, goes into depth about how to accomplish this and more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
-Serilda’s approach to working with clients (3:33)
-Defining diversity, equity, inclusion, and transparency (5:33)
-Why many hiring managers fail to find and hire diverse candidates (8:33)
-The various biases that come up in the workplace (9:31)
-How sexism, racism, classism, and elitism play into hiring decisions (13:12)
-What it means to be ready for workplace change (14:23)
-How to be more successful in recruiting and retaining diverse talent (18:35)
-The importance of asking why you want more diversity in your organization (21:29)
-Why you should start by diversifying your network (24:21)
-What an inclusive selection process looks like (25:32)
-How to create a more inclusive culture (29:30)
-What role human resources should play (33:59)
-Why change requires leadership to act (34:59)
-Serilda’s strategy for hiring (35:38)
Her predictions about the future of work (38:00)
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Kristi McFarland is the Chief Strategy Officer at New Seasons Market, a Pacific Northwest, sustainably-focused, organic grocer with 18 community-oriented stores.
Before joining New Seasons, Kristi led organizational innovation, culture, and brand strategy at Peet’s Coffee & Tea and held HR leadership roles at Gap, Williams-Sonoma, and Banana Republic. In her time at New Seasons, Kristi has overseen rapid growth through talent strategy alignment, leadership development, and culture.
New Seasons has been on the front lines of the Covid 19 pandemic. Kristi and her team are navigating the immediate and long term challenges that come with providing an essential service during this difficult time.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- How her experience as a candidate shaped her approach to hiring (3:42)
- The importance of a business’s mission as an anchoring point (5:30)
- How values have come to life in all of Kristi’s roles (7:02)
- Why customer experience is so important in brand building (11:04)
- How she and the leadership team at New Seasons empower employees (12:33)
- How Kristi evaluates internal and external candidates (13:32)
- How New Seasons has navigated industry changes (17:41)
- The role culture has played in helping to retain employees (19:04)
- The employee-friendly practices New Seasons has pioneered (20:10)
- The challenges they’re facing in the Covid 19 pandemic (21:52)
- What the future might look like for the grocery industry (28:07)
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Dr. Ted Freeman joins me on this special episode to discuss Psychological Capital, a framework we can use to maintain performance and wellbeing in difficult times. We get into evidence-based practices we can follow to improve our (and our teams’) ability to manage stressors and pressures now and in the future.
Ted has extensive experience as an organization development consultant and executive. He served as Culture Officer at EILEEN FISHER, INC., the purpose-driven and sustainable women's apparel brand based in New York City. He couples his executive background with more than a decade of consulting experience in the areas of leadership development, organizational effectiveness, and executive coaching.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- An overview of Psychological Capital (2:32)
- The increased stressors that employees are facing (3:52)
- The relationship between pressure and performance (5:38)
- The four components (HERO) of Psychological Capital (9:47)
- Hope (10:32)
- Efficacy (13:58)
- Resilience (18:01)
- Optimism (19:51)
- How to implement the Psychological Capital framework (23:09)
- The role leaders should (and should not) take on with their teams (26:24)
- Why the concept of Psychological Capital is relevant in any time (28:11)
- Ted’s advice for leaders in this moment (29:03)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode. Find more resources on Psychological Capital, including a blog post by Ted, on NotoGroup.com
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This episode was recorded prior to the COVID 19 pandemic. In the months ahead, How I Hire will serve as a platform for hiring leaders to exchange ideas as they both adapt to the current situation and look towards the future.
Chris McDonough is the Chief Sales and Brand Officer for L.L.Bean where he leads a team of over 2,000 people. He’s led commercial, marketing, eCommerce, and international divisions across a range of industry sectors. Chris is a seasoned global leader who prioritizes authenticity in his management style. He drives change and performance by bringing out the best in his team and maximizing their individual capabilities.
Highlights from our conversation include:
• What influenced Chris’s leadership and hiring philosophies (3:40)
• How his approach to hiring has developed (4:33)
• How he drives change and growth at L.L.Bean (6:09)
• His methods for assessing team capabilities vs. hiring from the outside (7:36)
• The importance of preserving culture while growing a well-established business (9:02)
• How Chris ensures that new hires are aligned with his vision (9:56)
• Why role-clarity is so important in the fast-changing world of retail (11:24)
• Why diversity needs to be more than a check-box for brands (13:12)
• How Chris recognizes and cultivates leadership potential (14:05)
• When to promote from within and when to bring in new talent (15:19)
• The factors that contribute most to hiring mistakes (17:07)
• Why face-to-face meetings are so valuable (18:20)
• How Chris involves his team in the hiring process (19:17)
• Two of the important traits he looks for in candidates (21:26)
• What the future of hiring in retail and direct to consumer looks like (24:11)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.
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Dina Keenan is a marketing leader with deep experience in CPG, retail, fashion, and beauty. She recently served as CMO of New Seasons Market, where she led a high-performing team in a period of rapid growth for the company. Dina emphasizes connection and purpose in her work and has a passion for building effective teams. We get into the details of CMO hiring and more.
Highlights from our conversation include:
• Which skills and competencies to look for when hiring a CMO (4:02)
• How to evaluate the analytical capabilities of a CMO candidate (6:39)
• The importance of having a creative vision as a CMO (7:33)
• How CMOs are developing both art and science skills today (8:25)
• How to look for values alignment when interviewing CMOs (9:46)
• Dina’s experience coming into purpose-driven brand (11:24)
• How to assess an existing team as a new CMO (13:44)
• How Dina structures her teams (14:50)
• What steps she takes when a team member doesn’t succeed in their role (16:38)
• How Dina identifies future leaders (20:23)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.
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Scott Allan is the Global General Manager of Hydro Flask, where he served as CEO and President until their acquisition by Helen of Troy in 2016. Before discovering the outdoor industry, Scott was a tech executive in Silicon Valley. He successfully scaled Hydro Flask’s business and built the brand from the inside out, understanding that the right talent could make or break the company’s essential culture.
Scott has extended his work in the industry through his involvement with two outdoor companies, Cairn and Rumpl, as well as his role on the advisory board for Oregon State University Cascades’ outdoor products program.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Scott’s career path from tech to the outdoor industry (1:33)
- Scaling Hydro Flask’s business (3:14)
- What’s shaped his approach to hiring (6:25)
- How he found the right talent for the brand (7:40)
- Why he sought out overqualified hires (11:15)
- How Scott set candidate expectations in the hiring process (13:18)
- What it was like to bring together an experienced leadership team (16:39)
- Why developing the brand’s culture was a passion of his (18:40)
- Building an inclusive culture (20:18)
- Scott’s hiring challenges and mistakes (22:30)
- How things changed once the brand was acquired (26:38)
- Scott’s hiring advice (31:27)
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Katrina Hahn is a Visionary General Management Leader with a history of driving dramatic growth and leading exceptional teams across the food, health and beauty, household cleaning, and durable goods industries. As the Senior Vice President of Bare Snacks, Katrina and her team doubled the company’s size before their acquisition by Frito-Lay in 2018.
Before joining Bare Snacks, Katrina was the Vice President of Sales and Customer Marketing at Mrs. Meyers/Caldrea. Her experience extends to brands like Campbell Soup, Clorox, Brita, and more. Katrina has also served on various nonprofit boards dedicated to advancing women in the workplace, supporting young people on the path to college, and helping people save water, reduce waste, and conserve energy.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Transitioning from large to small companies (2:35)
- Hiring differences between big and small brands (3:40)
- Why culture fit is so important at entrepreneurial organizations (9:33)
- Bringing hires in from big CPG companies to small organizations. (11:28)
- Finding success in recruiting from outside of the industry (13:12)
- How she uses her network to build candidate pools (15:04)
- The experience she creates for candidates (16:23)
- Trusting her gut in making a hire (17:00)
- Moving through situations of doubt (17:54)
- The tools, tips, and tricks she uses with her teams (19:02)
- Challenges Katrina has faced in recruiting (20:06)
- The skills and competencies she finds most essential (20:52)
- Balancing technical know-how with culture fit (22:28)
- How she defines culture fit (23:01)
- Why investing in people is vital to success (25:57)
- Her advice for fast-growing brands (26:38)
Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.
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Hap Klopp spent 20 years as the President and CEO of The North Face. When he acquired the brand in 1968, it was just two small stores. Hap turned those stores into the global outdoor gear and apparel brand we know today.
Hap now helps other entrepreneurial companies around the world with strategy through his company, HK Consulting. He also shares his insight as a speaker and writer. His books include Conquering The North Face: an Adventure in Leadership and ALMOST: 12 Electric Months Chasing a Silicon Valley Dream.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Hap’s early experiences hiring (and firing) (1:40)
- The interview that motivated him to start his own company (3:39)
- Why Hap looked for employees with passion over functional expertise early on (6:53)
- How he identified candidates that aligned with The North Face’s DNA (9:06)
- Hiring mistakes and how to move past them (10:21)
- Prioritizing interpersonal relationships over traditional hierarchies (15:38)
- Why Hap pushes for transparency in the hiring process (17:45)
- How his recruiting practices changed as The North Face grew (18:41)
- Hap’s advice for building high-quality teams (20:45)
- What he wished he knew about hiring 30 years ago (22:47)
- Why he’s focusing on working with disruptive companies today (25:33)
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Jaime Schmidt is the Founder of industry-disrupting brand Schmidt’s Naturals. With Schmidt’s, she brought natural personal care products into the mainstream and scaled the company from kitchen to acquisition.
Jaime is dedicated to building better businesses and recently launched two new ventures: Supermaker, a media platform that celebrates emerging entrepreneurs, and Color, an inclusive investment fund. You can learn more about Jaime at jaimeschmidt.info
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Retracing Jaime’s entrepreneurial path (1:58)
- How she knew it was time to scale Schmidt’s (5:27)
- Key hires that helped her grow her company (8:15)
- The unique challenges of recruiting for a startup (11:05)
- How she evaluated candidates beyond their resumes (11:40)
- The process of defining and assessing for Schmidt’s culture (18:44)
- The management and hiring structure behind Schmidt’s (20:27)
- Partnering with Unilever (24:50)
- Her new projects aimed at supporting entrepreneurs (26:13)
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Steve Bonomo is the Head of Global Talent Acquisition for Twitter where he oversees a team of more than 200 recruiters and talent acquisition specialists.
Steve brings a wealth of experience from outside of the tech world to his role at Twitter. Before joining Twitter, he was the Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Adidas and a Recruiting Manager with TaylorMade Golf.
Highlights from our conversation include:
-Defining what a Head of Global Talent Acquisition does (1:14)
-Hiring differences between the tech and sports industries (6:40)
-Three key elements of better hiring (13:22)
-What makes a successful recruiter (15:02)
-Predictions for the future of recruiting (16:43)
-Working toward the most efficient hiring process (18:03)
-How remote workforces can yield the best talent (19:56)
-Leveraging data and analytics (22:11)
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Lisa Bougie is a C-Suite executive with a wealth of experience leading high growth consumer brands like Stitch Fix, Nike, Patagonia, and Gap.
Since moving on from her role as Stitch Fix Women’s General Manager, Lisa has dedicated her time to companies that support the environment, wellness, and gender equality. She currently serves as an advisor and independent director including EILEEN FISHER, Cora, and Bulletin.
Highlights from our conversation include:
- Evaluating hiring competency (4:27)
- Developing a successful framework (7:13)
- Balancing art and science in hiring (9:06)
- Defining values and culture meaningfully (11:00)
- Assessing candidates through a multistep process (14:59)
- Learning through success and failure (24:35)
- Advice for hiring managers (26:56)
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Introducing How I Hire, a new podcast from Roy Notowitz that taps directly into the best executive hiring advice and insights.
Learn more about How I Hire at howihire.com
This podcast is created by Noto Group: Executive search for consumer brands that support active, healthy, and sustainable lifestyles.
How I Hire, a new podcast bringing you the best executive recruiting advice and insights, is coming soon!