MAYNARD LEIGH ASSOCIATES – REGIONAL CEO
CASE STUDY
MAYNARD LEIGH ASSOCIATES - THE HUNT FOR A REGIONAL CEO IN A BRAND NEW TERRITORY
MLA has been delivering outstanding behavioural change programmes in the areas of Communication, Leadership and Team Development for 30 years. Pioneering the use of theatre based techniques, blended with psychological insight and frameworks for organisational change, they have unlocked the potential and inspired impact in hundreds of organisations.
As their client base has matured to become more Global in nature the requirement has followed for MLA to also develop its own Global capability. An Indian office was set up 9 years ago to service AsiaPac but the North American market had remained dormant. With the market signalling increased demand and opportunity for their services the decision was made that the time was right to enter North America properly.
KEY CHALLENGES
A previous attempt to hire in 2016 had gone badly wrong, mismatches in culture and motivation fit had led to an unproductive and expensive overhead. Realising that hiring “friends of friends” is not always the best solution, especially with such a critical hire, Good Talent were asked to conduct a professional search in order to identify a new Regional CEO that could actually drive new business opportunities and deliver on the organisations ambition. However to find the right hire would require overcoming some tough challenges:
- The requirement was to identify an outstanding candidate already operating in the Leadership Development space thus enabling them to leverage their expertise of the market.
- Given MLA’s unique values and culture it was essential they secured the services of someone who was fully aligned and could articulate authentically what MLA represented. This would inevitably mean reducing a smaller talent pool even further.
- With a HQ based in the UK and minimal knowledge of the North American market we faced a significant “in country” knowledge gap.
- As a new entrant to the market we had little if any brand presence or awareness, this would require a search vector based on educating potential candidates.
SOLUTION & RESULTS
By leveraging the latest technology we were able to deliver an international search assignment. With the majority of the early stage work conducted in Europe we mapped and then targeted potential candidates within the Greater New York area. Concurrently with the search we designed and developed the materials for a rigorous assessment process that would enable us to identify an exact match. As the process then moved forward 1st and 2nd stage interviews were conducted via videoconference allowing us to deliver a high quality longlist to the client.
” Often our own values, and the values of a good business development person, can be at loggerheads. Often business development people are on the front foot, they are hunters. They can build relationships quickly, but always towards the purpose of selling. We maybe still think of selling as flogging shoddy goods – we don’t want a business development person who embraces this dog-eat-dog idea. The fit has always felt clunky. Our mission is to promote humanity, meaning and vitality in the workspace. Integrity, care, creativity, openness, vitality. We’re all a bit soft and cuddly! We think that’s important in the world today. It’s a tricky message – a client has to experience that in us – it’s not just talk, we embody it, or try to embody it. Leon fixed the problem”
Stuart MacKenzie – CEO
Maynard Leigh
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