Telling A Story

Posted on March 18, 2013 by John G. Self

Why am I an executive recruiter?

That is a question that I am frequently asked, given my background — from being a newspaper reporter and the first director of Hermann Hospital’s acclaimed Life Flight program and national marketing manager for the aircraft company, to running a wholesale home infusion therapy pharmacy and the largest private EMS system in Texas.

I always begin my explanation by saying, “It makes perfect sense.” It does, really.

I like to inform people. That is why I took up with those very smart, hard drinking, fast living reporters and editors at three daily newspapers in Texas. For me, it has always been very rewarding to provide people with information that they need or want to know. From the grisly details of a double murder or a chemical plant explosion that snarled traffic for hours, to the unconventional workings of a highly successful skid row detoxification center. I enjoy the whole process of learning — gathering facts observations — and telling the story.

That is how I approach the executive search process. Many of my long-time clients believe that is why I have been so successful in matching leaders with healthcare organizations.

It all begins with the site visit. New clients are a little startled that I want to interview so many people, to look at so much data. Why? Organizations are complex, particularly hospitals. In every successful search there is an important story to be told. If an organization is struggling; why, and can the trends be reversed? They all have what I call the great, the good, the bad and, hopefully, very few of the ugly qualities. If the culture is so unique that only a certain type of candidate personality profile will be successful working in this type of environment, then the candidate screening process is probably the least embarrassing time for him or her to understand this dynamic. Part of my job is to tell the client’s story to the qualified candidates. Knowing this story, helps me decide which candidates should hear this story and which ones the client should meet.

Candidates have their own interesting stories to tell, their own complexities to understand. Sometimes they can be a little less forthcoming than even those clients who are skeptical of the in-depth nature of the JGSA search process. While most candidates finally got the memo that you should not lie about your professional or academic credentials, there are still more than a few candidates who feel they can be creative with their professional accomplishments without getting caught — a form low-risk image enhancement. Without going into great detail about the ethics of this questionable career management strategy, let me state the obvious: mediocre operational, clinical or financial leaders cannot make themselves any better — as a candidate or employee — by distorting the truth.

My job is to trust but verify. The vast majority of the time I can get to where I need to be with a candidate’s story without resorting to third-degree interrogation methods; friendly but probing questions wrapped around a 3.5-hour friendly conversation usually does the trick. The majority of candidates tell me what I need to know, most without realizing how candid they have been in the interview.

In addition to the interviews, we use background investigations, DiSC profiling and 360-degree referencing, drawing on the assessments of primary and secondary references.

I am always humbled when my clients — and the vast majority of our candidates — laud our approach and the professionalism of the JGSA team. What we do really is not rocket science but the praise for our work and the compliments regarding the quality of the JGSA team is nice to hear.

In the end all I am doing is something that I love — learning the facts, making observations and informing my client.

Danger by the Bed

Posted on September 19, 2012 by John G. Self

Many parents will identify with this story: You are sound sleep, your back turned to the edge of the bed. Suddenly you are awakened with a sense of dread that something really bad is standing beside you. Something really scary.

There is that split second of fear when you roll over to confront the danger. Usually it is child standing silently waiting for who knows what. Or, the family dog. Immediately, you are wide awake feeling a little silly that you imagined an evil monster was next to the bed.

For many hospital CEOs these days, that sense of dread is the Affordable Care Act and its first cousin, Deficit Reduction. For service firms like JohnGSelf Associates that cater to health systems, group practices and other providers, these two issues are the stuff business nightmares are made of. Every client I have, every client I could want to have, will be affected by these two events. Hopefully, my company has guessed right with its business strategy.

JohnGSelf Associates is built on a platform that supports a high degree of client-centered service and the ability to quickly innovate to enhance value. We understand that the traditional transactional search model is on its last legs. Clients are demanding lower costs and greater value through more accountability and shared risks.

Recently, I was with a future client, the CEO of a two-hospital system. His flagship hospital is heavily dependent on Medicare. He knows that to survive, to have any kind of margin, he will have to reduce his costs below Medicare, a challenging and painful task. He knows his ability to execute on his strategic plan will require the trust and confidence of his employees, but he also understands that the reductions in Medicare reimbursement will drive the type of uncomfortable change that could threaten the reservoir of trust that he has built with his employees. As he transitions his organization, this CEO is looking for managers who understand what is happening, who can empower employees and strive to maintain the hope and trust of those who deliver the care.

This CEO understands the challenges and appreciates the risks. He drives an ongoing full-court press, communicating with his employees, empowering them to help identify ways to deliver care in a safe and more cost-effective manner. He makes use of web-based communications, including weekly video chats with his employees. “Transparency will be critical to success,” he explains. “Anyone who thinks they can push this period of change using a command-and-control style of leadership will not make it out the other side.”

He is not alone in his assessment. There are others raising the alarm that, as an industry, we will undergo transformation, not mere change. However, these CEOs feel they are in the minority. “Many executives feel that somehow this will just work itself out.”

It won’t.

Post and Pray: A Poor Strategy for Job Search

Posted on August 15, 2012 by John G. Self

It is really hard to be disciplined when there is panic in the air.

Job creation is anemic—yes, there is job growth, but it is not keeping up with the rate of new workers entering the market. There is a foul smell that suggests the U.S. may be heading for a second economic dip as is the case with Europe.

The unemployed, those who have just lost their jobs and those who have been out of work for more than a year, are growing increasingly desperate. Desperation and shaken pride are two key ingredients that spur panic in the job search market. Now is not the time to abandon discipline in the job search process.

Over the past two days, my colleagues and I have been reviewing dozens upon dozens of resumes for a Chief Operating Officer search for a U.S. Hospital. The postings that we have produced for LinkedIn and the American College of Healthcare Executives websites are very specific regarding the criteria necessary to be considered for the job. We could have added, “Candidates who do not meet the criteria need not apply” but it would not have done any good. Increasing numbers of candidates are resorting to a time-honored, but very unproductive job search strategy: Post and pray. Too many candidates are flooding the market with resumes, using shrinking resources and wasting time on jobs they have no hope of landing. More is not better.

It is time to get back to the basics. For executives and managers who want to increase their chances of finding a job, here are some points that I have discussed before but clearly bear repeating:

Executive recruiters only handle about 35 to 40 percent of all the job openings. While it is important to build contacts with search firms, developing a robust network of industry contacts is more important and productive.
Make your network an active, not passive, tool. Having a big network is useless unless the contact information is current and you understand the connection relationships between your network contacts. LinkedIn provides an invaluable tool by showing you how your contacts are related. That is critical. See #3, a key strategy for job seekers.
The best job is usually the job that is not posted or referred to a search firm. It is the one in which recruiting has not started or the search is being handled internally on a colleague referral basis. This means you have to stay in contact with your network while continuing to look for productive new contacts. Jobs come and go in the marketplace on a regular basis. Calling or emailing once every six months is not adequate. On the other hand, you should not overload contacts with calls or emails. You have to have a carefully thought out strategy to ensure top-of-mind awareness without appearing desperate. No plan is a fast-track pathway to no job.
Personal brand management is critical. Employers and recruiters shy away from people who appear panicky, desperate. Finding a job is a full-time job. Set a routine for being in your job search office and stick with it. You have to work your network every day. Building and developing your network is a never ending process. Maintain your professional association memberships. Those should be one of your last expense reductions. If you are going to post information on websites, be sure that you are adding valuable information that supports your personal brand. Stay out of the current political fray. You may be passionate for candidate A or B. Good. But remember that the person you are networking with—the man or woman who might be able to help you find a job—may be just as passionate about the opposing party, candidate or issue.
Appearance is important. In times of stress, people react differently. Appearing fit, healthy and on top of your game is very important. There are literally dozens of stated and hidden reasons why candidates are not hired. It is a hyper-competitive job market. Do not give a potential employer an easy reason to eliminate you.