Michael Gerbasi, Author at Citadel Earth

The Executive Key

Michael Gerbasi — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 15:17:39 +0000

Partner Michael Gerbasi unveils the secrets to finding the right executive using a proven process that he has deployed for decades. Gerbasi serves an important role at Citadel Earth by sourcing key talent for critical roles. He has filled 14 positions in the current portfolio. In this article, he highlights key points in his process with the hopes of empowering founders and hiring executives.

Finding the right executive to lead your organization is a critical task that shapes the future of your company. In this article, we explore the secrets to successful executive searches, through the lens of a proven process deployed for decades. By focusing on understanding expectations and identifying key deliverables, this approach increases the success rate in finding the perfect fit for executive positions. Let’s dive into the most important aspects of an executive search and how to master the art of hiring for leadership excellence.

Understanding the Industry

To effectively assess candidates, it is important to understand the industry for which you are hiring. Engage in deep conversations with stakeholders as if you were interviewing for the position yourself. This approach serves two purposes: first, the knowledge gained establishes credibility when communicating with candidates, and second, it provides insights into how candidates might need to respond to industry-specific challenges. It also provides a “lay of the land” that will allow you to assess a potential executive’s knowledge and network. A thorough understanding of the industry gives you an edge in finding qualified candidates.

Involving All Stakeholders

To achieve a successful executive search, it is essential to involve all stakeholders in the process. This can include board members, investors, fellow leadership team members, direct reports, vendor partners, and others. Each stakeholder may have different perspectives and priorities, and it is crucial to generate a consensus on the most important deliverables for the role. Engage in open discussions to determine the collective group’s priorities, ensuring and communicating back a clear profile for the search.

Understanding Expectations

When embarking on an executive search, it is crucial to go beyond a typical job description. The most important thing is to grasp and to be able to effectively articulate the expectations you have for the person you want to hire. Rather than solely focusing on responsibilities, identify the specific deliverables you expect from the candidate. For example, if you’re seeking a CFO, consider the very tasks you want them to accomplish in the first year, such as executing a certain number or profile of strategic acquisitions. What will their role in this be? Who will support them?

Screening and Interviewing Based on Deliverables

Once you have identified the desired deliverables, use them as the foundation for screening and interviewing candidates. Target candidates who have successfully delivered materially similar outcomes in their recent past roles. What were the circumstances and challenges in the past situation? How do those translate to the new environment? What did the candidate learn and how do they communicate that to you, the hiring team? Fully vet their past experiences to ensure they have a track record of achieving these specific outcomes. By aligning the interview process with the deliverables, you can effectively assess candidates and identify the best fit for your organization.

Adapting to the Changing Landscape

In today’s job market, candidates have more control and higher expectations. Many candidates seek flexibility in their work arrangements, such as remote or virtual work options. As a result, organizations embarking on c-level searches should consider commuting or virtual candidates. Restricting the search to traditional office-based candidates may limit access to approximately 60% of eligible candidates. Additionally, the financial success of recent years has allowed successful leaders to manage breaks in employment on their resumes without facing negative stigmas. In addition, many leaders are choosing to adjust their lives and leave the workforce earlier, making it important to adapt to these changing expectations.

Conclusion

Mastering the art of hiring for leadership excellence requires industry insight and stakeholder involvement. Hiring teams must understand and be able to prioritize and clearly articulate the expectations and deliverables of the role. Being able to adapt to an evolving job market is also critical. and adapting to the evolving job market. By including these elements, organizations can find the perfect fit for executive positions and set the stage for future success. Embrace these strategies to unlock the true potential of your executive search and empower your organization with exceptional leadership.

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Core Values Series: Return on Our Energy

Michael Gerbasi — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 09:00:43 +0000

As we work in small businesses, a goal of ours is to thrive in under-resourced environments where every contribution makes a meaningful impact. At Citadel Earth, we believe in wisely investing our energy to achieve the greatest returns. When put into action, this value manifests itself as a guiding principle that influences all aspects of our work.

This core value is a great demonstration of how hard work and diligence pay off over the long run. When we consistently apply ourselves and remain steadfast in our pursuits, we can overcome obstacles, achieve our goals and experience the fulfillment that comes from hard-earned success.

What Does “Return on Our Energy” Mean?

Achieving a return on your energy can occur in many forms. Extending beyond traditional measures of success such as financial gains or professional achievements, this value encompasses the broader sense of satisfaction, purpose and positive influence.

While return on energy can be misinterpreted as just pure effort, it’s actually much more than that. We strive to create a culture that allows our team to assess the situation, evaluate options, confer with colleagues and make an effective decision. In business, most decisions are not fatal, but indecision certainly can be. Creating an environment where individuals feel empowered to make decisions, take calculated risks, and learn from both successes and failures can contribute to a more productive and innovative culture.

At Citadel Earth, we recognize the importance of extending this notion of “return on our energy” beyond the boundaries of work. This means that we strive to make a positive impact in the communities in which we live and work, utilizing our individual contributions to uplift and make a difference in under-resourced areas. By consciously incorporating this value into our daily lives, we not only contribute to the collective mission but experience a deep sense of fulfillment and motivation as a result.

How This Core Value Has Come to Life

Citadel Earth has had the opportunity to collaborate with many diverse organizations that face a variety of challenges, each with unique results. Leveraging yourself, or making full use of your resources, is a great example of return on energy. However, you can’t force someone to leverage themselves. The team member must want a positive outcome and put forth the energy toward making it happen.

As an example of this value in action, one organization that we have been working with recently encountered unforeseen challenges in reaching its monthly objectives. Our team engaged in proactive discussions regarding these challenges, emphasizing the significance of goal attainment throughout the company. We shared that if these monthly objectives were met, the team would start to gain momentum, which would provide inspiration to those involved. Following these discussions, the organization saw increased momentum that enhanced the team’s overall attitude and enthusiasm.

This experience demonstrates that sometimes going the extra mile is crucial to reap the rewards of energy investment. Being able to witness the results of increased efforts first-hand is very beneficial to this process. Sometimes, that is all it takes to eliminate burnout and increase creativity and inspiration throughout an organization.

The Importance of Establishing Core Values

Establishing core values is essential for individuals, teams and organizations because they serve as guiding principles that shape behavior, decision-making and culture. Core values oftentimes help us align our lives and career paths, while also playing a key role in influencing our thoughts and actions.

For this reason, we strove to create core values that were deeply meaningful to the Citadel Earth team and representative of our business. In particular, the core value “return on our energy” resonates with me because it brings clarity through focus, encourages collaboration and supports effective outcomes. Establishing the right core values for your organization is not only important for long-term success, but it allows people to feel a deeper connection with their work.

What are My Tips for Creating Core Values?

When creating a list of your company’s core values, it’s important to take suggestions from each member of the company and get people inspired. Core values serve as the foundation for your organizational culture, guiding its actions and shaping its identity. If done correctly, you can create a set of core values that truly reflects your organization’s beliefs, resonates with your team, and guides your company’s growth and success for years to come.

It is essential for your core values to be meaningful and memorable so they can be easily embraced both inside and outside of the organization. As your team develops this list, be sure to keep it simple. For example, you may select five values, or you may find that only two or three strong values are sufficient for your business. From there, you can develop context and actions around these values. Remember, your core values should be motivational, but they should also accurately represent your company as a whole.

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Recruiting your Dream Board

Michael Gerbasi — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 11:10:45 +0000

When I talk to small businesses about the importance of having boards, I’m also advising that they actively seek the right people to fill those seats. Many times, these companies don’t have boards, and when they do, they’ve picked those individuals who are available and have some familiarity with the businesses – low hanging fruit such as lawyers, accountants, or personal friends in their inner circles for those advisory spots. What they should be doing is defining their needs and recruiting specifically for those seats.

One of the best examples I can give comes from a board I used to sit on, where a fellow senior advisor had previously sat on 25 boards. Clearly, that’s the sort of experience you want on your side, but it’s not easy to secure. In fact, the gentleman who owned the company chased him for a year and a half before he finally said yes. It was an exercise in patience that paid off. Ownership carefully defined the need and then identified and recruited the advisors to match to periodically review management’s performance and abilities and act as resources on an as-needed basis.

When recruiting a board of advisors, you also need to target the right type of person.

Someone who has initiative

You want someone on your board who will respond to information AND be proactive. Find someone who isn’t afraid to call the CEO regularly to ask what’s going on. If you hire someone who’s simply there to answer questions, you may miss opportunities to drive your business in a better direction.

Individuals with experience making key decisions

If you are a $20 million distribution company that wants to grow to $100 million, you should find someone who has successfully run that type of business, knows what it’s supposed to look like, and understands how to scale while avoiding bad decisions.

Great listeners

You want to attract advisors who are compassionate, great listeners, and are comfortable in their own skin. These types of people generally say very little, but when they do, it’s profound.

Individuals who are decisive

You also want someone who can help a leadership team to be decisive at important times throughout your journey into entrepreneurship because of their experience. These people are also clear communicators.

Diverse team members

It may seem obvious that you don’t want a group of the same type of people filling your board. But often this type of redundancy occurs without some proactive reflection, effort, and planning. You will benefit from differences of opinion expressed in your board meetings and people who can look at things from varying perspectives. The best outcomes are reached through collaboration.

Our goal at Citadel Earth is to be a valuable resource for all small businesses, including connecting you with the right potential board members, strategic partners, and technology experts throughout your journey.

Interested in more business best practices as you grow Your Small Business and Personal Assets? Contact Citadel Earth today.

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