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Being a brilliant leader, doesn't mean you'll ACE your job interview. It's a whole different game! Over the last 2 decades, we've interviewed AT LEAST 10,000 candidates... ...so you BET we've seen the good, the bad, and the and the utterly cringe-worthy mistakes...

In this past week, several leaders in my network expressed disappointment in their recent CMO hires. Now, whilst there's always a measure of risk in any new hire at any level, I've observed that when critical elements of the interview and screening process are...

July was a special month for me, highlighted with week of inspiration and connection which I was grateful for. The key event was the inaugural Africa Impact Summit, here in Cape Town, with me as a delegate sharing perspectives with leaders from across the continent;...

In a recent poll during the Webinar: Narcissism in the Workplace, 73% of attendees stated that they have experienced toxicity in the workplace. One factor that contributes to the duress and misery levels of employees is the existence of corporate bullies and...

As an advisor to one of the A-list blockchain venture capital funds in the US, I am privileged to enjoy a unique vantage point in the sector as a result of helping both early-stage and established blockchain and crypto companies with their hiring. For those of them...

Each year as we approach Women’s Month in South Africa, I eagerly await the news reports about women in the boardroom or C-suite, and the interviews with great female leaders.  At Jack Hammer, our data centre conducts periodic updates on the make-up of JSE top 40...

I’ve called it a hiring ‘frenzy’. I’ve even resorted to the cliché ‘war for talent’ when describing the fierceness of the competition for skilled blockchain and crypto professionals. And that’s because the reality of what’s taking place in this incredibly hot market...

After more than two decades as an executive recruiter and business leader in frontier and emerging markets, I have lived and worked through numerous waves of hiring splurges as new niches, in new industry sectors and new markets, started to spike. The tech boom in the...

Although it’s clear that most companies are far from ready to communicate a comprehensive masterplan about the future of work logistics (according to a recent McKinsey and Company survey, less than one third of companies have a plan that they have communicated to...

An abundance of research now exists to show, beyond a shadow of doubt, that appointing women to the C-suite is not only the right thing to do from an ethical and moral perspective, but also the savvy business strategy. In fact, all high quality, commercially-oriented...

Taken as a general sentiment from a cross-section of testimonials, it appears our clients genuinely appreciate how much time and energy we apply to getting to understand their business. We apply a rigour to the briefing and pre-research process that is usually...

Towards the end of last year, I read No Rules Rules, the story behind the culture at Netflix and all the personal work that goes into making the company one of the most sought-after workplaces in the world. In it, the authors talk about Radical Candor which, at first...

I thought I was a pretty skilled video interviewer. I mean, I’ve been doing this for more than a year now, day in and day out, and I can’t recall any particular disasters to date. I certainly believed that my video interview chops were right up there, no doubts about...

It's just the beginning of March, and already I’m hearing cries from all corners of the business world - from corporate executives to start-up entrepreneurs - about the grind that they’re starting to feel as we fully immerse into 2021. I won’t repeat the sentiments in...

I took an outdoor walk with a friend recently. Masked, of course. Physically distanced, naturally. But within conversational range. My friend knows that I’m ‘in recruitment’, but she’s unfamiliar with the specifics of executive search, and how this field is distinct...

Emerging as one of the key issues in the workplace that is likely to have a significant impact on a company’s performance, growth and productivity, is the mental and emotional well-being of the people who work there. And it’s up to the leaders to figure out ways to...

Thankfully, 2020 was a year of significant growth for Jack Hammer. With our US office in Los Angeles, and the extension of our on-the-ground presence to all the main markets in Africa, we were the fortunate (and delighted) recipients of a substantial increase in...

1. Making a call on the office/WFH/hybrid strategy During 2020, it was all about logistics – how to get everyone working from home as quickly, efficiently and productively as possible. Sending office furniture and computers to those who needed them, addressing all...

Yesterday was a great day for Americans. It was a great day for anyone living in America (like me). It was a great day for democracy. It was a great day for unity. It was a great day for anyone who looks to America as an example of freedom, humanity and justice....

Let’s assume that you’ve made the (really wise) decision to partner with an executive search firm to fill a critical leadership role. You probably did this because you really (really) need to find the best talent, but can’t/don’t want to do it yourself for one or more...

The book that should be on every leader’s holiday reading list is No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention. Once you start reading, it won’t even stay closed long enough for you to claim it’s “on your bedside table”. The prose is digestible and...

Many more times than one would expect, executive headhunters are mandated to search on roles that are not entirely vacant. Indeed, in many situations where a leader is departing, an organised, intentional and deliberate succession plan is under way, and there is...

For any company to succeed, its board is crucial. Recruiting suitable, diverse candidates can be difficult. Whether the need is driven by investors, required by law or simply a matter of good business practise, a strategic approach to board diversity is increasingly...

Let’s agree that almost all leadership (C-Suite and executive level) appointments usually have a measure of risk attached to them. Even if you’ve done all the due diligence, i.e. you’ve done tremendous amounts of research, interviewed at length using reputable...

As I re-read McKinsey’s quarterly report The CEO Moment: Leadership for a new era (July 2020), I found myself inspired once more  by the stories of CEOs who managed to leverage opportunities presented by Covid to achieve extraordinary shifts, changes, goals, and...

If you speak to leaders and board directors on a daily (hourly) basis like I do, you’ll start to hear a common theme when it comes to their biggest challenges. And no, it’s not about Covid, or work-from-home issues and productivity (although this remains an ongoing...

A few months (which feels like years) ago, almost the entire global workforce was dispatched lock stock and barrel to their homes, relatively overnight, as Covid-19 lockdowns kicked in. Technology infrastructure was sorted out pretty swiftly across the board, so that...

Happy Anniversary. To me! Nine years with Jack Hammer, finding leaders who will help great businesses to grow and prosper. Could there be a better job in the whole world? I suffer from an embarrassment of good fortune - and have decided it's not serving me to avoid...

I started writing this a little while ago and stopped because it felt like maybe this blog had missed its time. However, hearing a number of stories this past week reiterating what I had struggled through almost verbatim, made me want to share again while I feel like...

The past few months have seen the world thrown into turmoil; as one popular meme puts it, we’re all awaiting a return to “precedented” times. But we all know that won’t happen. McKinsey calls it The Next Normal. Satya Nadella has crystallised the three phases of...

LinkedIn is an invaluable tool. It provides access to data around talent relatively quickly and can often narrow the pool of talent in a considerably shortened time. There is a flaw, though: this information is completely unverified. No checks, references nor the...

I sit (virtually and metaphorically, of course) with one leg on either side of the Atlantic, living in the US, whilst overseeing businesses in Africa. I get my daily news literally 24/7, and find myself viewing ‘the economy’, business in general, and the job market...

Lockdown has been extended. What was a 21 day countdown, is now a million day countdown (or so it feels). Please allow me to be not-okay for a moment. Despite everyone trying their best to stay positive, this is one of the hardest things to do - and it’s okay to say...

After the first week and a bit under ‘Lockdown’, many of us may be questioning whether we’ll emerge with our sanity in tact. And we’re now contemplating the next full week of proper ‘work from home’ under these extraordinary circumstances. For the next while, video...

Dear Work-Friends As we head into Week 1 of Lockdown in South Africa, I’m into Week 3 (THREE!) of self-quarantine here in Los Angeles with my family (where I currently live). My daughters are also into Week 3 of remote learning (otherwise referred to as...

It’s one week down, into what is probably going to be the new norm for the foreseeable future. Full time working mum, alone at home with two small children, digging into the depths of her patience capacity! A similar situation to so many around the world right now. I...

If you’re lucky enough, privileged enough and sufficiently ‘enabled’ from a technological perspective, you might just find yourself working from home a bit over the next weeks or months. Here’s some advice from a professional occasional remoter. 1. Get dressed for...

Over half the global working population requires significant up-skilling or re-skilling*. By 2022. It’s a topic on everybody’s lips, and on most** 2019 integrated reports up-skilling is both a strategic imperative and a KPI for all key leadership appointments. So...

Jack Hammer recently released our annual bonus and salary survey, where we unpack whether SA executives are expecting incentives (nee, meneer) or pay increases (aikona) in the coming year. Given the state of the economy, the results were unsurprising – respondents are...

You may have recently heard Jack Hammer’s fabulous COO, Advaita Naidoo speaking on Cape Talk about psychometric assessments. Listening avidly, I was pushed to finish writing this blog which has had far too many edits and versions to count. If you know me, you probably...

Several hiring misses that have taken place in this week alone have tempted me to write a letter that goes something like this: ‘Dear Hiring Manager, you have (again) let a top quality, fully qualified candidate slip through your fingers. And the reason for this...

Non-executive Board appointments are a growing part of the Jack Hammer business offering. Increased complexity around conflicts of interest and the need for impartiality and good governance is partly driving this. Board diversity is another.  Interestingly, the...

I admit that for many years I was a little cynical about the value of market mapping as a tool to help businesses. “Why spend the money? What value can this really add?”, were the thoughts commonly occupying my mind. And then I had a lightbulb moment, and now I truly...

I’m a massive goal-setter. I have spreadsheets for my big picture life and business goals, my one-year goals, and every month….yes…a spreadsheet for my monthly goals. My lists are legendary and, although I don’t always achieve everything I set out to do, my mantra is...

Many of the ambitious executives I speak to on a daily basis have aspirations to ultimately become CEO. In fact, at least 80% of execs will take the call from a headhunter when the role has this 3-letter acronym as its job title. They’re interested for a range of...

You may have seen my colleague on the news recently discussing gender diversity in South Africa. It is a hot topic and her interview was the result of Jack Hammer’s recent findings around the lack of women in the CEO job in South Africa. This data is not new, and it’s...

What’s going to put you ahead of the other 1 billion talented people out there? We’d all like to believe that a combination of talent and hard work will lead to career success. This is partly true. Talent and hard work may lead to some success – if you measure success...

Stress can kill you. Fact. And even if one’s heart remains beating, it can wear one down so significantly that life loses its meaning, and you spend your waking (and sometimes sleeping) hours in a state of despair, anxiety and misery. The frequency of executive level...

When we decided to call our executive search firm ‘Jack Hammer’, we were in the early stages of establishing ourselves as a boutique, with an approach to delivery that was obsessive and fierce. Our tagline, ‘relentlessly getting it right’, encapsulated our rigour,...

“Have you found me the best person out there?” So often in my career I have been confronted with the requirement of clients looking for the “best” – urging me to do whatever possible to secure these ‘mythical beasts’. But, increasingly, I am working with organisations...

In the wake of the dissolution of a prominent joint-CEO leadership structure of one of South Africa’s top blue chip corporations, I was asked to comment on whether it (the joint head model) works or not. A loaded question, with no clear-cut answers. One thing’s for...

It's a story I've heard several times in the last month or so. A story about companies making leadership appointments with the objective of organizational growth and transformation - only to discover that they no longer have the budget or investment appetite for said...

I love my job. There. I’ve said it. For some rather bizarre reason probably linked to my Calvinistic upbringing, this is something I feel quite guilty about. Embarrassed, even. I’ve found myself blushing – SQUIRMING – when candidates or clients take a quiet moment to...

In a nutshell – a great referee is EVERYTHING! (almost) Here’s why: Two Executives. One great job. Both executives show up admirably through all three stages of the Jack Hammer screening process, including the face-to-face interview. On paper, by achievements and...

Potential clients often contact us when they have urgent need of an executive of some description. “Surely you must have someone in your network?!” they exclaim, incredulously. And of course we do. Sometimes, we can channel Yente, the village matchmaker, and...

It's official. 'Digital' has made it to the C-Suite. From the lowly corners of the marketing department a few years ago when companies started recognizing that they'd better pay some attention (and allocate some budget) to digital and social marketing, organizations...

I’ve been recruiting for nearly twenty years. In that time, I’ve read simply THOUSANDS of Job Descriptions, and written hundreds myself. A fair proportion of the roles we tackle as a team at Jack Hammer are brand new – roles created in response to a specific business...