Are CFOs Being Asked to Do Too Much?

Are CFOs Being Asked to Do Too Much?

by Stephen P. Konstans, formerly an SVP at Pearson Partners International As an executive recruiter, I spend much of my time with client companies hiring top financial and accounting talent and talking with CFOs and CFOs-in-Waiting about their careers. When I started recruiting in the financial and accounting space many years ago, life was much more straightforward for CFOs and their teams. It essentially consisted of reporting numbers, handling financial […]

What Makes a CEO ‘Exceptional’? From McKinsey & Company

What Makes a CEO ‘Exceptional’? From McKinsey & Company

New insight from McKinsey & Company shows that “exceptional” CEOs are twice as likely to have been recruited from outside the company as promoted from within. What makes these CEOs exceptional, and why are externally recruited CEOs better performers? “Exceptional CEOs are twice as likely to have been hired from outside the company.” McKinsey & Company assessed the early moves of CEOs with outstanding track records; some valuable lessons for […]

Stay on Top of the Headlines and Be Ready to React

Stay on Top of the Headlines and Be Ready to React

As we enter the new year in the home stretch of the presidential transition, analysts have offered both optimistic and pessimistic forecasts about the new administration’s impact on the U.S. economy. The daily headlines about Trump’s cabinet choices and potential policy decisions have made it difficult for corporate boards and senior leadership teams to plan their strategies for the coming year. Considering this uncertainty, it makes sense for senior executives […]

The Chief Financial Officer Perspective 2016

The Chief Financial Officer Perspective 2016

CFOs Weigh in on C-suite Trends and the 2016 Outlook Pearson Partners International recently surveyed chief financial officers on a broad selection of topics related to their key role in the C-suite. The survey drew responses from 180 CFO respondents representing a diverse group of North American companies ranging in size from $50 million regionals to Fortune 1000 multinationals. Below are highlights of the findings, along with some comparisons with those […]

Five Tips for Hiring Senior Executives in 2016

Five Tips for Hiring Senior Executives in 2016

Lisa Thompson, LPC, PCC – Managing Director, Professional Services Finding the right senior executive for an opening in the C-suite can be a challenging proposition. The ideal CEO, CFO, COO, board member or other top executive needs to have the right skill set, as well as the ability to become part of the senior leadership team and fit in with a new corporate culture. Most importantly, the senior executive should […]

7 Steps to Move Up to the C-Suite in 2016

7 Steps to Move Up to the C-Suite in 2016

Pearson Partners’ Lisa Thompson, LPC, PCC, was a featured author on a recent AESC BlueSteps Executive Career Insider blog about how to move up to the C-suite in 2016. Below is an excerpt of Lisa’s article, with a link to the full article on BlueSteps. If you are a department head, vice president or director, now is a great time to start planning a move up to the C-suite in […]

Women in Search: The New Corporate Gatekeepers

Women in Search: The New Corporate Gatekeepers

Adding Value at the Top: New Gatekeepers to the CEO Suite. Featuring Renee Arrington, Judy Stubbs and Lisa Thompson of Pearson Partners International. A distinguished group of women in executive search now control access to some of the most important corporate positions around the world. It is likely that you will be hearing about all of these women in the coming years. Here’s a sampling of chief executive placements brought […]

Make Risk Management a Priority for 2015

Make Risk Management a Priority for 2015

As the U.S. economy continues to forge ahead, many companies are focusing on their growth opportunities in the New Year. That might mean acquiring a competitor, launching a new product line, opening new offices or obtaining a substantially larger line of credit. For many businesses, greater prosperity may be right around the corner. But the senior leadership team (SLT) also needs to make risk management a priority for 2015. The […]

Learning from Mistakes

Learning from Mistakes

When bad things happen to good companies, it’s important to understand what went wrong. After all, every organization, like every individual, makes mistakes from time to time. Unless the error is so horrendous that it forces a business to close its doors, the best thing the senior leadership team can do is to conduct a post mortem to understand why the mistake occurred. Then, changes can be made to reduce […]

A Guest in the C-Suite

A Guest in the C-Suite

A stable senior leadership team is usually good for an organization. When everyone in the C-suite has worked together for a number of years, executives get to know each other’s thinking patterns, management styles and areas of expertise. When a major issue arises, the CEO generally knows whom to appoint to a committee or task force to find a solution. But there can be a downside to a longtime leadership […]