If a board wants to set itself and its consultants up for success, what should it do first? Nearly 30 years of running searches with boards and committees have given Michelle Anderson a clear answer, and it starts well before any candidate is identified.
Building a Committee Around Commitment
“Getting the right search committee together, one you feel confident about and that is willing to invest their time in the search, is number one,” Michelle says.
Michelle recommends a committee of five to seven board members who are willing to prioritize their availability throughout the search. That size is broad enough to represent the organization while remaining small enough to meet consistently. Because a typical search requires at least three committee meetings over 75 to 90 days, availability should be a deciding factor from the start.
Choosing a Search Partner
Michelle often speaks with a board chair before a partner has been selected, walking through who OMNI is, how the process works and what the firm has seen in comparable searches.
“Doing your due diligence to find the right partner, the one who is the best fit and has the right experience,” she says, is the second piece.
Board and committee members serve alongside full-time jobs, and a search partner carries the day-to-day work so the committee can focus on the decisions only it can make.
There is also the question of who evaluates whom. Michelle has seen board members and internal candidates apply for the roles their own organizations are filling, and boards value having that assessment handled from outside the room.
“They want a third party doing some of the assessment work for them,” she says.
The last part is reach. OMNI runs national outreach backed by technology and a network built over decades. “We conduct passive outreach,” Michelle says, “and we can bring a diverse slate.” That widens the field well beyond the candidates who encounter a posting.
For a board hiring an executive, all of this supports a fiduciary responsibility to find the right person to lead the organization, which is the reason many boards bring OMNI in at the start.
Being Candid About the Role
Once a board and a search consultant are partnering, Michelle wants one conversation to be completely candid.
Every organization has different leadership needs. OMNI begins with an open and honest conversation about the type of leader the organization is seeking, whether the focus is growth, operations, programs or another priority.
That shared understanding creates a strong foundation for the search and helps ensure the opportunity is represented clearly and accurately.
“It comes down to honesty, openness, and transparency.”
Starting From the Strategic Plan
Michelle asks for the organization’s strategic plan at the beginning of a search, and her reasoning traces back to what the organization is trying to build.
“The people plan follows the business plan,” she says.
A position announcement should reflect the future opportunity of the role, while taking into account the strategic plan. Grounding the role in the strategic plan helps the board define the leadership capabilities it will need in the years ahead, while giving candidates a clear picture of the opportunity and its priorities.
Gathering Input Before Anyone Interviews
Search committees frequently want perspectives beyond their own, and OMNI builds that in.
We offer focus groups, surveys, and one on one meetings to gather relevant feedback from key stakeholders.
The result is a consolidated view of what the organization needs, which becomes the reference point the committee returns to as the search progresses.
A proven process, tailored to each search
OMNI uses a proven process for every executive search, tailored to the needs and circumstances of each client.
The process starts by gathering input, defining the position and developing a clear search strategy and timeline. From there, the focus shifts to sourcing and engaging qualified candidates, evaluating the strongest candidates and guiding the interview and selection process.
Throughout the search, consistent communication with both the client and candidates helps keep the process moving forward and everyone informed.
Creating a strong candidate experience
OMNI prides itself on providing an outstanding candidate experience through a high-touch, personal approach. We prioritize clear and consistent communication throughout the search, helping candidates stay informed and engaged.
The relationships we build often extend beyond the search itself, with candidates staying connected to OMNI and, in some cases, becoming clients.
The Final Stages of the Search
The final stages of an executive search require focus, communication and responsiveness. OMNI works closely with clients and candidates to maintain momentum, navigate final decisions and keep everyone informed along the way.
Our goal is to help clients move forward confidently while continuing the high-touch, personal candidate experience that remains important throughout the search.
Staying in Touch After the Placement
Michelle almost did not mention this part. “I just take it for granted,” she says.
OMNI stays in contact with the people it places, checking in over time. One of her early executive placements is still in the role 14 years later, and Michelle is seeing her in a couple of weeks.
Those relationships can lead to later work. People that OMNI has placed come back to hire OMNI for their own searches. So do candidates who were not selected.
“We’ve had many candidates not get the role, since only one person can, and they’ve still hired us because they had a good process,” she says.
Where OMNI Fits
OMNI’s executive search practice covers this work end to end: the committee kickoff, the stakeholder input, the position description grounded in the strategic plan, national passive outreach, candidate communication throughout, and references and background checks at the close. OMNI’s hourly executive search model gives boards visibility into the work as it happens.
Authored by: Michelle Anderson, Vice President of Executive Search, OMNI Human Resource Solutions