Jose Ruiz

Career Development, Economy, Leadership

For many years I wondered what the real difference was between being good and being great. How do you clearly define it? What is it that puts a person or an organization at a different level than the rest? And I did read Jim Collins’ book which addresses the subject but I got my simple answer in a Homer Simpson DUH! moment watching  TV. (How else to you come to a Homer Simpson DUH! moment?) Ironically it was a General Motors commercial that quoted: “Amateurs work until they get it right. Professionals work until they can’t get it wrong” Too bad it was just a commercial and far from being reflective of their company culture. GM would have benefited by putting into practice. It’s just a simple quote that can be considered inspiring but it defines the current competitive environment that all organizations face.

Business is getting tough. Customer are more and more demanding and it’s a simple fact: If you try to get into something that is not your core competence there is a good chance you will fail and it will cost you. You just can’t get it wrong and to achieve that level you need to become an expert in your field, a specialist with great depth and experience that can anticipate challenges and foresee problems.

These days it’s not enough to be smart, quick on your feet or a hard worker. That makes for a great fire fighter and problem solver and if you’re doing that today you are one step behind. It’s the era of the problem avoider not the problem solver.

And with that ladies and gentlemen the generalist is dead. Learning curves are unbearable and the current competitive environment is here to change the way we manage our careers and what is required to be a successful executive.

Let’s start with the root. Let’s start with the companies that hire these executives and how they are being forced to transform. It’s where it starts. Innovative, highly competitive companies need focus but focus has a price. Most of the time focus comes with a smaller sized market and that can mess up volumes and consequently profit margins. As a consequence most companies are seeking product and industry focus while expanding their regional reach to achieve their volume and profit requirements. Enter the global factor and the need for executives with international experience and a high level of expertise within niche products and industries.

This get’s very tricky from a talent and career management perspective. Lady experience makes it complicated because she is high maintenance and requires time. Ask anybody who is on top of their game. It does not happen by chance and it does not happen quickly.

Defining a career path and making career decisions is getting more and more complicated. You can’t iterate as much and a mistake can cost you precious time. Every position, every project, every international assignment (it’s almost a must now) is a building block that creates your personal product offering. Each element defines the depth of your expertise and your value as an executive. If you are thinking about your next position you must be clear on how it fits in the big picture as one of those building blocks.

A great career is no longer defined by getting some steps right you simply can’t afford to get them wrong.

Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc., (Nasdaq:HSII) is the leadership advisory firm providing senior-level executive search and leadership consulting services, including succession planning, executive assessment and development, talent retention management, transition consulting for newly appointed executives, and M&A human capital integration consulting. For almost 60 years, we have focused on quality service and built strong leadership teams through our relationships with clients and individuals worldwide. Today, Heidrick & Struggles’ leadership experts operate from principal business centers in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information about Heidrick & Struggles, please visit www.heidrick.com

Career Development, Leadership Jose Ruiz, Mexico Executive Search, Mexico Recruiter, Mexico Recruiters

By Jose J. Ruiz

In 1996, Dr Elisabeth Marx conducted a study, analyzing the backgrounds of the CEOs of the FTSE 100 Companies. In 2007, Dr Marx also explored the CEO profiles of the Fortune 100 Index, allowing for the first time a transatlantic comparison of top business leaders. This study provides a compelling snapshot of the top CEO’s in Mexico and compares the results to those obtained by Dr Marx.

These Chief Executives populate the financial and social pages of newspapers and magazines in the country. They make decisions that routinely affect millions of people, influencing economic, social and environmental outcomes. So who are they today and who will they be tomorrow? What are their common characteristics and how are those characteristics changing?

As the country continues to change rapidly, what is already defining the new breed of CEO’s in Mexico?

Two numbers are presented for Mexico’s CEO’s in order to identify current trends. We show the totals and have also isolated the numbers for the newest CEO’s: A group of 47 with 5 years or less on the job.

Broad Market and Industry Trends

In the past few years we have seen dramatic market and economic driven changes in the strategic direction of many organizations. The great recession and the intense competition have forced many companies to focus on vertical industries in order increase their level of innovation as well as product and market expertise. This

has brought consolidation in many industries and a need toincrease global reach in order to achieve the volumes required to provide competitive prices. These changes have shifted the focus from regions to industries demanding executive talent with specific industry and product expertise that can perform across borders. There are already instances o foreign companies in the Expansion 500 that no longer have a country managing director and instead have leaders for specific business units reporting directly into regional or global heads.

Talent Trends

Let’s look at how these broad trends are reflected in the results of the study and how they translate into current and future talent and leadership requirements for executives in Mexico.

Global executives

The term globalization has been thrown around for decades but it has never applied as much as it has in recent years as organizations become more focused and specialized within a specific industry or product and reach beyond their traditional regions of business. Just looking at the numbers can be a bit misleading. One can assume that the increase in foreign nationals running the Expansion 100 companies is a sign of Mexican nationals losing control. However it is clear that the new breed of CEO’s and executives in Mexico are better prepared and better educated in a global environment than ever before. 54% of the newest CEOs have performed assignments outside of Mexico and 53% hold Master’s degrees from institutions outside of Mexico.

Executives who have been successful in international assignments have usually excelled in understanding the environment, leading visionary change, leading results and mastering complex business problems. Competencies that coupled with already acquired industry expertise translate into a small learning curve and quick results.

Senior executives are a more diverse group than ever before and the impact goes beyond the leadership teams. Middle managers and staff members are being exposed to global management techniques, metric driven environments and matrix organizations that are preparing them to be the next generation of leaders in or outside of Mexico.

Increased focus on key industry and market expertise

One of the most surprising trends is an increase of CEOs in Mexico that are being promoted from within the company with great importance given to company culture,  industry specific experience and the leadership skills that are acquired while working abroad. It is important to note that internal promotions don’t necessarily mean internal to Mexico or the region.

The study performed in 2007 by Dr Elisabeth Marx suggests that:

”… the FTSE 100 Companies in the UK and Fortune 100 Companies in the US take a very different approach to CEO selection. Whereas Fortune 100 Companies seem to value wisdom, develop better internal grooming and succession planning and have higher educated CEOs, FTSE 100 Companies put greater focus on international experience, welcome foreign talent and give ‘young guns’ a chance”

Our results suggest that the Expansion 100 companies share a bit of both with a high value on wisdom as evidenced by an average tenure higher than both the Fortune 100 and the FTSE 100 and strong internal grooming and succession planning that begins early and includes elite foreign education and opportunities to gain international experience.

The Expansion 100 companies have more Super CEOs (45 and younger) than both the Fortune 100 and the FTSE 100 put together but they have been well groomed and prepared for succession.

Elite education playing a big role

There is no denying that advanced degrees from foreign institutions play a big role in the development of the new breed of CEO’s. 60% of the newest CEOs hold Master’s degrees or PhDs from foreign universities. The surprising trend is the rise of the PhD educated CEO. All of the CEOs with a PhD are part of the newest CEOs group.

Women on the rise

Perhaps the common trait between the US, England and Mexico is the one that we can brag the least about. A very small number of Women occupy the top job.

In Mexico only Nicole Reich (Scotiabank Inverlat), Carmina Abad (Metlife) and Grace D. Lieblein (General Motors) make the distinguished list in the Expansion 100 but Paula Santilli (PepsiCo Beverages) is not too far behind. Women are on the rise and while the numbers remain very low the trend is positive. All four were internally promoted and all four have extensive international experience with strong ties to Latin America.

Preparing for the future

The motivation behind the research presented in this article is part of our role as a leadership advisory firm providing senior-level executive search and leadership consulting services, including succession planning, executive assessment and development, talent retention management, transition consulting for newly appointed executives, and M&A human capital integration consulting. For almost 60 years, we have focused on quality service and built strong leadership teams through our relationships with clients and individuals worldwide.

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Career Development, Leadership, Mexico Executive Search CEO, Maquiladora, Mexico, Mexico Executive Search, Recruiter, Recruiters

Por Jose J. Ruiz

Portafolio (Colombia)  Publicado el 16-03-10

Cuando se presentan situaciones de riesgo, surgen inquietudes tales como: ¿qué cualidades debe tener un líder a la hora de afrontar una eventualidad de este tipo? Muchos apuntan a decir que es importante tomar una actitud decisiva y de liderazgo, características que sin duda son mencionadas tradicionalmente como rasgos cruciales para ser un gran líder.

Lo mismo pasa con otras como la integridad, la inteligencia, seguridad en sí mismo y el ingenio para los negocios en general, enfocado a un sector específico, pero trasladando la pregunta a un entorno de carácter global, donde se enfrenta a mayores retos, a crisis más profundas.

Sin embargo, algunos directores generales de compañías afirman que existen otros rasgos de liderazgo que con frecuencia son pasados por alto, que capacitan a un líder para pasar la prueba del tiempo, combinados con el poder de toma de decisiones, resultan decisivos en momentos difíciles y prolongados. Un director ejecutivo ejemplar debe ser un alguien que demuestre claridad y sacrificio en vez codicia y pasividad.

La clave es la adaptabilidad, debido a que la gente que se percibe como líder se adapta a los requerimientos que demanda cada circunstancia, para permanecer como una influencia efectiva ante los equipos de trabajo que dirigen. Sería más fácil hablar de encontrar un líder que pueda demostrar empatía, claridad y sacrificio. Contrario a alguien ambicioso y reservado, el gran líder deberá ser capaz de actuar como un destello de valentía y optimismo para los demás cuando se sientan afectados por los efectos de una crisis.

Lo anterior no supone que los empleados se alejen de la verdad, lo que deben hacer es buscar honestidad y transparencia, que se establezca un canal de comunicación directo por parte de su líder en momentos de dificultades financieras y políticas, por lo que muchos concuerdan con que la empatía, la transparencia y otras características generan en los empleados un ambiente de comodidad y estabilidad, cualidades que desean ver siempre en los líderes de hoy.

No obstante, la responsabilidad de un líder va más allá de lo que la gente quiera ahora. Los líderes, deben asimismo soportar la carga de equilibrar las necesidades actuales contra las necesidades futuras, un acto de balance que requiere valor, especialmente en casos de crisis económica.

Finalmente, en momentos de situaciones de riesgo lo que se requiere es un líder con sutil combinación de características, ellos deben transmitir bienestar, estabilidad, demostrar empatía, ser optimistas, proceder con transparencia y sinceridad, todo esto al mismo tiempo que tomar decisiones complejas, emprender acciones agresivas y guiar con decisión a sus equipos. No es una labor fácil, pero hemos visto que grandes líderes lo han logrado una y otra vez con esfuerzo, han sabido sortear las dificultades que se presentan en tiempos de crisis.

“El valor del liderazgo radica en tomar decisiones que sean para beneficio de la organización por encima de uno mismo”, Kevin Kelly, director general de Heidrick & Struggles.

| Read article at portafolio.com.co

Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc., (Nasdaq:HSII) is the leadership advisory firm providing senior-level executive search and leadership consulting services, including succession planning, executive assessment and development, talent retention management, transition consulting for newly appointed executives, and M&A human capital integration consulting. For almost 60 years, we have focused on quality service and built strong leadership teams through our relationships with clients and individuals worldwide. Today, Heidrick & Struggles’ leadership experts operate from principal business centers in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information about Heidrick & Struggles, please visit www.heidrick.com

Leadership, Mexico Executive Search

For the first time in three year Bill Gates is not the richest man in the world. The top spot in Forbes list is occupied by Carlos Slim and not surprisingly the sentiment in Mexico is negative. People are mad. Why? What is wrong with us?

I know the arguments. The way Telmex was acquired and the fact that it’s a virtual monopoly that has been benefited by the state could be valid. But consider this: Telmex had revenues of 9 billion while America Movil (Telcel) was at 26 billion and Telcel was a late comer in the mobile phone market in Mexico. Yes, Telmex propelled him. But Telmex is not what is keeping him at the top of the Forbes list.

There is great merit to what the guy has done and I’m not defending him. There is probably a valid argument for everyone to be questioned. Nobody’s road to the top of the list is clean. Bill Gates is certainly not exempt. The Walton’s have their share of controversy. Walmart is not considered an icon of social responsibility. Yet we all want to read about them and probe into the details of their business success. Slim? No. Corrupt capitalist pig?

Why the animosity? The anger?

There is a tale told in Mexico of an old man who was walking on the beach with two buckets, one open and the other covered. A young boy approached him as he was walking, looked at his wares and asked, “What’s in the bucket?” The man smiled and responded, “Crabs,” to which the boy said, “I can see that, but what’s in the bucket that’s covered?” The man smiled again and said, “I told you, crabs! Both buckets have live crabs!” The baffled boy wondered why one would be covered while the other one would be open if both carried live crabs, so he asked. The old man’s voice cracked as he let out a deep laugh and replied, “Boy, the crabs in the covered bucket are Japanese crabs. They start climbing on top of each other and help each other out of the bucket. The open bucket, on the other hand, has Mexican crabs. They don’t need the cover. Once one starts climbing trying to escape, the others just pull him back in.”

 I know it rubs some people the wrong way but we really don’t show otherwise.  Don’t kill the messenger.

 About Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.

 The world’s premier provider of senior-level executive search and leadership consulting services. The firm’s executive recruiters and leadership experts operate from principal business centers in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific. In Mexico, Heidrick & Struggles operates offices in Mexico City and Monterrey. For more information about Heidrick & Struggles please visit www.heidrick.com

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A few years ago I had a conversation about change with Mike Osterling. My lean manufacturing mentor and consultant. The topic revolved around change management and how it became easier as an organization embraced constant change as part of its culture. My theory was that at some point there would be no need for change management if change became part of the culture and the operating environment. Mike respectfully disagreed.

At that point our discussion was focused on organizations that struggled with change and struggled adapting to a changing environment. A place in time where leaders had to nudged the members of their organization to rethink the way things were being done. Leaders pushed to reinvent the business and innovate. This was the period in time that made reengineering popular. The challenge of leadership was to make sure the team kept up with a changing environment.

Times are changing. Leaders beware: your challenge when it comes to change management is about to shift.

The generation that entered the workforce with the mindset of building a life long career with a steady hand in a corporation is at retirement age. Leadership positions are now being filled by the generation that challenged the status quo. A generation of leaders that learned to manage change and developed executive skills to push the previous generation towards innovation is gradually facing the challenge of managing a generation that does not know status quo. The dream of a culture of change has been realized. These coming generations are built on a higher rate of change.

Consider that everything we do is based on intervals. Everything we do is a cycle. From communication to our strategic planning. Those intervals are getting shorter.  Our main form of communication has gone from letters to emails to txt msgs. Our planning horizons are shorter. We are iterating faster. We correct faster.  Which is good right?  The next generation of executives is built on speed, multitasking and bursts. A generation that feels a phone call is restrictive because you can only carry one conversation at a time.

We are at the inflection where the challenge of change managment is going to shift from helping teams transition to keeping teams focused and helping them stay on track.

Am I getting old?

About Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.

 The world’s premier provider of senior-level executive search and leadership consulting services. The firm’s executive recruiters and leadership experts operate from principal business centers in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific. In Mexico, Heidrick & Struggles operates offices in Mexico City and Monterrey. For more information about Heidrick & Struggles please visit www.heidrick.com

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Loyalty is not what it used to be… and it shouldn’t be.

By Jose Ruiz
Translated from articule published in CNNExpansion.com on Dec. 6, 2009

A few weeks ago my grandfather, who was a top ranking executive in the banking industry back in the 80′s, asked me what I thought about the perceived lack of loyalty in today’s employees. He was surprised to see that now, the average time an employee spends working for a company is around 5 years. An uncle, an entrepreneur, quickly responded loaded with sarcasm: “And what do you think about the perceived lack of loyalty in companies? They think short term and fire people when they don’t need them anymore -this month.” Touche. Hey, in the end, it isn’t personal, it’s just business. It may sound cold and ruthless but it’s not. We just need to sit back and analyze some paradigms that have been redefined over the past decades.

To many, especially amid these hard economic times, loyalty has been discarded in the work place. But the truth is, loyalty has only evolved. I’m sure you will agree with me when I say it is crazy to assume that an organization can commit to an employee for life, just as crazy as an employee committing to an organization for life. It could happen under the right conditions, but one cannot assume or guarantee that it will. Things change and they change fast. Organizations and employees need to achieve independence. Now, this may evoke thoughts of selfishness, but it is quite the opposite. Business relationships exist for a mutual benefit. Employment is not an exception. Loyalty is assuming that the relationship can end. Loyalty is taking into consideration what may happen to the other party when it does and loyalty is taking action every step of the way to guarantee that neither party in the relationship becomes dependant. A dependant relationship in business is not a healthy relationship.

The current economic environment has exposed many of these unhealthy relationships. Let’s delve deeper into the concept of dependence using an example: Bill, an employee at ACME, Inc. is a close friend of his manager. He has helped him when unforeseen events have required him to do a little extra of everything. Bill is a go-to guy at ACME and has been rewarded over the years with generous pay increases. The economy has hit ACME hard and has forced the company to close down. Bill is out of work and now struggles to make ends meet. He was presumably loyal and did everything that was asked of him, including jumping from one position to another. Now Bill is in the open market. His post switching did not allow him to define his own niche or career within a discipline -he has no brand- his resume is a mess and his salary expectations are well above what the market will pay for his skill set. Bill was dependant on ACME and ACME never considered what would happen to Bill in an open job market. By not helping him define a career path, (both internally and externally) and overpaying him, Bill was put in a very bad situation. ACME made him dependant and Bill never realized that he was.

Now, let’s assume a scenario where an investor stepped in, ACME re-opened its doors and re-hired Bill. Bill knows that his life style depends on his current job with ACME. The relationship is at a high risk of turning toxic because Bill’s dependence would most likely have an impact on the decisions he makes at ACME. He knows he needs to protect his job. At best, he will make decisions with a higher degree of fear.

A healthy business relationship and true respect comes with the independence of both parties and the trust resulting from it.

 True loyalty in an employment relationship takes into consideration what will happen to the other party when the business relationship ends. A.J. Smith, General Manager for the San Diego Chargers preaches “We are all Chargers one season at a time, one game at a time”.

As an employee, one must consider all the possibilities, including that your job may end at any given moment. Are you ready for it? Do you know what your market value is? Do you know who may demand your services? Ask yourself these questions constantly. If you are taking on a new assignment, inquire how this will impact your personal brand and your resume. No matter what you do, or what your job may be, consider yourself a freelancer and your job as an assignment. Perform as if every assignment was an trial for the next. Above all, never forget that healthy relationships are based on mutual benefit. Push the other party’s benefit to the edge and you may break the relationship. If you guarantee your independence you will become a better employee. Guarantee the independence of those that work for you and you will have more loyal employees and a healthy relationship.

Be independent and be loyal. The new kind of loyal.

About Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.
The world’s premier provider of senior-level executive search and leadership consulting services. The firm’s executive recruiters and leadership experts operate from principal business centers in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific. In Mexico, Heidrick & Struggles operates offices in Mexico City and Monterrey. For more information about Heidrick & Struggles please visit www.heidrick.com 

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Por Jose Ruiz (CNNExpansion.com)

Una relación de negocios sana y de respeto nace con independencia de las partes, afirma José Ruiz; el director de Heidrick & Struggles dice que el empleado debe pensar en su trabajo como un proyecto.

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO — La lealtad no es lo que era antes… ni tiene por que serlo.
Hace unas semanas, mi abuelo, quien fue un alto ejecutivo en el sector bancario en la década de 1980, me preguntó lo que pensaba sobre la falta de lealtad en los empleados de la actualidad.

Él estaba sorprendido de ver que, actualmente, el tiempo promedio que un empleado pasa laborando para una compañía es de alrededor de 5 años.

Ante esto, un tío empresario se apresuró a responder con sarcasmo: “¿Y qué opinas de la falta de lealtad que se percibe hoy en las compañías? Ellas piensan a corto plazo y despiden a la gente cuando ya no la necesita este mes.”

Touché. Hey, al final, no es nada personal, se trata sólo de negocios.

Podría sonar frío y cruel, pero no lo es. Sólo tenemos que pensar y analizar algunos paradigmas que se han redefinido durante las últimas décadas.

Para muchos, especialmente en medio de estos tiempos económicos difíciles, la lealtad es algo que se ha descartado en el trabajo, pero lo cierto es que la lealtad sólo ha evolucionado.

Estoy seguro de que concuerdan conmigo cuando digo que es ilógico asumir que una organización puede comprometerse con un empleado de por vida. Igual de ilógico que un empleado lo haga con la empresa.

Podría darse bajo las condiciones adecuadas, pero no se puede asumir o garantizar que sucederá. Las cosas cambian y lo hacen rápido. Las organizaciones y los empleados deben alcanzar su independencia. Ahora, esto podría evocar la idea de egoísmo, pero es todo lo contrario.

Las relaciones de negocios existen para un beneficio mutuo. El empleo no es la excepción.

La lealtad asume que la relación llega a un fin. Considera lo que podría pasarle a la otra parte cuando esto pasa y toma las medidas necesarias en cada etapa para garantizar que ninguna de las partes en la relación se vuelva dependiente.

Una relación de negocios dependiente no es sana. El entorno económico actual ha evidenciado muchos de estas relaciones poco saludables.

Profundicemos más en el concepto de dependencia usando un ejemplo: Bill, un empleado de ACME, Inc. es amigo cercano de su director. Lo ha ayudado cuando eventos imprevistos lo han requerido para hacer algo extra. Bill es un hombre con iniciativa en ACME y se le ha recompensado durante años con generosos aumentos de sueldo.

La economía ha golpeado fuerte a ACME y la ha obligado a cerrar. Bill está ahora desempleado y batallando para llegar a fin de mes. Él era aparentemente leal e hizo todo lo que se le pidió, incluyendo saltar de un puesto a otro. Ahora Bill está disponible en el mercado. Su cambio de cargos no le permitió definir su propia especialidad o nicho dentro de una disciplina -no tiene marca- su CV es un desorden y sus expectativas salariales están muy por encima de lo que el mercado pagaría por sus capacidades.

Bill se hizo dependiente de ACME y ésta nunca consideró lo que podría pasarle a Bill en un mercado laboral abierto. Al no ayudarle a definir un rumbo en su carrera, (tanto interna como externamente) y al pagarle de más, dejaron a Bill en una muy mala posición.

ACME lo hizo dependiente y Bill nunca se dio cuenta que lo era.

Ahora, pensemos en un escenario donde un inversionista aparece, ACME re-abre sus puertas y re-contrata a Bill. Bill sabe que su estilo de vida depende de su actual empleo con ACME.

La relación corre un alto riesgo de volverse tóxica debido a que la dependencia de Bill muy probablemente tenga un impacto en las decisiones que él tome en ACME. El sabe que necesita proteger su empleo. En el mejor de los casos, tomará decisiones con un mayor grado de temor.

Una relación de negocios sana y un respeto real proviene de la independencia de ambas partes y de la confianza que se deriva de esto.

La verdadera lealtad en una relación de trabajo toma en consideración lo que le pasará a la otra parte cuando la relación se termine.

A.J. Smith, Director General del equipo de los Cargadores de San Diego pregona: “Todos somos Cargadores una temporada a la vez”.

Como empleado, uno debe considerar todas las posibilidades, incluyendo que nuestro trabajo puede terminar en un momento dado. ¿Estamos listos para ello?, ¿sabemos cuál es nuestro valor en el mercado?, ¿quien puede necesitar de nuestros servicios? Haz estas preguntas constantemente.

Si estás empezando con un nuevo nombramiento, pregunta cómo esto podrá impactar tu marca personal y currículum. Sin importar qué hagas, o cuál sea tu trabajo, considérate un empleado freelance y a tu empleo como un proyecto.

Condúcete como si cada proyecto fuera una prueba para el siguiente. Sobre todo, nunca olvides que una relación sana se basa en un beneficio mutuo.

Nunca limites las opciones de alguien y ten cuidado con quienes no las tienen.

Si garantizas tu independencia, sin duda te convertirá en un mejor empleado. Garantiza la independencia de aquellos que trabajan para ti y tendrás empleados más leales.

Tienes que ser independiente y leal. Con una nueva clase de lealtad.

| Articulo en CNNExpansion.com

*El autor es Director de la oficina de Heidrick & Struggles en Monterrey, Nuevo León y es miembro de la práctica Industrial global.  Su experiencia profesional incluye más de 13 años en las áreas de ingeniería y administración de operaciones trabajando para organizaciones de manufactura en los Estados Unidos y México.

Es miembro de la Sociedad de Ingenieros Automotrices (SAE) y la Sociedad de Ingenieros de Manufactura (SME).

Es Ingeniero Mecánico Electricista egresado del Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.

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This report details hedge fund search and recruiting trends, as well as compensation activity and salary and bonus ranges, for the first three quarters of 2009 as funds have sought to re-launch and re-brand themselves in the wake of the economic crisis.

| Download Report in PDF

Economy, Job Market, Leadership Heidrick & Struggles, Latin America, Leadership Development, Mexico, Mexico Executive Search, Recruiting

It’s not a cliche. Leadership is not about the leader, yet many forget.
By Jose Ruiz

If you collected every single article that defines leadership, you’d probably have reading material for a many years and you’d probably go crazy with ideas and suggestions on how to improve your leadership skills.

Leadership is much like parenting. You can read a lot, you can be taught, you can be mentored and guided, but in the end your leadership style will be unique to your experiences and specific situations. There will seldom be black or white answers. However, just like parenting, the one irrefutable characteristic about true leadership is that it is not about you. Good leadership is not reflected in the leader’s actions, it is reflected in the impact and effect of those actions on the team.

This is not a plea for servant leadership, a humble leader, leading from the back, or leading softly. I believe in that, but I don’t believe a good leader can, or should be that all the time.  A leader should adapt to the environment and what the team needs today without losing sight of what will be needed tomorrow and always preparing for that moment when he or she will no longer be there. Guaranteeing the growth and sustainability of the team and the individuals that comprise it beyond the leader’s time is the ultimate trait of a great leader. In fact, the true success of a leader can not be measured without considering the results of the succession plan.

About Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.
The world’s premier provider of senior-level executive search and leadership consulting services. The firm’s executive recruiters and leadership experts operate from principal business centers in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific. In Mexico, Heidrick & Struggles operates offices in Mexico City and Monterrey. For more information about Heidrick & Struggles please visit www.heidrick.com

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