Jose Ruiz

By Jose Ruiz
Consumer Markets

Monterrey, Nuevo Leon (August 21, 2009).- A few days back I read an article about how Starbucks’ baristas were complaining about the new ‘lean’ initiative that was turning them into robots. The baristas – from Italian etymology referring to a person working behind the bar, in this case an espresso bar – were talking about the efforts to eliminate unnecessary movements and steps to improve efficiencies. Methods long used in manufacturing lines…and fast food restaurants.

A grinder next to an espresso machine

The article called it the McDonalization of Starbucks. McDonalization? I have to say I’m not sure what the baristas were complaining about. Starbucks has been in the fast food business for a long time. It’s been years since I’ve seen a stand alone espresso grinder or a tamper in a Starbucks coffee house.

When you walk into a neighborhood coffee house the smell is different. You can spot at least two stand alone grinders that are hand calibrated to get the perfect grain size of different types of espresso beans. The barista grinds the beans, places the grind in a porta-filter and compacts the grind with a tamper and then places the porta-filter in the machine to obtain a shot of espresso. The grinder settings, the hand pressure used to compact the grind into the porta-filter, the time used to extract the shot are all variables the barista controls. It’s an art. To prepare espresso drinks, such as the now famous, caramel machiatto or a cinnamon latte, the espresso shot is added to vapor heated milk. Achieving the right temperature and speed in heating the milk to release sweetness is an art itself. Syrups are then used to add more sweetness and flavors. It has been a very long time since Starbucks baristas have controlled those variables.

Coffee Syrups

Starbucks has long used super automatic espresso machines. At the push of a button, an internal grinder, grinds the right amount of espresso and automatically does everything else for an espresso shot to come out of its spout. There are no syrup racks at Starbucks, only pre-prepared concentrate mixes for their drinks. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a bad thing. It guarantees me that a teenager who just got started will prepare my short latte the same way a seasoned barista can in the same store. It’s a good thing for consistency. But it’s no longer an art at Starbucks. Baristas can complain about the McDonalization of Starbucks but they really have not been true baristas in a long time.

A Tamper

But here is the irony. This morning I walked into a coffee shop. The smell was there. Two grinders stood tall on the bar along side a syrup rack. A tamper and a used grind box was there sitting next to a three group espresso machine. I asked the barista if he could do something special for me…and he did! I took my drink and sat on a real leather sofa to read the newspaper. I wanted to take out my laptop to write this but it just did not feel right.  Ahh, a real coffee shop: A McCafe. Yes, you read right: A McCafe sitting next to a McDonald’s sharing a terrace. McCafe’s are incorporating traditional coffee house techniques and training real baristas.  

Maybe those baristas complaining about the McDonalization of Starbucks should go work for a McCafe.

…Oh, and the price of my short latte was about 20% less compared to Starbucks.  

A McCafe: Notice the grinder on the bar and the real cups sitting on top of the espresso machine. It's a coffee house! They're getting it right.

Consumer Markets, Mexico Industry Consumer Markets, LinkedIn, McDonald's, Mexico Executive Search, Mexico Executive Search, Recruiter, Recruiters, Starbucks

You Corp.
Succeed by applying to your personal life and career the same principals that propel leading corporations.

by Jose Ruiz

The exact definition of business is a matter of debate.  But without getting into much detail or controversy a business is a legally recognized organization designed to provide goods and/or services to consumers.  Formed to earn profit that will increase the wealth of its stake holders and grow the business itself.
 
If you are reading this there is a high probability that you work, you are either an employee or an entrepreneur.  It really does not matter.  In the end, you do something (your product) and someone pays for it.  People who surround you or depend on you such as your wife, kids, parents are affected by how you do it and what you get. They, along with you, are stake holders. I’m pretty sure that you and your stake holders have felt the need to increase your wealth. You are a business.
 
Working in executive search I speak to many managers and directors from Fortune 500 organizations. They are masters of business strategy and execution yet, most of the time, I get a strange look if not a blank stare when I ask how they have applied those concepts to their person and how they have used those concepts to get to where they are. I truly can’t say they got there by chance. But I’m also not sure it was always something that was planned and mapped out. There are moments in time which change the course of events, alter the paths of your career and change your professional life. Some are positive and some are negative and for most of us the majority of these events are unexpected.
 
When I ask people who have had successful careers what the secret is, the most common response is “hard work and perseverance”. Check! You won’t be successful without them. But I also know many people who have worked hard, been relentless and have fallen short of their goals. There are no guarantees that you will be successful and achieve all of your goals, but I bet you can increase your chances by applying the same business concepts great corporations use. You might already work for one and apply them everyday, you just might not be applying them to yourself.
 
Identify and understand your stakeholders
People who surround you or depend on you such as your wife, kids, parents are affected by how you do it and what you get. What are their needs today and what will they be tomorrow? Your needs and those of your other stakeholders should be your big objective.
 
Know, understand and develop your product/service 
Know what makes you valuable and think about how your current job or activities will affect that value. In the end, your employer is your client. How many potential clients do you have? Be strategic. Everything you do should be part of the creation of a unique and valuable position. A good strategy may require you to make trade-offs – Your resources are limited. Choosing what not to do is just as important as choosing what to do.
 
Create and propel your personal brand
Yes, you are a brand. Distinguish yourself and make sure you never forget that perceptions matter. People remember you and what you are by what you do and what you reflect. Work on a positive brand.
 
Apply The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles)
Good-to-Great companies do what they can do best (as opposed to what they want to do best), what they are deeply passionate about, and they focus on what drives their economic engine.
 
Be effective: Plan and execute seamlessly
Know where you want to go, plan how you are going to get there and when. Be visionary. Spot trends but stay focused and constantly reassess everything.
 
Focus, document and measure relentlessly
Use a central score board and share it with your stakeholders. Goals slip when progress is not being measured…and measured against time. Set milestones at frequent intervals. When gaps occur, question what went wrong and apply corrective actions.
 
Be ruthless with resources and stay financially flexible
We live in a world of cycles. Recessions and economic crisis will happen and most likely a few times in our lifetime. Be prepared, don’t lose focus and be sustainable. Plan long term.
 
Don’t B.S. yourself
B.S. your clients or your stakeholders and it will have an impact on your personal brand. B.S. yourself and you will be on a direct path to failure. Believe your own B.S. and you are done.

Jose Ruizis a Principal in Heidrick & Struggles’ Monterrey office. As an executive recruiter he has worked on executive search projects for multinational clients in industrial sectors and consumer markets. He can be reached at +52 (818) 8625-6521 or jruiz@heidrick.com

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

HR Management in Mexico, Leadership, Mexico Executive Search Executive Recruiters, Jose Ruiz, LinkedIn, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Recruiter, Manufacturing Recruiters, Maquiladora, Maquiladora Recruiter, Maquiladora Recruiters, Mexico, Mexico Executive Search, Mexico Manufacturing, Mexico Recruiter, Mexico Recruiters

By Jose Ruiz

What a difference context makes in our perceptions of leadership.  After 9/11 I once asked a group of friends from New York what they thought of Rudolph Giuliani. They unanimously replied that he was a great leader – decisive, assertive, and determined, with the ability to inspire a sense of security in a time of fear and crisis. When Mayor Giuliani later ran for President I asked the same group the same question.  They then said, again unanimously, that he was a poor leader – stubborn, hard-headed, and prone to making unilateral decisions. 

In a context of immediate crisis, Giuliani’s character and management style had made him appear to my friends to be an exemplary leader.  But when the context changed from an immediate crisis to the challenge of leading a nation of many voices and political differences over the long term what they had once seen as decisiveness and assertiveness struck them as inflexibility.  

Certainly, decisiveness, assertiveness, and determination are typically cited as key traits for a great leader.  So are integrity, intelligence, self-confidence, and – in the world of commerce – general and industry-specific business acumen.  But as the work of Heidrick & Struggles with boards and CEOs over many decades shows and as a series of recent conversations with leaders and others confirms, there are other, often overlooked traits of leadership that enable leaders to stand the test of time.  It is these traits, coupled with the other more obvious leadership qualities like decisiveness, that are particularly valuable in times of deep and prolonged crisis like the current recession.  

“The key is adaptability,” says Gilad Langer, Product Strategist and Technical Leader at Camstar Systems, a leading provider of enterprise manufacturing execution and quality systems.  He explains that people who are continuously perceived as great leaders adapt to what is required at each moment to remain effective influences on the teams they lead.  As business technology consultant Gary Clarke, puts it, “The qualities of leadership that are respected and admired by others shift with the demands of time and as the group’s needs and perceptions shift as well.”   About the current economic situation he says, “Right now, someone who can demonstrate empathy, clarity and sacrifice would be nice to see as opposed to greed and aloofness.”  George Dakos, Managing Director of Stedima Business Consultants, Athens agrees. “The great leader,” he says, “should be able to act as a beam of courage and optimism for others when they are hit by the crisis blues.”

However, that doesn’t mean that employees want to be shielded from the truth.  Most people when asked what they expect from their leaders in times of economic crisis say they want honest communication and transparency. Avi Singer, Director of Organizational Development at Undertone Networks, an online advertising network, calls it “sincerity.”  He points out that people would much rather hear bad news, prepare themselves, and act rather than live in anxiety. As an executive from a Fortune 100 company observed after she was laid off: “I’m concerned about my future, but I’m grateful to the organization for the way they went about doing things. The public announcement regarding cuts was made on Monday. They told us who was being laid off on Tuesday, and on Wednesday the CEO announced it was over.”

Many people agree that empathy, transparency, and other traits that provide comfort and stability are what employees want in their leaders now. However, a leader’s responsibility goes beyond what people want now.  Leaders must also bear the burden of balancing current needs against the needs of the future, a balancing act that requires courage, especially in times of economic crisis.  Says Kevin Kelly, CEO of Heidrick & Struggles, “Courage in leadership is about making decisions that are for the benefit of the organization over oneself.” 

As these conversations indicate, these uncertain times call for leaders with a subtle mix of characteristics.   They must provide comfort and stability, show empathy, exude optimism, proceed transparently and sincerely – all while making difficult decisions, taking courageous action, and decisively guiding their teams.  That’s a tall order, but we’ve seen it fulfilled time and again by great leaders in times of crisis.

Jose Ruiz is a Principal in Heidrick & Struggles’ Monterrey office. As an Executive Recruiter / Executive Search Consultant he has served multinational clients in industrial sectors and consumer markets. He can be reached at +52 (811) 1771-4507 or jruiz@heidrick.com

About Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.
Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. is the world’s premier provider of senior-level executive search and leadership consulting services, including talent management, board building, executive on-boarding and M&A effectiveness. For more than 50 years, we have focused on quality service and built strong leadership teams through our relationships with clients and individuals worldwide. Today, Heidrick & Struggles 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

Leadership Executive Recruiter, Leadership, LinkedIn, Mexico Executive Search

I remember asking a group of friends from New York after 9/11 what they thought of Rudolph Giuliani. The response was that they believed he was a great leader. They described him as decisive, assertive and determined, able to inspire a sense of security in a time of fear and crisis. When Giuliani was running for President I asked the same group what they thought and they said they believed Giuliani was not a good leader. He was stubborn, hard headed and made unilateral decision. It was obviously not the answer I was expecting but made me realize that at the time, in crisis, Giuliani’s character and management style made him a good leader but his style was not perceived flexible enough and at least this group of individuals felt that he did not evolve as circumstances and the environment changed.

What makes a good leader? His character and style? My hypothesis is that that it is his/her ability to adapt to what is required at the time to successfully guide the people that he/she leads. What makes a good leader in times of economic crisis?

Please comment!

HR Management in Mexico, Mexico Executive Search Executive Recruiter, Leadership, LinkedIn, Mexico Executive Search

By Caroline Lamot

CHICAGO (January 30, 2008 ) — Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSII). In a great story of how Heidrick & Struggles teams across borders, Terry Chuah (Menlo Park), Ignacio Perez (Mexico City) and Jose Ruiz (Monterrey) worked together to answer a client’s needs in a way that only Heidrick can.

Navman Wireless Holdings is a leading global provider of vehicle tracking and fleet management solutions. Headquartered in Chicago, the company is private equity-backed and was formerly a part of Brunswick New Technologies, a division of $5 billion Brunswick Corporation.

The company is a great client of Heidrick & Struggles – Terry completed a Chief Technology Officer search for the firm last year so when they needed a GM for their new Mexico operations to be headquartered in Monterrey, Heidrick & Struggles was the obvious choice. In a fortuitous confluence of the interests, Heidrick & Struggles is setting up an office in Monterrey and could offer real and local market expertise.

“This is a great example of why Heidrick & Struggles works so well on a global basis,” said Jose Ruiz, the lead consultant on the search and a principal in the Monterrey office. “Our unique ability to combine the strong existing US-based relationships with regional market knowledge and expertise is key.”

About Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.
Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. is the world’s premier provider of senior-level executive search and leadership consulting services, including talent management, board building, executive on-boarding and M&A effectiveness. For more than 50 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.

Mexico Executive Search Executive Recruiter, LinkedIn, Maquiladora Recruiter, Maquiladora Recruiters, Mexico Executive Search, Mexico Recruiters, Recruiting in Mexico, Recruiting in Monterrey

CHICAGO (January 29, 2008 ) — Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSII), the world’s premier executive search and leadership consulting firm, today announced that Jose Ruiz has joined the firm’s Monterrey office as a Principal in the Industrial Practice, with the additional responsibility to continues the firm’s expansion to the Northern Mexico.

“With a robust experience in engineering and operations management working for manufacturing organizations in the US and Mexico within the aerospace, automotive, medical device and other industrial sectors, Jose will be instrumental to our growth strategy in the country and regionally”, said Manoel Rebello, Regional Managing Partner, Latin America. “We are pleased to welcome Jose to Heidrick & Struggles.”

Jose joins Heidrick & Struggles from a boutique executive search firm based in San Diego, CA, where he was the Managing Partner. Previous experience includes serving as VP and General Manager at Holley Performance Products. Prior to that, Jose held positions in organizational development, human resource, quality management, project management and equipment design with Frisa Forjados in Monterrey, NL and Energy Labs Inc. in San Diego, CA. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).

Jose holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from the Instituto Technologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. He is fluent in English and Spanish.

About Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.
Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. is the world’s premier provider of senior-level executive search and leadership consulting services, including talent management, board building, executive on-boarding and M&A effectiveness. For more than 50 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.

###

Contact
Paula Barifouse at +55 11 5504 4058 or pbarifouse@heidrick.com

Mexico Executive Search Executive Recruiter, Heidrick & Struggles, Jose Ruiz, LinkedIn, Maquiladora Recruiter, Maquiladora Recruiters, Mexico Executive Search, Mexico Recruiter, Mexico Recruiters, Recruiting in Monterrey

According to data released today by the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) in its 2009 AESC Member Outlook report, several market sectors are expected to strengthen despite the state of the world economy. Executive search consultants anticipate executive job opportunities to increase in healthcare (32%), government (30%), pharmaceuticals/biotech (26%), and natural resources (26%). The AESC Outlook Survey was conducted from 5 to 30 December 2008.

While the overall outlook of executive search consultants for 2009 is negative, recruiting demand in several industries is expected to remain stable throughout the year, including non-profit (52%), education (48%), professional services (39%), media/entertainment (34%) and information technology (31%). AESC members surveyed expect the global executive job market to rebound in the second half of 2009.

The survey findings reveal that executive recruiters expect to see the greatest scarcity of talent in finance and accounting positions, as well as in executive management/board positions and engineering posts. Globally, China is expected to see the greatest need for executive talent in 2009 (66%), followed by India (43%), and Eastern Europe (30%).

Comparing this data to the last AESC Outlook report conducted in mid-2008, executive recruiters continue to anticipate demand for executives in the natural resources and healthcare sectors, while they expect to see less demand for executives in manufacturing and professional services.

According to AESC President Peter Felix, “Despite the current state of the global economy, our members still see several bright spots for executive hiring in 2009. Other sectors will begin to step up their executive hiring as the current uncertainty dissipates and greater optimism begins to work its way into boardrooms. Typically executive search is an early indicator of renewed strength in the economy as organizations either upgrade or begin to invest in new executive talent. Given the extreme talent shortage which was being experienced in many sectors globally until the end of the third quarter last year our members are optimistic that strategic recruiting will pick up by the second half of the year.”

The 2009 AESC Member Outlook Survey is sponsored by Talent Technology. A full copy of the survey report is available upon request (contact nrenton@aesc.org)

www.aesc.org

Mexico Executive Search Executive Recruiter, Executive Search Consultants, LinkedIn, Mexico Economy