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Congratulations to CEO Succession practice co-lead Heidi Smith who celebrates 10 years at ghSMART this week. She shared what makes ghSMART a great place: As I reflect, three things stand out to me as reasons why I continue to be so energized by what we do. 1. I feel privileged to be able to help Boards, CEOs, & senior leaders shape & develop their teams & future talent to help them deliver on their companies’ missions. We spend our time at the nexus of strategy & talent, helping others excel, which is incredibly rewarding. 2. I am surrounded by talented, caring, & fun colleagues who bring varied perspectives & experiences, & who love to both teach & learn. The sense of community & commitment to action makes collaborating with colleagues energizing every day. 3. ghSMART has the most authentic version of freedom & flexibility that I've ever seen. It's allowed me to have tremendous impact professionally while also being present & engaged every day with my family & friends in a way that I’ve never seen elsewhere. If you think ghSMART might be the right fit for you, we're hiring!
Our research shows that CEOs who adapt boldly are roughly 7 times more likely to be successful than those that wait for change to confront them. You can’t predict what 2023 will bring, here are three ways you can strengthen your adapt skills: 1. Get uncomfortable: ▪ Pick up a new skill or hobby. ▪ Immerse yourself in an experience or place that you find uncomfortable. ▪ Take on a job or volunteer assignment in a completely new area. 2. Let go of the past: ▪ Ask yourself which habits, practices, & assumptions hold you back today or in the future. Pick the one that feels easiest or most valuable to let go then let it go. 3. Orient your focus to the future: ▪ Build a network of people in different fields who expose you to new or unexpected ideas. ▪ Schedule ‘foresight’ time, blocking time on your calendar to consider the big picture view & future scenarios. ▪ Get curious and ask questions. The best leaders thrive in a condition of relentless discomfort: learning, shifting, & adapting their organizations and themselves for whatever the future may hold. Source: The CEO Next Door
For the past three months, our team has had the privilege of working with the talented, helpful and hardworking Paulo Ernesto Gaviria. We asked Paulo to share what he learned from his experience as a ghSMART Leadership Fellow: "Being a Fellow at ghSMART has been the most eye-opening experience of my undergraduate career. Reflecting on my experience, I recognize how fortunate I am to have had exposure to executive assessment projects and the opportunity to contribute to analysis for industry-leading research. I was welcomed from day one and have created a family full of friends and mentors for which I am grateful. I have learned over these past few months many things about myself, here are three highlights..." To read the rest of Paulo's thoughts, check out the full post on LinkedIn:
New ghSMART principal Doron Seo was born and raised in Newcastle after his parents emigrated from Korea to the UK. Doron studied Economics at Cambridge and jumped straight into a career in finance at Morgan Stanley. He worked in London, Singapore and Hong Kong, navigating tricky markets during the Global Financial Crisis and learning firsthand about how the right leaders can greatly impact the outcome of a business and the people who work there. While the seeds were sown during his years in finance, Doron honed in on his ‘north star’ at McKinsey: discovering and unlocking the potential of talent. Highlights included working on the global Partner learning team, developing and growing senior leaders at McKinsey, and leading the UK chapter of Asians at McKinsey, supporting the advancement of Asian colleagues and communities. When he learned about ghSMART he knew it was the right next step, a company whose work is “fundamentally aligned with my purpose.” Doron received his MBA from Columbia Business School and currently lives in London. Learn more about Doron and ghSMART:
Meet Principal Brenton Thompson. Brenton joined ghSMART last year and has made great contributions helping clients hire and develop their top teams. One part of the work he particularly enjoys is partnering with clients to help identify and differentially invest in their next generation of leaders. Brenton’s previous role was an Associate Partner at Bain where he finished his seven-year tenure serving Private Equity clients. He is comfortable in high-stakes situations, having been a bank regulator at Treasury and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation during the global financial crisis. His calmness under pressure might also explain his bowling average of 200. A Nebraska and Kellogg graduate, Brenton is our only colleague working from Omaha, where he lives with his wife Brittany and their two boys. He enjoys dinners with his family, Monday Night Football, and since joining ghSMART, having the time to use his Peloton. Learn more about Brenton and the ghSMART team:
This month we celebrate Partner Jason Daumeyer on 15 years at ghSMART. Jason shares why he loves the work we do: "I feel incredibly lucky...to have had the opportunity to work here for so many years. I love the work that I do. It is a privilege to serve the clients we serve and to help them solve their most complex leadership problems. We truly partner with our clients. Our clients trust us, and we trust them... I am also lucky because I genuinely enjoy spending time with my colleagues... I also have to say that the firm’s “freedom and flexibility” values keep the team energized and benefit our clients. At a lot of firms, consultants are often overworked and running at a frantic pace. I’m not sure that is good for colleagues or clients. It doesn’t have to be that way. Clients get the most from teams that are enthusiastic and energized. The way we structure our work ensures colleagues have time for other priorities in life. That balance means clients get more – not less – from their ghSMART teams." If you think ghSMART might be the right fit for you, we're hiring!
Last week our ghSMART Partner team participated in an incredible team building event facilitated by Dr. Matthew Henricks from Helping Hands Program. The group worked together to build prosthetic hands that will be donated to landmine victims throughout the developing world. When we are united by purpose, there is no limit to the impact we can have! Learn more about the Helping Hands Program at the link below.
As Twitter, Meta, Disney, Tesla and other companies cut back, ghSMART research shows how to survive and thrive through challenging job transitions.
In addition to our US certification, ghSMART is now a Great Place to Work UK Certified™ Company! We're grateful for our dynamic, fast-growing Team Europe. Join our team.
In an effort to reduce the firm’s carbon footprint, ghSMART worked with South Pole to calculate our emissions starting in 2021. While we are identifying ways to reduce our footprint and know there is more to be done, the firm has invested in removing CO2 from the atmosphere – in excess of our 2021 calculated emissions – via the Guanaré project in Uruguay. To learn more about South Pole and the Guanaré Forest Restoration project, visit the link below.
