In today’s episode, Willy welcomes Thomas Daniels. Previously a managing director and senior banker for investment banking recruiting at JPMorgan, Thomas is motivated to “discover and develop talent for a better future.” As a senior director and partner at Spencer Stuart, he has served on the firm’s audit and risk and cybersecurity committees and worked on executive search, succession planning, executive assessment, and board assignments for large multinationals, midcap private equity, and asset management firms. He is a speaker and panelist and has contributed to several articles, such as “Recruiting the Next Generation of Financial Experts to Boards” and “Lessons and Advice for Today’s CFO”.

The podcast begins with Thomas explaining how the Great Resignation has impacted Spencer Stuart. Although negative on the surface, he believes there is “more liquidity than ever in human capital markets,” as Gen Z and millennial employees are upskilling and more concerned with work-life balance. To retain top talent, enlightened companies are proactive in getting people engaged and prioritizing a culture of purpose, mentorship, and recognition. Despite the surge of remote meetings, more people are moving across states for greener career pastures.

Spencer Stuart experienced a 19% surge of board meetings in 2021, which Thomas connects to unprecedented issues caused by the pandemic. The hybrid model has expanded the firm’s pool of potential directors. As 70% of CEOs in the S&P 500 had no prior C-level experience, the criteria for effective CEOs have shifted from an extensive background experience to self-awareness and thinking agility. Thomas enumerates the firm’s methods for spotting the outstanding ones: deep dive assessments, off-channel references, and executive intelligence interviews. Culture is another major piece in finding the most exceptional talents, as Thomas explains, “They want someone who’s a little bit different from the culture, which will create a little bit more edge… So it’s really about being aligned with the values, being compatible with the culture, and letting the culture adjust.”

Only the market can determine if CEOs are overpaid, says Thomas. Whether Elon Musk fails in his short-term endeavors, it is up to shareholders to decide whether performance-based metrics should be established. The best CEOs in the world hold an average tenure of 15 years, in comparison to the U.S.’s average of 7 years. Leadership styles continue to evolve in the volatile landscape of voluntary departures, political divisiveness, and COVID-19 recovery. Thomas emphasizes that for all leaders in any organization size, “The most important thing right now is having the strategic skills but also creating an environment where everyone is collaboratively working together… leading by example and showing that you can play well in the sandbox with others.” Thomas describes the signs of a competent CFO as having addressed unexpected adverse economic situations and being tech-savvy.

GET NOTIFIED about upcoming shows:
» Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5jhzGBWOTvQku2kLbucGcw
» See upcoming guests on the #WalkerWebcast here:
https://www.walkerdunlop.com/webcasts/