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Philosophy & Approach

A CEO-led Executive Search

Hussey & Associates offer a unique and bespoke service, that is rarely (if ever) replicated by other Executive Search firms. It’s Founder and Senior Consultant has been a global CEO for 4 different businesses, and offers an approach that first and foremost puts the clients true needs first, via a deep-dive session to explore what the business requires, both now and into the future. Paul then begins his search, assessing candidates as if he was the leader of the business, filtering candidates based on the 4 pillars of suitability.

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Stang-up Meeting

What makes Hussey & Associates different

1. Paul Hussey personally takes ownership of every step of the process. He brings his 20 years of C-Suite leadership to bear, putting himself in the minds of the employer to find the best talent.

2. Paul will spend a disproportionate amount of time with the employer stakeholders, to delve deeply into the nuances of identifying the heart of the Functional, Leadership, E.Q. and Proactivity needs in prospective candidates.

3. Crucially, after the candidate is on-boarded, Paul Hussey will personally coach and mentor the employee on a part-time basis over 6 months, to ensure a smooth integration. Paul brings many years of mentoring and coaching executives to align them with the businesses values, expectations and unique cultural norms. There is no cost for this service, it is part of the Hussey & Associates service offering.

Specialized Services

Hussey & Associates have partnered with leading Executive Search researchers to bring a new approach to identifying the appropriate candidates, both in Ireland and internationally. Due to Paul’s long career in the US, Asia, India, Europe the UK and Ireland, he has cultivated deep and extensive relationships with those who can identify the top calibre talent that will meet the senior leadership expectations.

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For international candidates that would require sponsorship of a Work Permit (for example, the Critical Skills Employment permit), Hussey & Associates have partnered with Ireland’s premier facilitator of the documentation required to ensure a smooth and efficient processing that will minimize the time and effort required for the candidate to be in-situ in Ireland and be ready to undertake the exciting career opportunity.

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Image by Ashim D’Silva

A CEO C-Suite perspective

Paul puts himself in the mindset of the client, delving deeply into the business needs and strategic direction, and assesses the candidates based on that reality. Because also being an Executive Coach and Business Mentor, he has the innate experience and capability to go below the surface and truly understand what is it the client actually seeks, and therefore understand how to scope any candidate accordingly.

What a senior leadership team member should be evaluated on

  1. Functional Skills and appropriate experience

  2. Leadership Traits and Communications Skills

  3. Proactive initiative and high EQ

  4. Passionate and Strategic Thinker

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  • Why use a Facilitator for a businesses Strategic Planning process ?
    There are many reasons to bring in a professional Facilitator to help navigate your Strategic Planning process. Everyone can participate - the business leader cannot lead and facilitate a conversation at the same time. The facilitator frees up the leadership to put in the effort to ensure the best conversation possible. It is a specialized process - it involves the need for experience, best practice as well as the tools of management science. A facilitator can ask the right questions, to get to the heart of the matter The Facilitator is neutral to decisions - having no "iron in the fire", nor any vested interest in decisions, ensures the conversations remain based on objective criteria. The Facilitator sets the tone - bringing in a professional sends a clear message to the organisation that the business is clearly investing seriously, and displays sincerity of intent. Control of time and direction of conversation - the Facilitator ensures everyone is heard, and the discussion remains relevant and on-point. If the direction mires or drifts, it can be quickly brought back to relevancy and avoid power dynamics that would censure openness. Its a people management skill - it requires the skills of someone used to the EQ and personality types to syncronise everyone skillfully The power of using an external professional to get the ball rolling - its often the first step that is the hardest. While the execution of the Strategy ultimately lies with the leadership, the Facilitator brings everyone together and forces thinking and ownership.
  • Who from the business should be included in this ?
    It is imperative that the Strategic Planning process is seen as having Senior Leadership championing, in order for the entire organisation to buy-in not only to the exercise, but the also outcome and the agreed road-map of growth goals. Hence, not only the CEO / Managing Director should be a driving force, but other key Leaders such as the CFO, HR, Sales, Operations, etc. For the workshop, all the Senior team should attend in person, as well as select key contributors. For the report-out of the final version, key Stakeholders (such as the Chairman, Board members, Advisors, etc. ) should participate to get their endorsement, and ultimately the CEO should bring everyone together for a communications session, to let everyone know what the strategic choices and direction the business is taking.
  • How much time does this effort require ?
    For most organisations, we can have a holistic and detailed Strategic Planning process completed within 10 to 12 weeks. A sample timeline Pre-work- 4 weeks ( working with the key Management and STRAP leadership) Strategic planning in person takes 2 to 3 days, virtually takes 5 weeks + post work as needed. Plan competition and roll out and communication of the STRAP: 4 to 5 weeks. This does not include the time needed to begin the implementation
  • What does the end-result look like for a Strategic Planning process ?
    Tangibly, the end result will be a living document that captures the entire effort, linking where the business sits today, where it wants to be in 3 to 5 years, the steps to take it there, the financial impact, what resources are needed, the HR Organisational Development changes that may have to happen, and what Operations needs to do to deliver on that growth. It is the collective pooling of industry knowledge, the capture of "tribal knowledge" of the business, the SWOT analysis of the internal and external forces that act upon the organization. In many ways, it is the codification of the action plan required for the business to grow and prosper. Furthermore, it means that all activities of the business can be measured, based on objective criteria, and bring all members back to what was strategically agreed to, to ensure commonality of purpose. And finally, its iterative. Naturally business circumstances change, so by committing to this cycle annually, it allows the business to adjust and tweak its direction, while staying true to the core principles codified in the STRAP.
  • Why use Hussey & Associates for this ?
    Paul Hussey has over 20 years of leading Strategic Planning processes, and brings a wealth of experience in understanding how to tailor it to a particular businesses needs. He was the Vice President of Strategic Planning for Honeywell International, and then as CEO led the annual effort for the businesses he ran, in order to set the short, medium and longer term goals and objectives for the Board's approval. A major global investment bank hired Paul to facilitate their Strategic Planning cycle over a two year period.
  • Is this expensive ?
    A; Hiring Hussey & Associates on a project basis is highly efficient and very cost-effective for the results; it is a discrete piece of work that is owned by the business. Please contact us to discuss the parameters of your needs and we can prepare a quote for the services
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