A résumé can tell you where someone has worked, what titles they have held, and what they have accomplished. What it cannot always tell you is how they think, how they lead, how they solve problems, or what they may be capable of doing next. This is where the real work of executive search begins….
At Purple Squirrel Advisors, we believe the best searches happen when a client is willing to look beyond a checklist and consider potential, fit, and the long-term value a person can bring to the business. The strongest hires are not always black-and-white decisions. More often, they live in the grey. That was certainly the case…
One of the things we’ve learned over time is that the best searches rarely stay within the boundaries of the job description. A couple of years ago, we were retained for a Director of Sales search with an industrial manufacturer in South Florida. While the role was intentionally cross-functional from the start, we didn’t fully…
Every recruiter knows that moment: the uneasy pause after sending the first slate of candidates to a new client. You wait, hopeful, because you know there’s strong talent in the mix. But then comes the call. Purple Squirrel Advisors had a new client who was searching for an Operational Leader. We sent the initial slate…
Some searches go beyond finding the right leader. They help a company move forward without losing sight of where it came from. A few years ago, a second-generation leader of a Michigan-based family-owned business approached Purple Squirrel Advisors with a challenge. They were preparing to take on greater leadership responsibility but were struggling to do…
What happens when a business grows for years without building a true leadership bench, and suddenly needs one? That was the challenge facing a small, founder-led manufacturing company recently acquired by a private equity firm. The owner was still managing daily operations, but there was a widening gap between him and the rest of the…