The Leadership Agency's FIRST ANNIVERSARY marks a year of DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH!
The recruitment industry has dramatically changed in the last few years, and winning the war for leadership talent has become more competitive than ever. When starting The Leadership Agency a year ago, I knew that there was a need in the market for a recruiting firm focused on leadership recruitment in the technology start-up sector. And I was right.
Just as important, our culture is aligned with that of our customers. We work hard. We’re passionate about what we do. We apply the same urgency and innovative thinking. And like them, we are disruptors.
So where have we come since we launched? I’m happy to report that our business continues to accelerate, and our talented team has grown six-fold over the last six months. We are trained to be best-in-class in what we do. In the same time period, we have also more than doubled our leadership candidate placements within the U.S. market, growing that geography significantly as we support the expansion efforts of marquee customers such as Ritual and TouchBistro.
In addition, we have secured management roles that equate to approximately $7.5M in salaries in the U.S. and Canada. And to cap it all off, we were selected as finalists for Agency of the Year in the 2017 Canadian HR Awards.
A key part of our success is “C.O.R.E.” – a proprietary methodology that we use to assess and analyze leaders and sales professionals for each role. C.O.R.E. enables us to evaluate and find the right people for each leadership and sales position we fill. We have used C.O.R.E. with high growth companies such as Coinsquare, StreetContxt, and Multiview, among others, to hire their leaders, and also build out their entire sales teams. In fact, we helped 7shifts hire their first ever sales leader, which marked an important step forward for them.
While our success to date has been nothing short of outstanding, as I look back on my journey I am reminded that one year ago I took a leap of faith, trusted my instincts, and ran with my bold idea to launch a business in a crowded market but with a remarkably differentiated offering. As I look ahead, my plan is to inspire and mentor other females who are contemplating starting a business. I will remind them that there is no need to wait for funding, clients, employees, or an office before pursuing their dreams. When you know what problem you can solve and can provide a product or service that is better than anything else in the market, that’s when it’s time to take that leap of faith.
Giving Back in a Meaningful Way
Our innovation in this market does not end with the way we support our clients or our approach to leadership recruitment. In fact, it’s just the beginning! So, what’s next? We are now taking a disruptive approach to giving back. In the recruitment industry it’s very hard to move the dial on that front, beyond sponsoring a golf tournament or conference. So, we are challenging the industry to consider another approach: putting their expertise to good.
Our plan this year is to help companies who can’t afford (or find it challenging) to compete for top talent, by helping them recruit and hire great leaders to grow their organizations. We understand that it’s all too easy to get bogged down by balance sheets and bottom lines and lose sight of the bigger picture, but it is crucial that businesses recognize the power they have to improve their communities and the world.
I believe that leaders have a social responsibility to take advantage of their position to make a positive change in the world and enable their employees to do the same. When leaders demonstrate their commitment to a cause, it motivates others to follow and creates a powerful effect on relationships.
As a female led company, I believe that expanding the role of women leaders in male dominated industries is crucial. To that end we will be donating our services and expertise to a charity, non-profit, or early stage start-up that believes in diversity (at least 50% of their leaders or board are females). They will receive up to $10,000 or 25 hours of recruitment related services. The recipients will be announced on International Charity Day in September.
As we enter our second year of business, The Leadership Agency will continue to develop new and innovative approaches to support the tech community’s recruitment needs. As part of that, we will be extending our educational outreach in partnership with Sheridan College. This year we will also be launching We Celebrate Leaders, a video and interview series that recognizes the country’s best leaders, explores what it takes to be a great leader, and highlights proven approaches to retaining leadership talent.
We found our niche and, like our customers, are ready and able to disrupt the market. We have gone head to head with much larger competitors with hundreds of years of combined experience and prevailed. In fact, we have every confidence that in 2018 we will achieve the 100 mark for placements.
One last note – if there is a charity, non-profit, or early stage start-up that would benefit from our donation offer, please let us know by sending an email to sarah.pazzano@leadershipagency.com