To be Ethical………liberating! (Part 1)

This Author would like to share a true-to-life story about how one experience with an unethical search firm or unethical practitioner could adversely affect a corporate professional’s perception of the whole industry. Wittingly or unwittingly, as a long-time colleague in the industry frequently says, Clients or Executive Candidates also contribute to malpractices.

For confidentiality, real persons in the story below have been given fictitious names.

“I am so glad I know you and can consult with you! This Search Consultant we happen to work with has not been of much help. And now, I find out while supposedly working for us, this person has even taken one of our executives!”

The frantic Ms. De la Cruz (or we could also refer to this person as Madame Client. Ms. De la Cruz being not real name of Client) decided to call an Executive Search Consultant whom she had known for many years and trusted. When it comes to professionalism and process orientation, Madame Client knew she could rely on the competence, knowledge of the right thing to do and wise, ethical counsel of her trusted contact.

Madame Client could not believe the Search Consultant with whom she was working on an executive-level assignment at the time, did not have any hard information/ documents about their candidate of choice. It was becoming evident to her that the so-called Search Consultant was more comfortable for client-candidate to have direct discussions with little professional consultation or assistance from their supposed search partner. It was likewise coming across to her even the executive candidate was not inclined to seek said Search Consultant’s point of view. Nor did they seem to be in touch with one another. Weren’t they supposed to be in this process together and actively collaborate, she thought to herself?

Apparently not, she again quietly murmured to herself. Did she have any business to expect such assistance from her so-called Search Consultant, Madame Client wondered further, when she had not paid any fee anyway? She thought her deal was smart and convenient being under a “no hire, no pay” term. But still, she continued her monologue, if and when the hiring is successfully concluded, so-called Search Consultant would be charging quite a hefty sum without doing much work. Madame Client mentally convinced herself there and then she would negotiate for a lower fee given the assistance she wanted “she did not receive”.

Madame Client could not rest easy with so many questions in her mind. She instead decided to alert her trusted contact that they needed to have a long chat regarding accepted search standards. She was reassured there was every reason to demand so-called Search Consultant to be a pro-active partner.

Due to the high-level executive involved, her trusted contact informed her that Madame Client and the executive clearly needed an experienced go-between to help the process through as well as provide important suggestions that could aid them to arrive at win-win hiring. Madame Client was sufficiently affirmed by her trusted contact that she needed to make her so-called Search Consultant earn the payment she will receive once the recruitment is concluded.

Unfortunately, while she was in the process of doing so, Madame Client came across some very disturbing information.

One of the company’s senior executives spoke with her in confidence and turned in a letter of resignation. Given her probing nature, Madame Client shockingly discovered the same so-called Search Consultant with whom she was working to fill up a company requirement on the one hand, was actually head-hunting one of their own on the other hand! Was this allowed?, she annoyingly asked herself.

Madame Client confirmed the disturbing, clearly conflict-of-interest information with their outgoing executive. She probed how he got the new job and latter disclosed he was invited by another search firm but that the referral was done through the back door, i.e. the company he was going to join worked with another search firm but had run out of talents to recommend. He learned afterwards that their so-called Search Consultant was the one who proposed the name of said executive to the other search firm. For a fee. It was talent-sharing and fee-sharing.

Madame Client could not believe what she learned and the unethical situation in which she was embroiled. Upset, she got in touch with her trusted contact and almost accusingly asked why such unprofessionalism was allowed in the industry. Her trusted contact listened quietly but intently to Madame Client’s fast-growing saga of an unpleasant experiences with the so-called Search Consultant.

Once the entire story was fully told, the trusted contact painstakingly explained to Madame Client ethical practices versus malpractices that sadly co-exist today in the world of Executive Search. Her trusted contact advised Madame Client to set up a meeting with her so-called Search Consultant so that in a direct, one-on-one discussion, they can verify data, agree on establishing the right thing to do and clear the path to move forward ethically.

Madame Client needed to be pacified; but, being the professional herself, she agreed a sit-down discussion with her so-called Search Consultant was in order. She thought to herself she was certain one of her main take-away learnings is that she would not ever want to work with the same unethical Search Consultant again. She would in future make sure a Search Consultant lives and breathes a standard Code of Ethics and have the code contained in their engagement contract and practiced.

Madame Client is foremost grateful her trusted contact is available for her to consult anytime. For her, in the matter of finding the right executive for a senior assignment, she will place ethics and professionalism and seasoned competence at the top of the reasons why she would work with one firm over another. Her trusted contact would serve as benchmark. It pays to partner with the ethical Search Consultant for it means doing the right thing.

It is good to share that our Client in this story is actually quite knowledgeable in the use of executive search services. The Client has in fact worked with many different firms in the Philippines and has adequate basis to tell the difference between ethical and professional firms versus those which are not.

Take heart! This same article will likewise be able to convey to the reader there are highly ethical practitioners in the local executive search industry. And our message is clear: as you decide to partner with or be professionally handled by an executive search consultant/firm, choose one that is governed by the industry Code of Ethics. A firm or Consultant whom you yourself could say consistently lives by ethical and high integrity practices/processes. You will be able to say too that anyone who “short-cuts” the search process and/or clearly commoditizes the service search firms are duty-bound to provide, is NOT ethical.