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Excellence, Integrity + Impact

Our Approach to Executive Search

Transformational leadership has a profoundly positive ripple effect across organizations and industries. For more than 40 years, Isaacson, Miller has developed and tested ideas about what makes a strong, visionary, and effective leader and how to run an inclusive process to identify the best match for our clients’ needs.

We provide high-touch client service, delivered by carefully managed, professional teams dedicated to each search. We divide our work into five phases that encompass definition, candidate discovery, and selection.

Understanding the Challenge

Isaacson, Miller begins every search by learning our clients’ culture, strategic goals, and values. We define measures of success through listening sessions and translate our understanding of the search into a thorough, compelling position profile.

 

Networking + Screening

Building a qualified and diverse candidate pool requires judgment, creativity, and experience. We systematically and broadly seek out the most accomplished and passionate leaders to advance our clients’ core missions. We use our proprietary database and conduct extensive outreach to identify a strong pool of candidates.

 

Narrowing The Field

Through a rigorous interview process, we learn in detail about a person’s career motivations, track record of accomplishments, discoveries from mistakes, and long-term aspirations. We then test our hypotheses through intensive research. Finally, we establish a connection between our candidates’ capacity to address challenges and maximize opportunities of the role under consideration.

 

Selecting Finalists

We assist with structuring the final review, offering guidance on both the substance and logistics of the interview process. When finalists are invited for the last round of interviews, we ensure that candidates and clients complete their learning about one another. The IM interview process is complemented by extensive referencing and background checks. Our method relies on direct conversations to clearly establish the candidate's ability to advance our client’s mission.

 

The Final Choice

IM provides clients with an outstanding, well-matched set of candidates, and for this reason, the final choice can be complex. We remain active partners throughout this phase of the search helping our client make a well-informed decision. While the final choice belongs to our client, we make recommendations as appropriate. We also stay in close contact with our finalists to facilitate concluding conversations. Although we do not provide legal advice, we help our clients think through compensation packages and advise on relocation and family considerations. Our goal is to assist our clients in making the best hire possible.

Experience + Dedication

Evidence of Impact

40+

Years of Experience and Results

For more than 40 years, we have developed and tested our understanding of the characteristics that define strong, visionary, inclusive, and effective leaders capable of guiding our clients to a successful future.

8500+

Searches

Since our founding we have conducted thousands of searches across the civic sector.

59%

Women Placements

In 2022, 59% of our placements identified as women.

38%

POC Placements

In 2022, 38% of our placements were people of color.