Successful Executive Integration: A Conversation with Integration Experts Brenda Kirkwood & David Booker

Our CEO James Baker, sat down for a conversation with Brenda Kirkwood and David Booker who lead the Post-Placement Integration program at Keynote Search on how they help to achieve the successful integration of executives with their new employers. We’ve compiled a number of highlights for you from their conversation on topics that range from working from early wins, aligning objectives and strategy, cultural immersion, self-awareness, the 50 hour rule, and much more.

The Current Talent Market with James Baker

Successful Integration Needs to be a 2 Way Discussion

The 50 Hour Rule with David Booker

Learning The Business From Your Colleagues with Brenda Kirkwood

Key Objectives for New Executives with Brenda Kirkwood

Aligning Key Objectives for New Executives with the Organization’s Strategy

Aligning New Executives with Strategy for Better Integration

Strategy alignment is key to productivity, particularly for new executive hires. We would expect an organization to have a strategy plan or at minimum an annual plan.  That said, through hundreds of conversations with new executives the reality is that many organizations don’t have a written strategy.  

If there is no written strategy, developing a plan to create it is of utmost priority, otherwise, it’s possible to feel like you are doing great things, but if it is in the wrong direction, it will cause tension.  

For a successful integration to occur it is expected that the new executive should have early exposure to the organization’s history, values, vision and customer sentiment.  These inputs should be clear and easy to grasp and then be used in the early meet and greet discussions to ‘test’ the validity of the strategy – is it real or aspirational?  

Confirming alignment of strategy is a major value for the new executive and the organization. Acknowledgement that both are moving in the same direction becomes a great way to set goals and measure success thus setting the trajectory for future productivity.

Brenda Kirkwood, Director of Post-Placement Integration, Keynote Search

The Cultural Immersion with New Executives – David Booker and James Baker

Advice from David Booker for Successful Integration

Self-Awareness Discussion with New Executives

Protecting the Investment of Your New Executive with David Booker

The impact of our Post-Placement Integration Program