Three Questions With: Lyn Currie, Managing Director, Executive Search [Part 2]

We’re sitting down with each of the senior team members at Waterstone Human Capital to find out, in their own words, what drives them and why Waterstone is North America’s top firm for helping organization build high-performance teams and cultures.

This week, we’re continuing our conversation with Lyn Currie, Waterstone’s Managing Director for Executive Search.

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WHC: How do you describe your role at Waterstone?

LC: In leading the executive search business, I see myself as having a dual role.

From a client perspective, I help clients imagine what their leadership team could look like and then help them build a road map for how they’re going to get there through the strategic hiring of key leaders. So much of this job is about listening. Sometimes it’s not about what a client says, it’s what they don’t say. It’s about encouraging and inspiring clients to think about their organization and the possibilities differently, and about how hiring an out of the box candidate might help them – from a diversity, equity, and inclusion perspective, but also to help accelerate their growth objectives.

From a team perspective, so much of what I do is really encouraging a team approach to the way we work and developing our future culture advisors within Waterstone.

WHC: How does your background influence your approach to executive search?

LC: I’ve had the good fortune of being trained very well, and having early mentors in the recruitment space. Throughout my career I’ve been afforded the opportunity to grow and develop in a lot of different areas in both recruitment and executive search, and I’ve honed the ability to look at things differently. What I’ve learned over time is how to assess candidates and find solutions for clients is far more multidimensional way – to look at more than just skills alone. And now with Waterstone, bringing culture and leadership into the assessment process has really helped have far more impact with our clients.

WHC: What advice do you have for organizations looking to attract top talent in today’s job market?

LC: Being intentional and clear about your Employee Value Proposition is going to be a difference maker when attracting talent. Specifically, what candidates are looking for more and more is an organization aligned to their values and their purpose. When organizations are thinking about how to attract top talent, they have to be thoughtful about creating a compelling, honest account of why someone should join their particular organization.

The second thing we’re seeing is candidates looking for learning and development opportunities. And that doesn’t necessarily mean a traditionally hierarchical approach to development, but it’s also the opportunity to learn cross functionally and through special projects.

So, an environment that encourages learning and development, and an alignment to mission and purpose are two key things candidates want. They’re critical for organizations looking to compete for talent today.

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At Waterstone, we inspire organization to build high-performance teams and cultures through our retained executive search, cultural and human capital measurement and advisory, and high-performance leadership training services, We’d love the chance to work with you –book a meeting with our team and find out how we can help you achieve your growth and performance goals.