Entering the Brave New World of Retained Search

Well, Retained Search isn’t new to the world, but it’s new to me. Some of you reading this may be wondering why the heck I jumped into another new field.  The answer is easy.  I love challenges that test my abilities.

I am one of the lucky ones (although it’s been said that “luck is when preparation meets opportunity”), because I can say that I have enjoyed every step and every pivot in my career. From running park districts, YMCAs, leading a major health charity to a technology association, and then on to a tech advisory company then a leadership development company, I now find myself in the world of executive search.  Believe it or not, there are more similarities than differences in my career path.  To me, leadership skills plus tenacity can generally enable one to have a purpose-driven impact.  This is not to say that it’s always been a bed of roses.  There have been mistakes along the way, but I can honestly say that I’ve learned more from the blunders than from the wins.

Retained is a division of Tier4 Group, so I’m not starting from scratch.  Tier4 Group is an excellent company that has been built brick by brick over the last ten years under the exceptional leadership of Betsy Robinson.  Leveraging the knowledge of the team while utilizing their cutting-edge technologies definitely gives me a leg up.  I am clearly not standing alone, and past experiences have done more than enough to provide me with a set of usable skills and allow me to build a great database of friends and associates.  MY CIO/CTO, CEO, and CHRO connections will serve me well. And I will need to tap into all of my connections so don’t abandon me now.  Just kidding.  No really, I need you!

Purpose-driven Impact

Finally, I mentioned “purpose-driven impact”. The commonality in all of my leadership roles is the element of helping people.  Extracting gang members from gangs or helping people manage a serious chronic disease, jump off the page as roles with purpose.  The work of Tier4 Group and Retained may seem more like a job than a purpose-driven endeavor. But let me assure you our team BELIEVES that our efforts have a clear purpose. The companies that we support want us to help them find leaders that will not only meet their expectations but exceed them… and successful candidates want jobs that meets their expectations.  For me, when I am successful placing a candidate, I will want that candidate to not think of the common phrase “work/life balance.”  I will want them to consider work as a part of life. It’s not getting paid to enjoy the rest of life, it’s enjoying the work as part of life. So, our goal is to help people and companies unite to make a positive difference to the employee and the company, that ideally has a favorable impact on the world.  Then, OUR company will know that our mission is being attained.

– Tino Mantella, President and Managing Partner of Retained