A personal reflection from Aaron Cleavinger, our co-founding Managing Partner, on ten years of building Murdoch Mason Executive Search Group. It’s a look back at the relationships, decisions, and moments that shaped the work, and a reminder that how you build matters just as much as what you build. Those experiences continue to show up in how we partner with clients and candidates every day. #makehiringhuman https://lnkd.in/eiaHKvik
This year marks my ten-year anniversary since I left a comfortable corporate career and started Murdoch Mason Executive Search Group. At the time, I had a dream job at Ulta Beauty (corporate strategy, enterprise project management, M&A). I was partnering with my fourth CEO and the senior executive team, and it was challenging, fun, and fulfilling work. The kind of job you don’t casually walk away from. What changed wasn’t dissatisfaction. It was pull. I kept gravitating toward the people side of the work. The conversations before the org chart was finalized. The moments when leadership decisions actually mattered. That became my new focus. Ten years in, a few things are clear: • Real relationships are the work. Everything else is secondary. • Speed matters. It just can’t come at the expense of values, trust, or judgment. • You learn quickly who you can trust and who you can’t. Put your energy where the trust is. • The hardest part is stepping into the unknown. Realize that you have champions. Lean on them. Over the last decade, we have connected hundreds of people with companies at meaningful moments. What I’m most grateful for isn’t the work itself, but what came with it. Partnerships that bloomed. Senior executives who became trusted confidants and cheerleaders. Candidates who became close friends. Grateful for the trust. Grateful for the people. Still energized by the work. Go Team. -abc #makehiringhuman #entrepreneurship #executivesearch #recruiting #careers