Finding the Right Talent – Boy Did We Ever…

I’m thrilled to formally announce that Alan Small has joined our firm as managing director.

I thought the Waterline would be an appropriate vehicle for making this announcement. As you know the goal of this newsletter is to talk about why corporate culture matters – how it impacts performance – and to also look at how leadership impacts culture.

Well let me tell you that having someone like Alan on board with us will make Waterstone even better…

Alan brings a wealth of experience – 20 plus years – in financial services executive recruitment to our firm, and will be leading this aspect of our search business. His background is impressive, to say the least. Please click HERE to read his full bio.

As you may have heard me say before, people pick people – they don’t pick companies – and Alan is a perfect example of how important it is to hire for fit. In a short amount of time, he has become a part of the Waterstone family and he is a natural addition to our team.

The impact to our culture has been significant.

Not only does Alan bring a thoughtful perspective on leadership and in best practices for financial services recruitment, he also has a fresh view on everything we have built and are doing as a firm. And he’s funny to boot – Alan’s humour is about as deadpan as it gets and provides us with a laugh when needed.

In short, Alan is the epitome of a great partner: collaborative, thoughtful, always in your corner, with a sharp, intelligent view on our business. He will not only be a great partner to us, but to many of our clients – new and old.

I hope you will join me in welcoming him to Waterstone and also to his role as vice-chair of our Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures program.

Cito Gaston – A Great Leader and Tough Shoes to Fill…

On Tuesday, former Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston was honoured at baseball’s Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, for his service to the game. Commissioner Bud Selig celebrated Cito, as one of four retiring World Series managers, along with Joe Torre and Lou Piniella, as well as longtime Braves manager Bobby Cox (who was absent due to a family issue).

On top of receiving the Jackie Robinson Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Negro Leagues Hall of Fame, in 2005, Selig’s honouring of Cito is a great achievement for the now retired Blue Jays manager.

But if there’s ever been a leader that doesn’t fully get the credit he deserves it has to be Cito.

Most of us know the story of Cito and how he rose to the position of skipper for the Blue Jays. Starting as a hitting coach in 1982, Cito was named the club’s manager in 1989, a position he held until 1997 and again from 2008 to 2010. In his time, the Jays went to four division titles, two American League Pennants and of course to two World Series (in 1992 and 1993).

What’s worth noting however is Cito’s management style.

His leadership was trusted, calm and consistent, and his decisions – and actions – were well thought out.

There was limited drama with Cito. He let his coaches lead, and gave them the credit they deserved. But he also took responsibility when the team came up short.

He’s low on ego, and as such was able to manage the big egos.

He’s seen as a gentleman with all stakeholders yet it was never in question – he was always in charge.

It’s often said that Cito did nothing else but have the best talent – and from there, he let them play. That’s the key – having the best talent – but at the same time it does not guarantee a winning organization. It’s how you align talent and what you do with it that makes the difference. In the case of the Jays, you also have to credit former GM Pat Gillick (recently named to baseball’s Hall of Fame by the veteran’s committee), as well as Jays president and CEO Paul Beeston, with bringing talent to the team.

As the Jays’ manager, and as a leader, Cito knew that sometimes it’s not what you do that matters it’s what you don’t do. In baseball, and in business, managers and CEOs will often “over manage”. They call plays “in” too often and don’t make their people accountable.

We see this all the time in the executive search world, and it leads to a culture of indecision. Leaders need direction and clear objectives, but they also need the freedom to make things happen (and to be held accountable). Cito took this approach with his bench coaches, and with his players, and the results speak for themselves.

The Cito-style CEO is truly the one Jim Collins describes in his best selling book, Good to Great. According to Collins, humility is a key ingredient of Level 5 leadership. His simple formula is: Humility + Will = Level 5. "Level 5 leaders are a study in duality," notes Collins. "Modest and wilful, shy and fearless. And they create a culture of decision making, autonomy and most importantly, this generates great results.”

There’s a lot to learn from the Beeston, Gillick and Gaston Era, not just for fans of baseball but also for fans of business, leadership and corporate culture. I am sure Alex Anthopoulos, the GM, took this into account when hiring the new manager, John Farrell.

I have never met Cito Gaston. But I have learned a lot from observing him, from analyzing the decisions he made and from pondering the ones he didn't. Sometimes it is the things you don't do in baseball, in business and in life that make all the difference.

Cito, your leadership helped bring two World Series to Canada – and to Toronto. But for me your greatest legacy is your leadership style – which is way above the line.