Starting the CEO Search

By AP Executive Team 10 Comments

There’s a lot of activity around Adaptive Path these days. With the impending release of our book Subject to Change, our upcoming events rapidly selling out, our growing presence in Austin, and our expanding range of interesting projects for clients around the world—there’s more going on here than ever.

Right now, all three of us (Peter, Jesse, and Bryan) work as a team to keep Adaptive Path growing culturally, creatively, and financially. But with all the opportunities opening up for the company, we’ve decided the time is right to add a new perspective to the mix. That’s why we’re announcing today that we’re on the lookout for a CEO to add to our executive team.

We don’t want to replace any of the current executives. We want someone with a unique mix of business experience, operational savvy, and leadership qualities. We’d like someone to help us build on our successes, and make the most of our exceptional opportunities, without sacrificing the culture and values that have made our success possible.

We figured there’s a good chance that Adaptive Path’s ideal CEO either already reads this blog, or knows someone who does. So if you think you know the right person for this job (even if that’s you), send an email to bryan dot mason at adaptivepath dot com. We’d love to hear from you!

There are 10 comments on this idea.

Bob Jacobson

The right person for the job doesn’t work in the industry.  He or she is not focused on trendy trivia and does not make pronouncements.  He or she gets real work done.

The right person, IMHO, is a combination strategic planner swirled with an historian and possibly a naturalist.  Not literally out of those fields, but with attributes one might associate with each of them.

Plus he or she honestly likes people, likes things that work, and helps both people and projects to succeed.

Michelle Malay Carter

Hi Gentlemen,

Sounds like these are exciting times at Adaptive Path, and this is a big decision.  I’ve got some thoughts on things to consider before hiring your new CEO. 

Not all CEO jobs are created equal. 

The cognitive capacity of your CEO will do more to seal the fate of your company than any other factor. Growth, Contraction, or Stability?

It would behoove you to use a validated, science-based approach to assess the work complexity level of the proposed CEO role, and then screen your candidates for the corresponding level of cognitive capability.

Hugely Important Strategic Question

My question is: Do you plan to continue with your “team leadership” approach or are you thought leaders looking to hire yourselves a thought leader? It’s unclear based on what you’ve posted.

Partner or To-the-Next-Level Leader?

The candidate pool for hiring a cognitive “partner” who would add a different knowledge and skill base than that of your three founders would be different than the candidate pool for someone who could “take the business to the next level”. Taking the business to the next higher level would require a higher cognitive capacity than that which is currently in place.

Einstein Believed in Levels

Einstein said: “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”

Your Destiny - Humble Success, Implosion, or Sale?

Very few entrepreneurs have the humility necessary to understand when their “baby” has grown out from under them and now requires a level of leadership greater than they can offer. Relinquishing the top spot to an “outsider” and becoming their direct report takes guts and character. Usually when start ups hit this crucial point, they implode or are purchased.

No Strategic Decision Should Be Made without Looking Through This Lens

There may not be one right answer on this, but using a work levels and cognitive capacity framework to inform these strategic, destiny-determining, structural decisions is the best path to ensuring you continue to grow culturally, creatively, and financially.

I’m a blogger who blogs about system-level solutions for organizational structure, talent management, and managerial leadership.  I frequently say, hierarchy, like bacteria, is not inherently good or bad, but misunderstand or ignore them at your peril.

I used your CEO choice-point situation to make a few points on my blog.  To view my full post, you can visit here: http://www.missionmindedmanagement.com/adaptive-path-at-destinys-door

Regards,

Michelle Malay Carter

Rex Guo

You might wanna refer to the process HP went through

during their search for a new CEO and finally picking

Carly Fiorina.

Carly Fiorina described it in great detail, including

a psychology test she agreed to go through, in her

memoir ‘Tough Choices’.

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