Top 100 Influencers in HR, Recruiting & Talent Acquisition

Top 100 v1.36 Joe and Cecelia Gonzalez

Posted on 20. Oct, 2009 by John Sumser in Blog, Top 100

Cecelia and Joe Gonzalez Top Influencers v 1.36

Having significant influence may be best played as a team sport. Many of the /component/page,shop.browse/category_id,6/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,62/vmcchk,1/”>cialis usa people profiled to date have alter egos who make their contributions possible. Still others lead teams that are the source of lasting difference.

Cecelia and Joe Gonzalez are partners in a search firm that specializes in the HR executive market. Like Darren Romano and Valerie Frederickson, their net impact stems from the people they place around the industry. In HR, these agents are a vital key in the development of long and sucessful careers.

When I first called Cecelia, I was surprised that she wanted to do the interview with her partner and husband, Joe. I had premonitions of an unbearably long hour of the little woman fawning over her mate. I agreed to interview the two of them together very reluctantly.

It was an eye opener. What Joe and Cecelia forced me to understand was another limit in my view of influence and how it works. By sticking to their guns and forcing me to see them as a working unit, they helped me to see a bigger piece of the puzzle.

In this case (and many others around the industry), 1 + 1 = 4

As fond as I am of the self-made entrepreneur and all of its romantic accessories, the truth is that sometimes the industry is shaped by people who work together. There are pairs and teams who have powerful influence.

Just as a reminder, influence involves causing things to be done without controlling the underlying resources. Influencers work through others to get large things done. Or, influencers create ideas and or tools that change the lives of the people who use them. Or, influencers make things possible today that were impossible yesterday. Or, influencers make the ability to do things accessible to large groups.

There are tons of ways to generate and use influence.

BCA Executive Search, the Gonzalez’ firm, has specialized in HR Executive placements for almost 15 years. Over that time, the positive feedback loop (virtuous circle) the evolved from the work leads them to deeper and deeper insight into the role of HR. Successful clients create more success.

“Great HR is all about leverage. It’s not just the right talent, it’s not just the right time, it’s not just the right team. It’s that extra something that comes from a perfect fit. If you demonstrate it in the placement of the executive and then the company begins to understand how to expect it.”

Scale is one of the nagging problems in all of HR. How you take a great process that works in a small firm and give it enough ooomph to operate in larger contexts is a great mystery. The Gonzalez clan is attempting to solve the problem using varieties of social media.

HeadHunter Radio, their latest project is designed to create a library of material for clients and candidates alike. By cultivating the best of the best into an audio format. The team hopes to reduce face to face time with useful material.

The project is a surprising success. With several hundred regular weekly listeners, Headhunter Radio seems to have more traction than a number of shows that compete in the same area.

The Gonzalezes believe that HR should have all of its focus on talent. Like Neil McCormick and Mike Foster (among others), they believe that the only strategic merit available to HR involves people. Administrivia simply distracts from the mission.

Like many great influencers, the Gonzalez have great questions and like to listen. As we learn to rethink talent, they’re /component/page,shop.browse/category_id,6/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,62/vmcchk,1/”>cialis usa a case in point. As we increase our focus on what makes great talent leverage, we need to remember the importance of duos and small teams.

Tags: Cecelia Gonzalez, Influencers, Joe Gonzalez, Top 100