WRITTEN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KYLE J. RUSSELL JUNE 17, 2024
In today’s employment landscape, diversity is more important than ever. Data shows that there is a business case for diversity, and more organizations are realizing its benefits, which include better employee performance and employee retention metrics. Companies must consider not only the professional capability of their team, especially in senior leadership roles, but also its composition with regard to gender, ethnicity, age, culture, and other factors. The challenge is to hire the ‘best athlete’ for the job, who also happens to make the team more diverse.
With labor force demographics transitioning to the younger generations, diversity has become a powerful factor in attracting and retaining top talent. An industry study by Deloitte found that more than 70% of Gen Z employees say that working at an organization that reflects their values is important.
Precita Placements resolves business challenges through the placement of qualified and often undiscovered executive talent. Founded by Lauren Argenti Rawlings, Precita has curated a network of highly qualified diverse executives, and it is constantly growing its portfolio of contacts. Over the years, the firm has assisted numerous organizations that want to drive real change by helping them meet and implement diversity standards.
One organization that has worked multiple times with Precita to place leadership talent is CONMED, a publicly traded global medical technology company headquartered in Florida. According to Rawlings, CONMED has robust talent acquisition processes, including an intensive Executive Leadership Assessment for senior leadership roles, where the company screens candidates for talents that ensure the best possible fit with the team. When it comes to filling C-suite vacancies, CONMED combines its best-in-class in-house recruitment capabilities with Precita’s expertise in helping organizations become more diverse.
At the beginning of the process, Precita works with the client to produce clear and concise specifications for the role, gathering all stakeholders for the search to voice their opinions and contributions. For example, the CFO may want a candidate who has a strong auditing background for a vacancy, but the head of the business may be looking for someone who is sales-oriented. Meanwhile, the HR department could be seeking a candidate who can hire and retain top talent. According to Rawlings, Precita acts as a strategic partner with talent acquisition and broker between these different parties within an organization, balancing their interests to create a profile for the ideal candidate.
“Most people don’t realize how complex executive searches are,” Rawlings says. “It goes beyond just calling people and setting up interviews. There’s a lot of mediating, advocacy, and relationship-building involved. There also needs to be a concrete strategy and the ability to deal with pushback from various quarters, as well as build consensus across multiple stakeholders. This is very important early on in the process, and, if you don’t get it right at the outset, it can drag on for a long time.”
After this, Precita does research and market mapping, and, two to three weeks later, comes back with a slate of candidates that fits the client’s specifications, as well as improves their team’s diversity.
“We have weekly calls with the client, where we share new profiles with them and they share with us feedback from their interviews with candidates,” Rawlings says. “For almost every search that we run, we have introduced the placement candidate by day 30, and then it’s up to the client to move them through the hiring and onboarding process at their pace.”
She adds that Precita also works with clients to ensure a positive candidate experience, such as preventing the candidate from being inundated with interviews or taking into account their timeline, given that they are likely to be considering other offers.
Kim Pence, HR Leader Foot & Ankle and Global Director of Talent Acquisition at CONMED, says their organization is defined and supported by its five pillars, the fourth of which relates to its people – ‘We believe in the power of engaged talent’.
“People are fundamentally the root of our success,” Pence says. “Lauren and her team understand our talent strategy. She has been a longstanding partner and has invested the time and effort to learn what we are looking for.”
She further expands, “We never compromise on technical or professional capability, but we also highly value diversity, and the unique perspectives that strengthen our organization. We very rarely use agencies for executive search, but Precita brings a fresh perspective to what we look for in a candidate. Lauren doesn’t just supply us with candidate resumes, she does in-depth research and is also great at bringing candidates who have an unexpected set of skills, who fit our needs. CONMED moves quickly – readjusting and realigning during the search and hiring process. Lauren and her team are receptive and supportive, and it is an active two-way partnership.”