Stephen H Baum Leadership

We are headed to Asia at the end of the week, but wanted to share an observation with you before we immerse ourselves in new-to-us cultures. A family member has quit his job in the MidWest to move to California and has been networking in search of his next senior management gig. He has done so on both coasts and has reported this observation:

In the (traditional) Northeast, the first questions asked of him, whether by the CEO or the private equity investor or recruiter, are (1) why did you leave your last position and (2) walk me through the chronology of your resume.

In the (forward looking) California (Los Angeles, San Francisco and silicon valley), the first questions are (1) what are you really good at and (2) what do you want to do with it.

In the Northeast, there are positions available and a war for talent, but the system has barriers. Networking is often an audition. In California, the positivity is palpable. Networking is a preview working session.

This difference in attitude will surely have impact on the recovery. And based on the number of start-ups in clean energy, on-line commerce and more, it already is. And my bet is that leaders who show up with the West Coast attitude are magnets for the best talent. Even if they are in New York.

That’s my view. What’s yours?