Transforming Healthcare Executive Searches with DEIB-driven Recruitment
Innovative and determined leaders focused on patient well-being are essential to quality healthcare. Such committed leadership is reflected in the trend of healthcare executives delaying planned retirements and leveraging their expertise to lead through the COVID-19 crisis. Similarly, during the early years of the global AIDS pandemic, as cases spiked and HIV/AIDS service organizations proliferated, the demand for dedicated leaders who reflected the communities most impacted by the virus grew. Today, with an unprecedented surge in leadership transitions, increased focus on the value of diverse teams, and historic shortages of talent, many healthcare organizations struggle to fill senior positions.
Enter McCormack+Kristel, a national provider of executive search consulting services for nonprofits and philanthropic organizations. The firm was established in 1993 with a mission to recruit executive talent to public and community health organizations serving people living with HIV. Over the years, the practice has expanded to specialize in placing skilled executive and senior leaders in healthcare foundations, advocacy, social justice, and health and human service organizations.
McCormack+Kristel considers diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) as essential pillars of thriving organizations. A certified diversity-owned business, its ownteam, which includes former nonprofit CEOs, career search professionals, and organizational and leadership development consultants, is entirely comprised of women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ community.
Since its founding, McCormack+Kristel is committed to upholding inclusive recruiting practices and providing broadly diverse candidate pools to its mission-driven clients. Throughout the candidate evaluation phases of the search, clients are equipped with equitable scoring tools and counseled to mitigate bias in the hiring process.
“I am engaged in all aspects of the search, partnering with clients, leading on search strategy, and personally conducting interviews and reference checks,” says Michelle Kristel, Managing Partner of McCormack+Kristel.
McCormack+Kristel believes successful candidate identification and evaluation begins with a deep understanding of the hiring organization. All engagements start with a period of discovery that includes reviewing materials such as financials and strategic plans and briefing meetings with board members, senior executives, and stakeholders to define the ideal candidate profile. The initial screening process helps qualify candidates by evaluating technical skills, assessing emotional intelligence, and gauging for alignment with workplace culture.
A typical search includes outreach to an average of 500 prospects powered by skilled research and a marketing plan that includes email marketing, postings, listings on job boards, and social media marketing. It deploys a research methodology for identifying and reaching both active and passive candidates. The strategic research plan targets organizations, top prospects, sector-specific thought leaders, and sources who recommend candidates for employment. Essentially, McCormack+Kristel follows a holistic and research-driven approach to defining, identifying, and assessing the ideal candidate.
During the recruiting and candidate assessment phase, the consulting team collaborates regularly with the client’s search committee, hiring manager, and other recruiting heads to review candidates’ resumes, cover letters, and initial assessments. When the client is ready to meet shortlisted candidates, McCormack+Kristel develops questions, provides equitable evaluation tools, and facilitates interviews. They then moderate deliberations to select finalists.
Ensuring complete authenticity, McCormack+Kristel verifies degrees and prior employment and conducts a social media check on the candidates to screen for discriminatory or illegal online activity. And, prior to final interviews, they deliver a 360° reference report with feedback from former supervisors, peers, and direct reports and candidate-specific interview questions. As part of the final selection process, McCormack+Kristel arranges meetings with C-suite staff and board members. They craft and negotiate an offer to the preferred candidate and support the drafting of an employment contract. Once the candidate accepts the offer, they support with onboarding and set regular check-ins with the candidate and the Chair of the Search Committee or hiring manager in the first year of placement to ensure a seamless transition.
Recently, McCormack+Kristel assisted a client seeking to become a federally qualified health center (FQHC). Achieving the rigorous standards required of the federal designation would boost their progress on strategic and revenue goals and allow them to serve more patients. During the discovery process, they accurately assessed the organizational reporting lines of the client’s C-suite team and identified gaps in the existing leadership. McCormack+Kristel then worked to recruit executive leadership with the required intensive financial reporting, data analytics, and program design, implementation, and evaluation expertise to meet FQHC requirements.
Moving forward, McCormack+Kristel will stay true to its founding DEIB values and continue supporting nonprofit and philanthropic organizations to build leadership teams that seek justice for and reflect the rich diversity of the communities they serve.