Handler and Associates Success Stories – Solutions at Work
Our attention to details and great customer service are at the core of our business. This is evident in
the people we place, the procedures we continually refine and the way we interact with our clients.

Handler and Associates’ customers are innovative, cutting-edge companies that embrace our services
to achieve their business goals. Many of our customers have agreed to share their stories, telling how they've effectively utilized Handler and Associates’ services and best practices, and what successes
they have derived from using our methods. Click on the link below to read how our search consultants have brought even the most difficult searches to a positive conclusion.
More money is not always the answer.

Success Story

Sometimes “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” The philosophy of coaching great Yogi Berra also rings true for business. At Handler & Associates we find they we can often apply this statement to our searches. A fine example of this happened in 2000 while we were conducting a search for a sports equipment manufacturing company. This search showed us, once again, how conviction, creativity and the tenacity can make the difference between a successful or failed search.

Mizuno, an international sporting goods manufacturer, engaged Handler & Associates to find a replacement CIO. Time was of the essence since the CIO position was vacant. The company was also in the midst of an enterprise-wide software installation so a strong “would like to have” was a candidate with specific expertise in this system.

The Handler team went right to work and put together a strong panel of candidates for the position. With the ball now in their court, and many meetings later, Mizuno identified its top candidate and made an offer. The number one candidate’s response to the offer... “I’ll pass.”

Now usually when an offer is rejected, most companies move on to the next candidate in line. Not Mizuno… they had their sights set on Number One. Many companies also assume that money is usually the reason an offer is declined but that was not the case in this situation?

Mizuno – with the assistance of Handler & Associates – put on the ‘full court press’ to win their top candidate. The first step was to find out more about the candidate’s inner motivation... specifically why had he rejected the offer?

For some background… Candidate Number One, in his current CIO position, had spent the past two years orchestrating a massive IT turnaround for the company for which he still worked. Things were finally up and running smoothly because of his leadership and considerable investment of time and energy. His company’s objectives had been met, systems and people were in place and 70-hour-work weeks were now a thing of the past.

In learning more about the people and systems of his potential future employer, the candidate discovered similar issues and dynamics at work at Mizuno that he had seen at his current employer two years ago. He simply didn’t know if he was emotionally prepared to start over. This was the real reason he had not accepted the offer.

Armed with this valuable insight, the team was ready to play ball again. Handler advised Mizuno to request a meeting and action plan from the candidate. The purpose: “find out exactly what it would take -- in terms of people and process -- to make this work.” A meeting of key team players was quickly scheduled and included Mizuno’s president and HR executive, the candidate and the Handler consultant who would facilitate the meeting. The candidate was receptive and agreed to draft an action plan that would detail restructuring the department and increasing staff resources, along with other issues. Subsequent meetings, further discussion, negotiation and eventually consensus followed. The CEO signed off on the plan and the final commitment and the staffing changes.

With an action plan in place, a much greater understanding and comfort level for the candidate, Mizuno once again extended an offer. This time, it was accepted!

During the second phase of the process, which took about three weeks, the candidate learned that the CEO and the company were committed and willing to do whatever it would take to achieve the desired results. His concerns had been addressed head-on and a clear path of resolution had been forged.



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