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Singleton To Lead Specialty Physician Search,
Interim Executive Leadership Search
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Robin Singleton
Executive VP/Partner |
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The company known as Desir Group Executive Search is getting a brand new face now that Robin Singleton will be coming aboard as Executive VP/Partner. Says President Etheline Desir, "We are excited about the potential of this new partnership. Robin will help broaden our capabilities by adding depth to our existing executive search practice as well as expanding our service offerings by establishing two new practices -- Specialty Physician Search and Interim Management -- under the newly renamed Desir/Singleton Executive Search."
We asked Singleton to take a few minutes to discuss her vision for entering into this new partnership endeavor:
Q: Robin, you were most recently Executive VP in DHR International's Atlanta office and a member of its Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice Group. What lead to this partnering?
Robin Singleton: I served as Senior VP and partner at Tyler & Company, a boutique retained executive search firm specializing solely in the identification of healthcare executives across the healthcare industry. I functioned in many roles over my 24-year tenure before deciding that I wanted to experience a broader platform. After much due diligence, I joined DHR, one of the top five search firms in the world which has vastly broadened my skill set.
Q: And now you've joined Desir where you'll have a host of new responsibilities. Share your thought process around this decision.
RS: I am passionate about remaining in a career where you give back every day in a most personal way, around helping others to thrive so that they can contribute to their ultimate capacity. I am also a big believer that life is about balance. I went from a closely held, family environment to a huge multinational corporation. The new Desir/Singleton Executive Search is just the right size and model to meet what clients seems to want and need in today's ever-changing environment. This partnership will also allow us all to meet those needs on many levels that neither of the past two models provided. I will be launching two new practices as a result. One will be physician search which is where I actually started my career 27 years ago. The reason we're doing this is that we have seen retained physician search come full circle over the years.
Because of the national physician shortage and the desperate need for true physician integration, we're hearing a new call for retained physician search services, especially around identifying difficult-to-find specialists. There's such a demand to align incentives between hospitals and doctors. This can only happen (just like in executive search) with the right long-term fit. Our hospital CEOs are telling us that they are aware that they must again invest the time and energy to attract world-class physicians to lead their most prominent product lines, whose names and clinical talents will attract not only patients but position them to be able to attract other practitioners as well. So I'm coming here, among other reasons, because we see a need to diversify to meet these needs so that our clients can continue to compete and thrive effectively.
Q: What are the other endeavors you're launching and leading at Desir/Singleton?
RS: Interim Executive Management. It is no secret that many of our clients have had to downsize due to the economy. They are finding they need a very different style of perhaps interim leader in a key role who can do some of the "heavy lifting" while other options develop. They simply cannot afford for the position to be left vacant for any amount of time. Therefore, we insure that the client has someone to keep the ship afloat and also position the subsequent permanent executive for success.
Q: When we say "interim," we're talking about what period of time?
RS: Approximately 4-6 months, especially given the unprecedented housing market that is affecting our industry. However, we believe in being totally transparent with our clients so they understand the current market dynamics. This is the best way to help them manage expectations with their boards and clinicians across their organizations.
Q: What are your goals then with your new endeavors?
RS: I decided to partner with the Desir Group because I've known [president] Etheline Desir a long time and believe in the firm's reputation for delivering quality executive talent across a broad and diverse spectrum. But more than that, I inherently believe that together we can contribute more to this industry than we can separately. We both really think that the healthcare industry is going to respond very positively to seeing our two names out there. Together we will be the "go to" firm in executive search that will continue to provide personalized service but with both the breadth and depth that neither the smaller or larger firms are able to provide.
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Hiring An Interim CEO
Turnarounds (both financial and operational) or the rapid or unexpected departure of key healthcare leadership has created a need for interim or short-term direction until the new leader with the "just right, longer-term fit" can be identified.
Therefore, hiring an experienced, competent interim Administrator should be an integral part of any transition plan. Here are some suggestions … as well as some pitfalls.
Complete story.
Current Trends In The Physician Recruiting Industry
The graying of the baby boomers and medical advances that prolong life … coupled with the changing demographics and expectations of the physician workforce … have translated into a concern about meeting the population's healthcare needs.
The AAMC has identified 35 recent studies on current and future physician workforce needs. These are just a few of the conclusions. Complete story.
Help (Still) Wanted
Almost every progressive hospital these days is focusing on strategies around the buzz words of "physician integration." Hospital leaders want and need to create physician loyalty, and physician search is a key ingredient of any such strategy.
It must focus not only on keeping relationships with local physicians but identifying new clinicians to round out holes in the medical staff. Complete story.
A Win-Win Partnership
Hospital-physician partnerships can have benefits beyond simply fostering strong relationships with community physicians -- they can impact the bottom line. Here's how. Complete story.
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Desir/Singleton Executive Search is a retained executive search and consulting firm that partners with healthcare organizations to recruit and retain exceptional talent and develop high-performing teams.
Desir/Singleton Executive Search helps clients achieve a sustainable competitive advantage by offering a qualified, diverse slate of candidates for C-level, senior executive, physicians, and middle management positions.
One of Desir/Singleton Executive Search's strengths is its ability to dig deeper into the fabric of our society to find talent that represents the broad community our clients serve.
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| Did You Know? |
If you missed Katie Couric discussing it on CBS Evening News, you'll enjoy reading the results of CareerBuilder's survey of "The Most Unconventional Job Seeker Tactics" employers have seen this year.
Of the 2,500 hiring managers polled, 18% reported seeing more job seekers try unusual tactics to capture their attention in 2009 compared to 12% last year. This can probably be attributed to the increasingly small and competitive job search, says CareerBuilder, leading many candidates to turn to extreme tactics -- like wearing a bunny suit to an interview because it was near Easter. (The survey doesn't say whether any of these tactics actually worked.)
We'd like to know what you think. Do employers see these tactics as silly -- or innovative? Please share with us both your opinion and what was the most interesting/creative way a candidate used to get your attention. We'll print some of the best responses!
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| Quote Of The Month |
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"[People] may be said to resemble not the bricks of which a house is built, but the pieces of a picture puzzle, each differing in shape, but matching the rest, and thus bringing out the picture."
-- Felix Adler, educator
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