Celebrating Female Leaders
Care Leaders Network - Celebrating Female Leaders
Event reflections from Laura Mullane
I attended a ‘Celebrating Female Leaders’ event in London last week and have been reflecting on why the event was such a success.
To come away buzzing from an event with 16 specially selected female leaders in social care must mean that there was something special in the room.
This opportunity was, not only a wonderful treat to dine and chat to a room full of incredible women, but it was also a time to sit back, reflect and consider our roles as leaders in our sector.
With a mix of female leaders in the room from entrepreneurial company owners to employed CEOs and Directors through to small start-ups where individuals with a passion for change are still early in their journey, this was an opportunity to connect, network, and build relationships with other like-minded women in leadership roles. Networking can lead to mentorship, collaboration, and support in all our professional journeys and Pioneer Talent encourages this with all our leadership candidates, facilitating this through our own networks where we can.
I had the pleasure of bringing along a recent successful candidate who will be starting a new Director role for a provider in coming weeks. Her resounding feedback was that she felt empowered for the first time in a long time. That she normally doesn’t get the opportunity to have the headspace to reflect in such a way. Everyone felt we were in a room of role models who can inspire and guide one another and help each other navigate the challenges of leadership positions.
A key discussion point was to consider who the most inspiring leaders have been in our own careers (both male and female) and how we have learnt from and harnessed that inspiration. It was resoundingly agreed that emotional intelligence is a critical attribute for effective leadership and a common theme when discussing the source of our inspiration. Leaders who possess a high level of EQ are better equipped to understand and navigate the complexities of human interactions, inspire their teams, and make well-informed decisions that contribute to the success of their organisations and the well-being of their team members. This was clear in the room.
Events like this certainly boost our self-confidence by validating our potential and capabilities. Feeling supported and valued can help us overcome self-doubt and imposter syndrome, whatever our gender. Whilst this was a women’s focused event where we did discuss some challenges and observations specific to being a woman and the importance of gender equity, such supportive events, whatever the make-up are so beneficial as part of your career and personal development.
There were 3 main takeaways from this event.
- How important Community and Support Systems are - These events foster a sense of community and a support system for women in leadership. We can share experiences, challenges, and solutions with one another. We all need to think about our up-and-coming talent and how such community can support their leadership development. Ultimately for the betterment of the sector.
- Fundamentally, it’s about diversity - Diverse leadership teams lead to better decision-making and improved business and service user outcomes.
- Keep networking - keep reaching out to colleagues who can help you on your career path; it’s amazing how we all want to support each other to succeed.
When young women see older women succeeding and supporting each other, it encourages them to aspire to leadership roles and pursue their ambitions with confidence. I hope we can inspire and support future generations of women to aspire to leadership roles in Health and Social Care. Let’s dream big and support one another!
Pioneer Talent become Community Champions for Capstone Foster Care
Pioneer Talent become Community Champions
for
Capstone Foster Care
Here at Pioneer Talent, we are passionate about working across the Health and Social Care sector whether that be in Childrens or Adults Services. Our day job is to provide an executive search process for roles from Registered Manager, Operations Manager, Heads of roles (such as HR/Finance) through to CEO. We are always looking for ways to partner with organisations in the care sector and add even more value.
We have recently developed a relationship with a national foster care agency, Capstone Foster Care and are proud to be associated with them in their mission to find more Foster Carers for children in need of care.
Laura Mullane, Associate at Pioneer Talent, said “It makes absolute sense for us to have this great partnership. At Pioneer talent we speak to caring people every day, we network and have a huge database of care professionals and if we can support Capstone in raising awareness of the need for Foster Carers then we are only too pleased to help”.
There are 70,000 children in care and The Fostering Network predict that there is a need for 7200 new Foster Carers for this year alone and 25,000 Foster Carers by 2026. As Pioneer Talent have a network of people working in care who could be looking for new opportunities, this innovative partnership will help increase the number of people showing an interest in the very important role of fostering.
If you would be interested in becoming a Foster Carer, please submit your interest here and we will support you in your journey.
Become a Foster Carer with Capstone Foster Care
For more information on becoming a foster carer, please contact Laura Mullane on 07970 931 496, she will talk you through the process and share your details with our partners.
Pioneer Talent Announces Rebrand
A specialist social care search agency, based in Knowle, Solihull, previously known as Central Talent, have relaunched with their new brand “Pioneer Talent – Search and Selection.”.
Pioneer Talent, Search and Selection specialists in the Social Care sector, announced today that it has completed a major rebranding. This reflects the successes in recruiting to management positions in the Health and Social care market the aspiration to support the important and growing sector over the coming years.
The search and selection business provides headhunt services for senior roles in health and social care, this can range from Registered Managers of Care homes to HR, Marketing and Business Development, Finance, Estates through to Managing Directors and CEOs. Working with charities, private sector family run business or larger groups and investment businesses, Pioneer understand the market and find the best people for these senior positions.
Pioneer is a family run business which was set up with the sole purpose of making a difference in the health and social care sector. Wanting to put our values-based search and selection expertise to good use in a sector that matters, their agency was born. The rebrand will entail new offices, a new website, and a renewed presence in the market.
Tom Wakeman, Managing Director said “We never cease to be amazed by the commitment and care shown by Health and Social Care professionals and are proud to be supporting the sector. This exciting rebrand will reinforce how serious we are in partnering with key providers and finding the best talent to drive their journey” He added “We will continue to build upon our understanding of the market and our networks to deliver our company mission”.
The previous brand, Central Talent has supported the growth and reputation to date however, since working with such incredible clients and candidates who really make a difference to the most vulnerable in our society, Tom and his team felt the name ‘Pioneer’ is far more reflective of the inspirational people they work with.
About Pioneer
Pioneer Talent are a search and selection business. They work with the best-in-class investors, founder owned businesses, not for profit organisations and supply chain in Health and Social Care. They are proud that 100% of our retained Executive Search mandates have been delivered to a successful outcome.
They're really excited about the future of Pioneer and the positive impact that our organisation has on the health and social care sectors, of which we really support and have huge respect for.
Media Contact:
Tom Wakeman
Managing Director
Tom.Wakeman@pioneertalent.co.uk
07709 794 661
The Value of Search and Selection
When a health and social care provider approaches us here at Pioneer Talent, its mainly with the intent to source the very best talent for a senior role.
Our clients generally know what they want in their leaders (and if they don’t, they are welcome to chat through ideas with us, we are always happy to have friendly, advisory conversations) but are generally less clear about how to find them.
So how can a Search project source the best talent?
An attraction exercise in its most simple form can look like an advert on your website, job board and even a LinkedIn post. It is likely you will be visible to 25% of the available market this way. This method is great if you know your followers and potential applicants are active and relevant job seekers. There will be certain roles for which this is the right route.
Executive search or ‘headhunting’ is the process of proactively approaching prospective, highly skilled, and experienced leaders and managers not otherwise in the market for a new role. Desirable candidates in the market are mapped, considering the main requirements such as experience, specialism, location, reputation. It is a process used to fill roles that are strategically important or very hard to fill management roles where there is a particular skills shortage or a lack of candidates in a geographical area. Typical titles in Health and Social care that lend themselves to Search and Selection are C-Cuite (CEO/CFO/COO), Managing Director, Operations Director or Manager, HR/ People Director or manager, Registered Managers. Other senior management posts can also be headhunted for.
If an organisation is looking to recruit more junior level staff or if they know there is a highly active pool of strong, prospective candidates out there, a recruitment agency or their internal HR department may be better placed to post adverts and react to the interest shown by candidates.
For a role with strategic oversight, either across the whole group or organisation or for a division, department or special provision, an executive search firm specialising in health and social care could help find the best talent. The personalised service that comes with a head hunt, improves the chances of them wanting to join a provider.
To determine whether a Search and Selection process is right for your senior management vacancy in health and social care, it is important to work closely and openly with the consultant to confirm the most important factors for the role. Is it location? Sector knowledge? Understanding of how competitors do things to support your company’s knowledge base? Or is it a particular personality type or leadership style?
Do you have a clear idea of a competitor you would ideally like to see candidates from? Or are you looking to cast a wider net across a broader sector to consider a wider range of candidates who can bring a different pair of eyes?
It’s worth repeating that actively job seeking candidates make up between 10-25% of the market depending on the role. By only targeting people who are actively looking, we would miss out on a huge chunk of talent in the health and social care leadership market. The active market will likely be applying for several jobs at a time and so may not be as committed to your opportunity.
Depending on the brief, it is possible to take both a search and selection approach.
A specific and targeted process is used for a search exercise. This targets individuals from an agreed set of criteria and identifying the most appropriate candidates to actively approach. This works particularly well for strategically important senior roles and where there needs to be a confidentiality agreement about the role; It’s not always appropriate for people outside or within your company to know that you are recruiting to a certain role. If your business is expanding in a particular direction or you are restructuring, you might want to keep the role between trusted parties for a certain timeframe.
If appropriate, a search can be complemented by a wider selection exercise comprising advertising and networking. The beauty of a Search and Selection consultancy in Health and Social Care is the network that will have been built up over time. A combined approach of the targeted and wider processes will mean a high likelihood of attracting the majority pf the potential market. Using a health and social care sector specific Search and Selection firm, ensures a deep understanding of the market. What’s more, this focus provides a robust and relevant candidate pool.
Leaders in the Health and Social Care Market
Attracting the best Leaders in the Health and Social Care Market
In our post pandemic, cost of living crisis world, it is no secret that the health and social care sector faces pressure. Speaking to senior professionals every day at Pioneer Talent, gives us the privilege of being witness to the consistent and relentless hard work of our colleagues and an insight into how to attract the best leaders to help drive the sector.
More than ever, employer branding needs to be high on the strategic agenda for care providers to attract frontline care staff but what do our current challenges mean for attracting leaders in Health and Social Care. We live in a ‘reputation economy’ where roles are abundant and skills are short. Via social media and word of mouth, senior candidates will do their homework on prospective employers, so how does this impact the search for the best leaders for your provider?
Our experience in Search and Selection for the health and Social Care market has shown us that providers need to be able to showcase what makes them unique as an employer. This evidently starts with having competitive benefits but flexible working arrangements are becoming increasingly important to senior candidates. Our most successful placements are those where there is inspirational leadership from the very top and a strong culture with authentic values and that promotes creativity, collaboration, and innovation.
Before going to market for your next senior leaders, we advise our clients to ensure the below has been considered.
- Have a full awareness of your company’s values: Before you even think about recruiting for your senior leadership roles, know and understand your company’s culture, values, key processes, and gaps for improvement. This helps you to define exactly what improvements need to be made, what your business needs, as well as managing your own and colleague expectations about who to bring on board.
- Understanding what your organisation needs: Where do you want your company to be in the coming years? What are going to be the likely difficulties? What skills do you currently have in your team and what is missing? These are important questions to reflect on so you can source the right person to meet your crucial needs related to your business today and in the future.
- Think about your Employer Branding: In 2022 Linkedin published their research on Employer Branding. Absence of work-life balance, compensation and company culture are the top reasons people are leaving their jobs so ensuring this is all considered in the perception of your organisation in the marketplace will be a big win in recruiting the best talent. In the Health and Social Care sector, leadership candidates are, rightly, protective of their hard earnt reputation. Consider, would the best talent in the market be attracted to you as a quality and career enhancing provider?
- Consider the passive market: The best candidates are not always the ones actively job hunting. At a senior level, people are open to understand the market and understand whether this could help their next career move. Mapping the market for all potential and really understanding who is out there and who could add the best value to your business brings a more focussed target to your search than merely posting an advert and hoping it will reach the best candidates. More than 95% of management candidates placed by Pioneer Talent have been from the passive market, our clients would not have accessed or attracted these people without a thorough search process being undertaken.
- Momentum and Quality of onboarding: Once you have found your ideal leadership or management candidate, you should provide an efficient hiring process, showing your candidate that you are keen to maintain momentum and onboard them smoothly. It has been known for senior candidates to be lost to a competitor if they feel recruitment processes are not of a high standard.