Mastering executive search and building lasting business relationships are essential for successful transformations. Today’s guest, Michael A. Morell, shares insights from his journey at Riviera Partners, a top executive search firm, and as a former member of the Technology Advisory Board at Bridgewater Associates.

Michael A. Morell is the Founder and Managing Partner of Riviera Partners, with over two decades of experience in executive search. After starting his career in technology, a poor interview experience sparked his idea to create a better approach to recruiting. Today, Michael and his team help tech companies make high-stakes hires, transforming how top talent is identified and placed in Silicon Valley and beyond. Riviera Partners continues to deliver executive search solutions for some of the most innovative companies around the world.

In this episode, host Barry O’Reilly explores Michael’s approach to executive recruitment, the importance of patience in relationship-building, and how Riviera Partners leverages technology to deliver consistent, high-quality results.

Key Takeaways:

• The Power of Patience in Relationship Building: Michael shares why patience is critical in executive search and enterprise sales, where building strong, lasting relationships can lead to long-term success.

• Consistent Delivery of High-Quality Experiences: Michael emphasizes how consistent, positive experiences set Riviera Partners apart, explaining how a focus on quality service helped them build a reputable brand in executive recruitment.

• The Role of a Clear Vision: Michael discusses the importance of a simple and clear company mission that empowers employees to make decisions aligned with the company’s values.

• Adapting to Technological Advances: As technology has evolved, so has Riviera Partners. Michael shares how the firm leverages data and technology to enhance the recruitment process and provide better insights for clients.

Additional Insights:

• Learning Through Experience: Michael’s shift from technology to recruitment highlights the value of diverse experiences and risk-taking in meaningful work, as he reflects on the challenges of building Riviera Partners.

• The Changing Recruitment Landscape: Michael discusses how tools like LinkedIn have democratized recruitment and shares his excitement about AI and machine learning’s potential to transform executive search.

• The Future of Workplace Flexibility: Michael reflects on the pandemic’s impact on remote work, emphasizing the balance between flexible environments and the importance of in-person interactions for leadership roles.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:40 - Introduction to the Episode: Barry introduces Michael A. Morell, Founder of Riviera Partners

“Michael has over two decades of experience in executive search.”

• 03:19 - The career transition into recruitment

“About 3 or 4 years into that, I got a random call from a recruiter who said, 'Hey, we’d love to grab coffee.' Long story short, I had coffee, she showed me a couple of opportunities—this was around the 2000 timeframe—and it was just the most awful experience I’ve ever had."

• 06:34 - Michael applies his long-term sales experience to relationship-building in executive search

“I had the patience to develop these relationships, but I thought, it couldn't be that complicated.”

• 15:27 - Delivering Consistent, High-Quality Experiences

“For us, it was really about one thing: how do we consistently deliver a great experience?”

• 24:17 - Navigating the shifts in recruitment technology

“The Rolodex became LinkedIn, and suddenly all the information was democratized. You can start to anticipate changes, but fundamentally, every client and every candidate is unique.”

• 34:02 - Embracing workplace flexibility and hybrid models

“We went from everyone needing to be on-site to realizing remote could work. Now, we’ve evolved to a hybrid model, balancing in-person and remote roles.”

• 36:59 - The future of recruitment with AI and machine learning

“I’m excited to see how AI can enhance our processes, from finding insights in data to improving client and candidate experiences.”

Follow Our Guest

• LinkedIn: Michael A. Morell, Riviera Partners,Bridgewater Associates.
• Websites:  Riviera Partners, Bridgewater Associates

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