Greetings!

If you are a CEO, CHRO, Chief Diversity Officer. VP/Head of Talent or other C-suite leader, I want to ask how you are helping your organization navigate this challenging climate & prepare for a more inclusive, more prosperous future?  As a Talent Strategist & People Architect with DHR Global - a Forbes Best Executive Recruiting Firm – I’ve asked this question of current and future clients.

In my conversations with healthcare & life sciences executives, I’ve noticed that their goals & initiatives are to:

✅ Innovate quickly & ethically 
✅ Improve quality of care & patient outcomes 
✅ Eliminate health disparities
✅ Improve the patient experience
✅ Facilitate an efficient & profitable go to market (GTM) strategy & process (growth hacking)
✅ Hire, engage & retain a diverse workforce
✅ Strengthen governance

In my conversations I have discovered internal challenges such as: 

👎🏽 No talent acquisition &/or retention KPIs,
👎🏽 Overwhelmed Recruiters with little time to upskill
👎🏽 Non-existent / inconsistent sourcing, recruiting & onboarding processes
👎🏽 Old technology not able to meet current & emerging needs for applicant tracking (ATS/HCM/HRIS)
👎🏽 Insufficient talent market knowledge / data
👎🏽 Little time to focus on sourcing critical top talent to stabilize, scale & transform the organization
👎🏽 Even less time to be proactive & engage talent opportunistically in order to dominate the market
👎🏽 No time to develop a diversity strategy & execute to increase representation, equity & foster belonging

My commitment is to minimize your pain, maximize your joy & guide your organization to better outcomes:

👍🏽 No more failed assignments
👍🏽 No more excessively long vacancies
👍🏽 No more homogeneous candidate slates
👍🏽 No more communication breakdowns or lack of transparency
👍🏽 No more resenting placement fees because of low value partnerships or inflexible cost structures

My personalized approach to Executive Search and Talent Advisory is different.  I help my clients compete in a tight talent market to win the war for talent by leveraging an unparalleled industry network, using insightful market data, compelling positioning & magnetic messaging.

⭐ I also work with mature organizations that: 
⚕️ Have an urgent assignment
⚕️ Need a very niche role filled 
⚕️ Lack diverse candidate slates 
⚕️ Have an overloaded internal TA team

If you want a strategic partner who will make your organization smarter, faster & more agile, please email me at ahenderson@dhrglobal.com

Reach, Resourcefulness & Relationships - the DHR way.

Andrea Henderson, SPHR, CIR, RACR

My candidates didn't get the job and I've never been so grateful that I failed.

I submitted two intelligent, accomplished women for a Chief of Staff role working for a CEO of a major entertainment company. 

Both sailed through multiple rounds - interviews with the CFO, the former Chief of Staff, even the executive's mother.

But the process felt... off. 
➵ They were told to expect grueling hours and attend countless industry events. 
➵ Their personal style was scrutinized. 
➵ They fielded scenario-based questions about situations that seemed trivial, outrageous, and quite frankly, unlikely to ever occur. 

It got weird. 

Then came the request to fly from NY to LA for a final meeting. Before they could book flights, I got the call: neither was moving forward.

We were all disappointed. We said the usual "it wasn't meant to be" and moved on.

Years passed before the headlines announced the CEO’s arrest. The Chief of Staff who eventually got the role, was then in the news as an alleged enabler.

I immediately reached out to both candidates. We had a joint moment of relief - and profound gratitude.

My intention is to only work with ethical clients who value integrity as much as excellence.

So this experience taught me something I'll never forget:
↳ Sometimes the blessing is the door that slams shut. 
↳ Sometimes the win is the rejection. 
↳ Sometimes the greatest act of protection is not getting the job - or the assignment - you thought you wanted.

And as a recruiter …someone entrusted with people's livelihoods, reputations, and futures …I hold that truth close: 

Let's stop believing that any high-profile role is worth the cost. 

My work will always center around finding talent that can thrive in high-stakes environments, but I also have to ensure those environments don't destroy them.

To anyone searching for their next role, know this:
↳Not every opportunity is aligned.   
↳Not every 'yes' is safe.   
↳And sometimes the biggest success is what didn’t happen.

Exec Search Pro helping biotech, value-based care, digital health companies & hospitals hire transformational C-suite & Board leaders. Partner, Life Sciences, Healthcare, Diversity, Board Search | Board Member | Investor

Excited to announce I'll be attending the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in January! 🎯

This is always such a valuable opportunity to connect with industry leaders, explore innovations in healthcare, and engage in meaningful conversations about the future of our field.

If you're attending and would like to connect, please send me a message to schedule a time to meet up. I'd love to catch up with familiar faces and make new connections!

Who’s going to JPM?👇🏽

#JPM2026 #JPMHealthcare #HealthcareInnovation #HealthTech #HealthcareLeadership #DigitalHealth

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His parents locked him in a psychiatric hospital. Three times. Electroshock therapy. Medication. All because he wouldn't conform.

He walked the Camino de Santiago - 500 miles across Spain - and came back with both blisters and clarity.

Call it awakening. Call it courage. Call it remembering who you were before the world told you who to be.

He wrote about that just before he wrote The Alchemist;
Paulo Coelho's simple story about a shepherd boy chasing a dream. 

It’s a story about the treasure that's always closer than we think. About seeking everywhere in the distance only to find it was at home all along.

But before it sold 150 million copies and became one of the most translated books in history, it flopped. 

He refused to let it die. 
He refused to surrender what he believed in.
He knew what it meant to be misunderstood.
He knew what it meant to wander.
He knew what it meant to keep going when the world said stop.

I read The Alchemist at a time when I was searching for something I couldn't name.

The unconventional path. The wandering. The need to go far away only to realize the treasure was home all along…it didn't just resonate. It explained me.

I've lived that story. The detours that looked like failures. The rejections that felt like proof I was on the wrong path. The moments I almost gave up because nothing was going according to plan.

And then I became a recruiter.
Not in spite of the wandering. Because of it.

Through my candidates, I do the work all over again. I walk with the ones who've been rejected 47 times. The ones whose paths don't fit the template. The ones who are blistered and unsure but won't stop walking.

Through my clients, I'm constantly seeking the stars. The proven performers. The transformative talent everyone wants.

I am all of them.

The pilgrim. The shepherd. The best-seller. The one who wandered far only to find what I was looking for was in the journey itself.

I am the bridge between the seeking and the seekers.

Executive search isn't just my job. It's my pilgrimage.
It's how I keep walking.

If you're feeling off-path today, maybe this is your sign.
Keep walking.
Your legend isn't lost.

What "6-7" Teaches Us About Generational Diversity in the Workplace

You might have heard kids shouting "six seven!" lately. Dictionary.com just named it their 2025 Word of the Year.
(Is it even a word? 🤦🏽‍♀️)

And while it means absolutely nothing, here's the insight: it's Gen Z's version of "Who's on first?"

When adults ask what it means, young people give a unified response: It has no definition. 

The phrase, which is driving parents and teachers crazy, is absurdist humor for the digital age …just like Abbott and Costello's classic routine was for theirs.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐠𝐚𝐩 𝐰𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠:
➵ Right now, we have five generations in the workplace. 
➵ Boomers remember when "Who's on first?" was cutting-edge comedy. 
➵ Gen Alpha thinks "six seven" is hilarious for the exact same reason …the joy of shared absurdity. 

Different reference points, same human need for connection and humor.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩:
This isn't "brain rot"
…it's a deliberate, gleeful effort by young people to remain unknowable in an era of relentless online observation. 

Each generation develops its own cultural codes shaped by its unique context. 

👥 Boomers and Gen X built careers before email. 

👩‍❤️‍👨 Millennials bridged the analog-digital divide. 

👽 Gen Z witnessed social media's dark side. 

🤳🏾Gen Alpha has never known privacy.

𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬:

✔️ Recognizing that a 22-year-old and a 62-year-old bring different lived experiences that both add value

✔️ Creating space for generational perspectives without stereotyping

✔️ Ensuring that "cultural fit" doesn’t just mean "people who grew up like I did"

✔️ Building mentorship that flows in multiple directions

💰 The companies thriving in 2030 won't be the ones that "understand" every generational trend. 

💰 They'll be the ones that recognize generational differences as a strategic advantage 
…where "𝑾𝒉𝒐’𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕?" and "𝒔𝒊𝒙 𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏" can coexist, and both are valued.
__________________

So... are you being driven crazy by "six seven," or do you totally get it?

Being invisible is expensive, but you can't hack your way into a trusting relationship.

I've seen it in executive search for years: the professionals who land the BEST opportunities aren't just qualified.

They know how to show up AUTHENTICALLY and build real connections on LinkedIn and IRL.

From hidden to → VISIBLE
From generic to → MAGNETIC
From waiting to → ATTRACTING

The landscape has shifted:

↳ Recruiters are searching LinkedIn first (not job boards)
↳ Your voice matters MORE than ever
↳ Building a brand isn't vanity, it's STRATEGY

Here's what I see working in 2025-2026:
✓ Authenticity over perfection
✓ Consistency over virality
✓ Connection over self-promotion

That's why I'm excited to join Katheline Jean-Pierre MSc  TODAY for "The LinkedIn Tea" 🍵
We're spilling on:

↳ How to define YOUR unique voice and show up unapologetically
↳ What the LinkedIn algorithm actually prioritizes (and how to use it)
↳ How to build a brand that attracts recruiters, clients & collaborations
↳ Where the opportunities actually are in this new landscape

📍 Join us For Free 📍
TODAY at 12 PM PDT / 3 PM EST
https://lnkd.in/gtTAjTpZ

Whether you're actively job searching, building your practice, or ready to attract better opportunities…this session is for you.

*This webinar is sponsored by Graphy.
___________
👋 I'm Andrea Henderson, Executive Search Professional helping companies identify top talent and match them with opportunities that align with their career goals.

𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐀𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞

One of my clients is doing something that should be standard practice but unfortunately isn't: they're compensating every candidate who completes their second-round strategic planning exercise.

They want to be clear …they're not looking for free labor! 

They want to understand how candidates think, approach complex problems, and communicate strategy. 

But they also recognize that asking someone to develop a thoughtful strategic plan is a significant investment of time, expertise, and intellectual energy.

So they pay for it. 

Every single person who completes the exercise gets compensated, regardless of whether or not they get the job.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞:

𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲. 
Not everyone can afford to spend 5-10 hours on unpaid work exercises. Some candidates are juggling multiple interviews, others are working full-time, and many have caregiving responsibilities. Compensation levels the playing field.

𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭. 
If the work requires professional-level thinking and produces something of value, it's work. 
And work deserves pay.

𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬. 
How you treat candidates tells them everything about how you'll treat employees. If you don't value their time during hiring, why would they believe you'll value it after?

𝐈𝐭 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭. 
Top candidates know their worth. 
They're more likely to invest deeply in an exercise when the company invests in them too.

There's a clear line between a reasonable interview case discussion and asking for deliverables like strategic plans, marketing campaigns, competitive analyses, or detailed proposals. The latter should be compensated.

If your hiring process requires candidates to produce substantial work, pay them for it. 

If you can't afford to pay candidates for their work, you can't afford to ask for it.

It's that simple.

___________

If you need help, DM me for my proprietary 𝐇𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭

Thanksgiving recipe for boundaries

As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, I'm reminding myself of something important: self-care isn't selfish.

It's easy to overcommit during the holidays …saying yes to every side dish, every special diet request, every guest/family/colleague expectation. 

But sustainable success requires us to protect our energy and set healthy boundaries.

Please be intentional about including yourself on the list of people youre taking care of. 

That might mean saying no to some things, taking breaks when you need them, and being present where you choose to show up.

I'm deeply grateful for this network …for the colleagues who inspire me, the mentors who guide me, and the connections that make this professional journey meaningful. 

Thank you for being part of it. 

Wishing everyone a restful and restorative Thanksgiving. 🍁

Start an argument to save money on Christmas presents 

OR

Take some advice from Mike Muse on how to keep the peace at Thanksgiving dinner today. 

Either way, enjoy! 🦃🍁

Happy Thanksgiving

What says “transactional” more than disconnecting after you get the job?

Tickles me because I’ve seen this movie before. 

Headhunters are not the Boogeyman.  

And we’re not the wait staff that you tip after you eat, burp and go home, never to be seen again. 

We're relationship builders. Career-long partners. 
The people who remember you when the perfect opportunity comes around again.

So when you disconnect after you get what you need…

We remember that too.

What do you think happens next time? 

_________________

Has anyone ever gone radio silent, disappeared or disconnected from you after getting what they want?

I see this question all the time:
“Know a recruiter in Charlotte, NC?”
Let’s talk about why that’s not the question you should be asking.

I see people asking for recommendations for a recruiter in their city.

But here’s the thing: most of us don’t work locally. We work nationally. Some, like me, even work globally.

So the better question isn’t 
❌ “Who’s near me?”
✅  It’s “Who specializes in what I do?”

❓Are you in CPG? 
❓Tech? 
❓Luxury retail? 
❓Healthcare? 
❓Manufacturing?

❓❓Are you a CFO? 
❓❓CMO? 
❓❓Chief Commercial Officer?

The clearer your ask, the better the recommendations you’ll get.

Ask better questions, get better answers, Beloved, 🫶🏽

Best way to find a Recruiter to work with

Obstacles are often smaller than they appear.

Overthinking can be as bad as under-thinking. 

Leaders [and Coaches] help others turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones.

Agree? 

_______________
Repost from Oleg Vishnepolsky, CTO at Daily Mail Online

I’ll be the voice in the room on December 1st. 

Katheline Jean-Pierre, MSc: a brilliant, award-winning revenue leader, coach, podcaster and truth-seeker, will be asking the questions, and I’ll be answering them live.

She reached out and said, essentially: People are lost in this market. Why the **Crickets**? 

And she mirrored what I keep hearing across industries:

High-performers who were once chosen are now the ones doing the choosing, the searching, the competing for attention.

🤔 Recruiters seem to have evaporated. 👀
🥴 Process fractured. 
😤Access collapsed.
🫩 The rules rewrote themselves without asking permission.

So she asked me the questions you’ve been carrying in the quiet:

• How do ambitious professionals run a modern job search without insider access?
• What tactics still work and which ones need to be added to the toolkit?
• And most importantly, how do you manufacture momentum in this market?

I have a lot to say. (I always do.)

Which is why we’re hosting a live conversation, post-holiday fog:

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐉𝐎𝐁 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆

How to navigate the market and create your own path
A live Q&A with me and Katheline on Zoom

📅 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝐬𝐭 
• It’s free • It’s live 
• It’s clarity when clarity is scarce.

No gatekeeping. No fees. No performative posturing.

Just answers. Just access. Just the unfiltered mechanics of what works now.

If you’re searching for a role, planning a pivot, or trying to decode the signals that suddenly went silent: Be in the room.

Bring the questions you’re tired of holding.

I’ll bring the truth you’re tired of not hearing.

🔗 Zoom link in comments.

Andrea Henderson, SPHR, CIR, RACR ✦ Executive Search Professional
In dialogue with Katheline Jean-Pierre, MSc .
Your questions, answered.

When a CEO says "exploring all options," we all know what that means.

Jim Forbes and I had a great conversation last night at the PDA holiday party about what boards actually need when they're looking for a CEO who can make the company "transaction ready."

When the board is facing a go-private scenario, preparing for an IPO, or navigating an acquisition, the leadership profile changes dramatically. You need to find the right CEO for this particular journey.

The leaders who excel in transaction-heavy environments bring a specific toolkit:

↳ They view constrained runways as catalysts for decisive action, not paralysis
↳ They've built credibility with PE firms, investment bankers, and boards during high-pressure processes
↳ They can articulate competing strategic paths without becoming attached to any single outcome
↳ They understand that "exploring all options" requires rigorous strategic discipline

The question that the board should let shape the CEO search: Are we hiring for the company we are today, or the company we're about to become?

If transformation, transaction, or transition is on your horizon, your leadership profile needs to reflect that reality from day one.

I partner with boards to define these nuanced requirements before the search begins because getting this hire right is crucial. It could kill the deal if you get it wrong so it isn't a hire you'll get to make twice.

Thanks Jim Forbes for sparking this reflection. 

___________________

Private Directors Association® - Atlanta Chapter  

*picture for attention

#ExecutiveSearch #CEOSearch #BoardAdvisory #LeadershipTransitions

Codie A. Sanchez  said “The best founders do one thing brilliantly... 

Hire.”
.
.
.
.
.
She isn’t wrong. 

It’s worth investing in a good partnership with an executive recruiter. It’s too important to “wing it.”

Your next executive hire was at Art Basel this weekend in Miami.  

Or she might have been at the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association conference in Las Vegas. 

Or the Private Directors Association event at Disneyland in October.

This weekend I was at Art Basel in Miami. I went to celebrate a friend's milestone birthday, reconnect with old colleagues, and meet new connections.

People see the photos and say, "Wow, you're living your best life!"

Here's what they don't see:
Yes, I am out a lot. 
I'm out in the rain.
I'm out in the cold. 
I'm out in the snow. 
I'm out in the extreme heat. 
I'm out when I'm tired.
I'm out when my feet hurt. 
I'm out when I have nothing that I like to wear. 
When I feel like I look like a frump, I'm out. 
Sometimes tired, sometimes not feeling my best. 
But I show up anyway.

Because when you need to fill a critical executive role, you can't afford to wait weeks for the "perfect candidate" to surface through job boards.

The executives you want aren't likely actively looking for you. They're not scrolling LinkedIn Jobs. 

They're at Art Basel. 
They're at industry conferences. They're at that startup founder's dinner party.

And when you need them, they'll take my call. 

Not because I sent them a cold InMail, but because we've had real conversations. 

Because someone they trust vouched for me. 
Because I've invested in the relationship long before you had an opening.

You can't be everywhere your next hire might be. But I can.

That's not work-life balance, that's how executive search actually works.

The relationships I build at a birthday celebration this weekend might solve your hardest hiring challenge next quarter.

When everyone else is fighting over the same 5 candidates on LinkedIn, I'm bringing you people who weren't even "on the market."

The secret recipe = Trust + Access.

That's the difference between recruiting and executive search.

Art Basel and Executive Search 

Stop showing your scalp and start showing your teeth.

You’ve done everything right …but invisibly. And invisibility doesn’t lead to advocacy,  recognition, promotion or payment.

Showing your teeth is a metaphor for visibility, voice, and power. 

It means speaking up. 
It means that you’re comfortable smiling in power rooms that you belong in. 
It means making yourself known and unmissable.

Translation: You stop shrinking. You claim your space. You speak your value out loud …that’s self-advocacy.

But sometimes the hardest person to advocate for is yourself.

Early in my career, I struggled with asking for what I deserved. I thought my work would speak for itself. It didn't.

The turning point was realizing that knowing your value and asking for it isn't arrogance. 
Understanding that it's necessary.

Today, I pray that everyone reading this finds:

The clarity to recognize their own worth 

The courage to speak up and ask for what they deserve

The resilience to keep going, even when the path gets tough

Early in your career, you have to put your head down and get things done. 

But at a certain point, working hard isn't enough. 

You have to understand your value and demand fair recognition for the work you put in and the results you create.

Do you know where the inflection point is?

Are you in grinding season or speak-up season?

Tell me in the comments:
🔨 GRIND
🗣️ SPEAK
🤔 IDK

She did her mom’s makeup at the funeral home to get her “casket ready” and then recorded this video.

Ashley Ann Jones is someone I respect deeply. Her work ethic is unmatched. I also knew her mom and how much they loved each other. 

That’s why when I watched this, I felt like she punched me in the chest having recently experienced the same loss. 

Because she wasn’t just talking to the internet …she was talking to ME!

To the part of me that knows exactly what it means to lose my mother and still have the world tapping its watch. 

To the part that kept moving - - not because I’m brave, but because stopping felt like free-fall.

It punches the chest because it mirrors a truth most people never have to look at head-on:
grief doesn’t pause responsibility.

Payroll doesn’t pause for grief. Vendors don’t accept sorrow as payment. Rent, subscriptions, contracts, dependents …they all keep tapping you on the shoulder.

So yes, working can be a coping mechanism. Structure can be a lifeline. Motion can keep you from drowning in the quiet. Channeling energy can feel safer than sitting still with the enormity of loss. I know this terrain. Many of us do.

Can you relate? Have you pushed through difficult seasons in order to be successful … or simply stay afloat? 

I know this may be an unpopular opinion in this era of anti-hustle culture. 

Thoughts?

Happy Founders’ Day to the Distinguished Men of 
𝐀𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐚 𝐏𝐡𝐢 𝐀𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐚 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝! 

For 119 years, you’ve led the way with purpose, service, and a commitment to “Manly Deeds, Scholarship and Love For All Mankind.” 

May your legacy deepen, your influence widen, and your light keep cutting through places that still need you!

🖤💛🩷💚

#APA1906Network #AKA1908

This is going to make my Atlanta friends mad!

I don’t know who created this list but the best airlines I’ve ever flown, #Emirates, isn’t even on here. 

Neither is my hometown favorite #JetBlue.

I co-sign on #TurkishAir though. 

Do you agree with this ranking? What’s your favorite airlines?

This was so much fun and got such good feedback, its only fair to share with my folks also. If you missed it and want to see the replay, comment "TEA" below or in my DM and Katheline or I will send it to you.  I'm following her lead on this... 😎

Award Winning Fortune 500 Exec | I Coached 15,000+ tech workers to Build a Career & Business they Love | Ex-Google

View Katheline Jean-Pierre MSc’s profile

Part 1 of The LinkedIn Tea is officially done  🫖 🍵 . Co-hosted with Andrea Henderson, SPHR, CIR, RACR, we broke down what moves the needle on LinkedIn right now, and how to turn your presence into real outcomes: interviews, partnerships, clients, and offers.

Here’s what we covered:

On LinkedIn Growth
•⁠  Define your unique voice + show up unapologetically
•⁠ What the algorithm is prioritizing (and what it’s quietly deprioritizing)
•⁠ How to create posts even when you “don’t know what to say”

On Career Growth
•⁠ Build a brand that attracts recruiters (not just likes)
•⁠ How to job-search in today’s landscape when “apply + wait” doesn’t work

On Attracting Opportunities
•⁠ Convert visibility into partnerships, clients, and revenue opportunities


If you missed it, don’t worry... Part 2 is coming.
👋🏾  Comment “TEA” and I’ll send the replay. 
 🗞️ Also... Join my newsletter to never miss a beat: https://lnkd.in/gX4mEkVA

P.S.: We met a few months ago in person in my backyard in LA. Then we decided to run a webinar on our journey.

I partner with established, multi-cycle commercial real estate sponsors to provide strategic vision and execute capital formation systems that grow investor reach and scale equity capital raises.

***

For years, I watched talented real estate sponsors struggle to raise capital.

Despite having incredible deals, they relied on time-consuming networking and outdated methods that left them drained and falling short of their potential. I understood their frustration. Having raised over $500MM, I’ve been there myself.

Everything changed when I realized that raising capital wasn’t just about having the right deal - scaling was about telling the right story to the right audience at the right time, using the right systems.

But here’s the truth:
It’s not the tech stack you use. It’s how you use the tech.

In today’s world, flashy automation tools and CRM platforms promise shortcuts, but tools alone don’t close deals. Experience does. Precision matters. Strategy matters.

I’ve spent years building and refining a systematic, experience-backed approach to capital raising that leverages cutting-edge digital marketing systems and, more recently, AI. These methods help sponsors scale their raises through methodical, consistent outreach that aligns messaging, timing, and investor psychology - without the grind.

To date, these systems have helped clients raise almost $1 billion in equity with minimums as low as $25,000.

Because here’s what I’ve learned:

    Substance over flash. Tools are only as effective as the person behind them.
    Strategy over shortcuts. Real capital-raising success takes consistency, not quick fixes.

If you’re ready to move beyond traditional methods, cut through the noise of the tech frenzy, and scale your raises with strategy and precision, connect with me.

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Adam Gower Ph.D.

Most syndicated real estate deals haven’t failed in the last couple of years because of operations.

They fail because the underwriting assumed a world that never arrived.
Ask any operator who survived multiple cycles, and you’ll hear the same pattern:
They underwrite to the downside, not the dream.

They assume:

• debt is volatile 
• exit caps widen
• rent growth flattens
• expenses rise faster than forecasts
• the cost of capital is higher than you’d like
• liquidity evaporates when you need it most

And then they judge the deal on whether it works anyway.

This is what separates best-in-class sponsors from everyone else right now.
They know the next downturn is already embedded in today’s assumptions.

The irony?

Downside-first underwriting produces the most consistent long-term returns.

Not because it’s conservative,
but because it’s accurate.

***

If your platform needs institutional-grade investor communications, disciplined reporting, and a credible voice in front of sophisticated capital, I occasionally work with select firms in a senior Investor Relations and capital formation capacity. Send a note if you’d like to explore the fit.

Real estate equity capital formation expert | Strategy & execution | 30+ years experience | $1+ billion raised | Subscribe to newsletter ​>​>

Retail investors aren’t hesitant today because of headlines.
They’re hesitant because of memory.

Over the last three years they’ve experienced a sequence few outside real estate appreciate:

• capital calls
• distributions halted
• sponsors going silent
• loan maturities under stress
• assets revalued with no warning
• foreclosures in markets that were ‘can’t-miss’ a year earlier

Most didn’t lose everything.
But they lost confidence.

And once an investor loses confidence, they don’t respond to optimism, charisma, or ‘trust us, we’ll handle it.’

They respond to something far simpler: A clear explanation of the risk that hurt them, and a clearer explanation of why it won’t hurt them again.

If you want investors to fund your next deal, it’s not enough to have a good deal. 

You need to show you understand the psychology of someone who just lived through the most abrupt market shift since the GFC and emerged more skeptical, more conservative, and far more selective.

This isn’t a marketing challenge.
It’s a credibility challenge.

And credibility isn’t built through promises.
It’s built through clarity.

***

If you’re reassessing your investor-relations strategy and want senior-level leadership grounded in multi-cycle experience, I take on a limited number of IR mandates each year. If you’d like to discuss what that could look like, reach out privately.

Cycles don’t turn when headlines say they do.
They turn when participants behave differently.

Look around:

• bid–ask spreads are narrowing
• private capital is gaining relative power
• institutions are sitting out, not stepping in
• forced sellers are becoming more realistic
• debt markets are stabilizing at a new equilibrium
• sellers who refused to negotiate in 2023 now return calls
• construction has collapsed, setting up future supply constraints

These are not signs of distress.
They’re signs of recalibration.

History is consistent:

The best vintages aren’t bought at the bottom,
they’re bought when the market finally accepts reality.

That moment isn’t coming.

It’s here.

***

If your organization needs a seasoned voice to elevate investor reporting, manage sentiment, guide communications, and assist in raising more capital through this cycle, I selectively advise and lead investor relations teams with best-in-class sponsors. Happy to discuss whether your platform is the right fit.

One of the biggest misunderstandings in real estate today is the belief that capital formation is about storytelling.

It isn’t.

It’s about control.

The sponsors raising the most equity in this market have something in common:
They control the asset, the operations, and the governance.

• clear decision rights
• disciplined reporting
• in-house management
• tight renovation sequencing
• material control over timing, budgets, and execution

Investors don’t follow the deal.
They follow the operator’s command of the deal.

Because control reduces surprise.
Reduced surprises increases predictability.
Predictability produce results.
Results attract capital.

And in a cycle shaped by uncertainty, predictability is the premium everyone is paying for – quietly, and without negotiation.

***

If you’re evaluating how to strengthen investor communication and capital formation at the executive level, I partner with a small number of platforms each year to refine and lead their IR function. Message me directly if you’d like a confidential conversation.

Michael Procopio runs a fourth-generation, vertically integrated ground up multifamily development company, Procopio Companies, that’s active across the Northeast, Carolinas, Texas, and Florida, 10–12 ground-up projects at a time, from entitlement through construction and with hospitality-style management. 

In other words: he’s building at scale when many sponsors can’t. 

In my podcast conversation with Michael, we talked about how to get deals done in a market where institutions say they’re “active” but still hesitate, why capital structure, not just cap rates, decides feasibility, and where the next leg of multifamily growth may come from (hint: the Northeast, but not how you think). 

Here are five topics Michael and I discuss that matter if you’re deploying real dollars in 2025–26:

1. How should sponsors weigh institutional equity vs. family offices vs. syndicated HNW? 
2. Why are institutions “skittish” on development even in top markets and what can sponsors do about it? 
3. What’s the real cost impact of tariffs and immigration enforcement on ground up construction? 
4. Where is Procopio putting shovels in the ground now? 
5. What’s the case for build-to-rent in the Northeast? 

We also cover why Opportunity Zones remain underused by family offices despite flexible timing and the ability to refi out capital mid-hold while keeping cash flow. If you’re serious about building, and owning, the levers that create feasibility, you’ll find this conversation useful.

Tune in to hear how Michael is aligning capital, costs, and City Hall to move 10–12 projects while everyone else watches the headlines.

Anecdotally and in the news, I hear people talking all the time about how tough it is to raise (retail) investor capital – and my podcast guests have 

Open article: This cycle didn't expose real estate risk. It exposed sponsor risk. by Adam Gower Ph.D. • 11 min read

This cycle didn't expose real estate risk. It exposed sponsor risk.

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