Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for High Velocity Radio.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here. Another episode of High Velocity Radio, and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show we have Elisabeth Constantin, who is with a ABREO Executive Services. Welcome.

Elisabeth Constantin: Yeah. Thank you so much for having me, Lee. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about a brio. How you serving folks?

Elisabeth Constantin: Yeah. So we are an executive, outplacement and transition provider based in Nashville serving C-suites nationwide. So that’s probably a little bit obscure, if you will. But like what we do essentially is the best way to describe it is when large publicly traded companies and large private companies led top level people go. So CEOs, C level leaders and a couple layers down. We get brought in to help those transitioning executives find their next opportunity. And in the US, that demographic like C-suite vice president directors, is approximately 2.5% of the workforce. So you could say essentially that it’s job search support for the top 3%. And it’s needed because the job search at those top levels is very different than what it is for middle management or vocational demographics, and it takes a lot longer. So companies will often provide this support as part of the executive severance package when they’re letting senior leaders go.

Lee Kantor: So when a company is contacting you, that means that changes already happened or it’s on the way.

Elisabeth Constantin: Yeah, it can be either. So, you know, I don’t terminate top executives myself. Like, sometimes I’m in the room, but most of the time we get brought in in the aftermath to move the leader forward towards their market reentry. So it’s not necessarily the sexy or the glamorous work, but it’s deeply impactful and important work. And we’re not meant to be seen. We serve quietly behind the scenes, and when we do come on site, sometimes it’s very interesting, like we get brought in under a different name, get rushed past security because it’s all very hush hush at that level. And a lot of people understand that world and companies don’t want to start rumor, but it’s typically, yeah, top level shakeups. New CEO comes in, wants to clean house or an opportunity. Simply didn’t work out with the leader where it’s not a where it’s not a fit. Or it could be large scale change from like M&A or other activities. It’s very case to case.

Lee Kantor: And then so is the board the one that kind of contacts you or is it, like you said, a new leader comes in and they’re like, okay, I want my own crew in here. So we are going to transition.

Elisabeth Constantin: It really depends. So we are a business that has grown over the past four years entirely by word of mouth. So oftentimes it’s the chief human resources officer or the corporate general counsel who reaches out. Sometimes CEOs know us and pass us down. Sometimes board directors that we are connected with bring us into their organizations. It truly always depends. It’s always different.

Lee Kantor: So that movie with George Clooney up in the air, is that kind of about kind of what you do? It seems a little different, though, than what the way you described it.

Elisabeth Constantin: Yeah, it’s it’s it’s relatable. So I would say, you know, I’m a I’m definitely not as like good looking as Ryan Bingham in the movie. I would like to say we’re a little more qualified because the Bingham approach in the movie with this whole like, sorry, you’re fired. Here’s a brochure for your path towards greatness. That sort of approach doesn’t exactly cut it for top level terminations, but, um, you know, it is similar in the sense that, you know, we we catch the departing leader with empathy when they are getting let go. We then get them ready for market. We write the resumes for them, their LinkedIn profile. They get a lot of consulting from us on how to navigate the hidden job market, because it’s different at a certain level. So, you know, the the, the up in the air approach isn’t quite how it works at the top. Um, but it is it is a good reference.

Lee Kantor: But don’t, um, anybody at the C-suite level, they know that this typically isn’t a job for life, that they are on a clock. And there is kind of certain expectations. And, I mean, I would imagine that some of them kind of see the writing on the wall. They know that at some point this is going to happen.

Elisabeth Constantin: Yes. You would think so. But, uh, a lot of, you know, leaders at that level still need the support, because if you think about how people get to those levels, oftentimes it’s not by job hopping from company to company, like they get to the executive ranks through internal promotions, and they don’t necessarily know how the game is played in the market and the hidden job market, how those jobs are found sourced, how relationships need to be cultivated with a large executive search firm. So, um, there’s absolutely a need for support. And also, um, if you think about it, just from from what this means, from a change in life perspective, this is a very high stress situation for leaders at that level, even though change should be expected. And you’re absolutely right that roles at that level often have a shelf life. It still catches a lot of people by surprise, because a lot of people tend to think that it only ever happens to other people. And when when folks are in a situation where they are often pulling kids out of private school or they’re selling assets like vacation homes because liquidity is at stake, you know, that’s a that’s a tough time. And that’s when companies often provide support for different reasons. And we can dig deeper into that. But yeah.

Lee Kantor: Right. But I would imagine that your service, I mean, is, uh, comforting in a way to these people that, like you said, they just I guess got, you know, punched in the face here with a, you know, a change of life that’s about to happen and there’s nothing more for them to do. They’re not going to be able to talk their way out of it. So they need help now to get, you know, resituated in a, in somewhere else. And then at that level, I would imagine that that often means moving out of the city they’re in. I mean, so it’s very turbulent and it’s very stressful. So to have somebody like you and your team on board to help them kind of land gently somewhere else, I would think it’s much appreciated and very rewarding on your part.

Elisabeth Constantin: Yeah. Yeah, it’s definitely, you know, it’s meaningful, deep work that happens behind the scenes. I mean, the reason why companies offer this service varies. It’s circumstantial. Um, often there’s an element of risk reduction to it. So oftentimes companies provide the service because they legitimately want to do the right thing and help a good employee find their next opportunity. But oftentimes an executive exits. These situations are deeply political, highly volatile, and often very unpleasant for everyone involved. And, um, more so there’s often substantial legal risk for the company. So good outplacement support, if it’s done right, is an effective way to smooth things over and sort of reduce risk by incentivizing the employee to sign the exit paperwork. So it’s a good tool for companies to manage the not so pleasant reality of corporate life, which is that sometimes things don’t work out for a variety of reasons, and people are being asked to move on. And obviously, like you said, like to the leader who is impacted by this, if they get good support, um, it is, uh, life changing and it can reduce the runway in the market to, to find their next opportunity.

Lee Kantor: Now, um, I’m sure you’ve done or seen a lot of research when it comes to this stuff, but in the C-suite, like, what is the shelf life of a typical kind of a CEO or CFO or COO? Like, I would imagine it’s under five years. I mean, on average. Yeah.

Elisabeth Constantin: Yeah. 3 to 5. In typical corporate and private equity. Sometimes it can be a little shorter. But, you know, 3 to 5 years these days is a pretty good.

Lee Kantor: That’s a good run. Pretty good.

Elisabeth Constantin: Pretty good run. Yeah. But but you have to factor in that there is often an expiration date and there’s downside. Right. Like the executive job search uh, at that level can easily take six, nine, 12 months. So if you factor if you’re kind of forced to factor that in and then you do the math, you know, it’s, uh, you, I mean, you I think you know what I’m getting at, right? Like you have it’s it’s not as glamorous as it looks. And there’s a lot of risk. And you have to take that risk into your overall financial situation.

Lee Kantor: So, um, when they’re working with you, what does that engagement look like? Are you kind of working as a consultant in the terms of your giving them tools for them to implement? Or are you kind of like an agent where you’re kind of helping connect them to possible next opportunities?

Elisabeth Constantin: It’s a little bit of both. So, um, there are a few areas where we operate different from other companies, um, and where our service scope, you know, tends to surprise. And, um, if I can say so, like also impress HR and legal departments. The biggest one is so we get hired by the company for those kind of executive odd placement situations. And then we work with the individual in like a 1 to 3 month engagement, depending on how much service the company wants to provide. Um, where we are different is in how concierge and hands on we are with the departing leader. So as an example, we completely take the resume writing and LinkedIn writing process from the leaders plate so other companies they may provide feedback or provide like self-study tutorials, but that doesn’t really cut it at the executive level. And that’s why this space has a historically not so great reputation, high decline rates among top level executives because most people can’t write a financials based resume on a good day that meets the strict demands of the executive search space. And then they certainly can’t do it under substantial stress after losing their job.

Elisabeth Constantin: So that’s where we take the heavy lifting off of the plate to get them ready for market. And then they also get a lot of consulting from us. On how do you navigate the agency world? How and why should you negotiate your severance on the way in, in the next opportunity to protect your downside? How do you weave legal into an already pretty high stress, multi swimlane negotiation process? So that’s where departing leaders we really get them ready so that their next entry is more financially rewarding for them. They protect their downside, and they will also speak more favorably about their past employer. Because while no one will ever be happy that they lost their job, the ideal situation is that, you know, they land pretty quickly and then a few months later they’ll say, you know, I’m still not happy that my job with, you know, ABC Fun Corporation ended. But I do respect them for the fact that they gave me good support to help me find my next opportunity. And that is a lot more than a lot of companies will will get now.

Lee Kantor: Um, so when you’re working with them, you’re helping craft the resume. You’re helping, you know, polish their LinkedIn. Um, and are you actively kind of looking for opportunities for them, or is it something that you recommend like, okay, these are target companies you should think about. Like, like, um, where I’m trying to get the edges of where your work begins and ends.

Elisabeth Constantin: Yeah, exactly. So we will connect them to headhunting firms where we have connections.

Lee Kantor: So you’re not a headhunting firm.

Elisabeth Constantin: Correct? Yeah, we are purely outplacement. We don’t play in the search space. We’re not a Korn Ferry or hydrogen struggles or an ego. And Zander, we do purely market readiness prep. Um, the reason why we don’t do that, you know, legwork for them of finding opportunities for them is because 80% of positions at that level are found through executives networks, which means that, you know, the agent, um, approach in in what I’ve seen in like eight years of doing this work, um, doesn’t really work at that level. So if we do the heavy lifting and get the person ready for market, they have to walk the talk and connect, uh, reach out to their network, connect with with headhunting firms, contact target companies, and we advise them how to do that, but at the end of the day, they need to get active, and that’s also part of taking them off the job loss, shock, paralysis and then getting them to move forward and start, you know, hitting the road.

Lee Kantor: And how it sounds like it’s part therapist too, because when they’re dealing with this kind of a blow, I would imagine their first move is not to, okay, I have to go out and look for another job. A lot of times it’s just like what just happened to me. You know, I just got hit by a truck. Um, so, you know, I’m going to mourn this loss for a period of time. And I’m sure you’re trying to get them to start being proactive as quickly as possible.

Elisabeth Constantin: Yeah, very much so, because time is money, right? And, um, also, you know, yes, there’s a big empathy and, you know, confidence rebuilding component as part of the work. There’s obviously, you know, high skilled, high touch transition work that needs to be done to get the resume ready. The LinkedIn, the consulting piece. But a lot of the work we do is really to get them emotionally and mentally ready, because they will need a lot of resilience when they reenter the market. It’s I like to compare it to kind of like a football player who may not have had such a great season when they when top level executives lose their jobs. One thing that always hits them the hardest, hardest is that their market value is down. Their leverage is down. The phone isn’t necessarily ringing with opportunities, and they really have to get over that and put themselves out there. And um, oftentimes leaders say, you know, I’ve been working for 20, 25 years. I just want to take a sabbatical and do nothing for six months because I have like 12 months or 18 months of severance. And that is the least optimal thing that anyone in that position can do, because the longer you’re out of work, the worse it looks on paper. So our job is to get them ready so they can start spinning wheels and contacting their network. And if they want to do the rest of their job search from the from the Bahamas or wherever, like that’s great. But it’s important to get out there quickly and to also catch them with empathy, because it is a very substantial cut on someone’s confidence.

Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned that 80% of the their next jobs are going to come from probably somebody they know or their network rather than the recruiter or, you know, somebody, you know, finding, you know, choosing them and saying, hey, you’re the perfect fit for this next thing. Um, any advice or tips to kind of manage your network, to let people know in an elegant manner that you’re available and like, how do you go about, um, you know, targeting the, the right people in the right places in order to let them know that you’re available now. Without sounding desperate.

Elisabeth Constantin: Yeah. The key to not sounding desperate at that level, because everyone understands that, you know, executive terminations because of the shelf life should be expected, right? Some people skate through their careers and they never let get let go. But downsides in careers, they do happen, right? And, um, because of that, one of the biggest or most important areas of advice that I can give is if you are an executive director level or higher, people cannot afford to let quality connections lapse, right? Because if something happens, you don’t want to be the person who hasn’t checked in in five years. And now you call and you say, hey, uh, I haven’t talked to you in five years, but I just got let go. Can you help me by keeping your ears open? And you’re asking for a favor, right? That’s all. No one wants to be the person who only gets called when someone needs something. So it’s really important for top level leaders to like, curate, grow, and also maintain their network to like, stay in touch with people when they are on the sunny side of life, if you will. You know, check in, um, even if there’s kind of like a transactional component to relationships, make it personal, stay in touch about the family and what matters to people. And then when you are in a position that you need help, you’re not coming from a place of neediness, but you have, you know, a trusted relationship. And that’s when people will be, um, empathetic and willing to to help and go beyond, right, open their networks, make further introductions and things like that. So I think that’s the piece that’s really important to to stay in touch with quality connections, whether that’s former bosses, CEOs, board directors in your network, like people who often hear about open positions before even the headhunting firms get involved. Like, um, relationship building at that level is everything.

Lee Kantor: And that’s a good lesson for folks that are right now seemingly secure in their, uh, in whatever they’re doing today. They should be thinking about tomorrow and kind of planting the seeds that might help them later on. Right. Like this should be in your calendar that you touch base with X number of people a week or a month, just because you might need them down the road. So it’s it’s probably worth investing the time and doing that type of, you know, kind of casual networking.

Elisabeth Constantin: Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, relationship equity and change. Change readiness doesn’t happen or shouldn’t happen when the change happens, right? It should happen long before. And it also gives an opportunity to maybe help someone. Someone in the in the network. If you reach out and you come from a place of care and wanting to stay in touch, there might be an opportunity to help them with something, an introduction or doing something for them. And then you have elegantly activated what I like to call the reciprocity reflex. And then you’re really not going to feel bad if like two years later something happens and you call and you have you have to make the phone call and you are asking, you know, look, you know, something happened here. If you hear something, would you mind keeping your ears open? For me, it’s a lot more elegant than the other way around.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, absolutely. Now, you recently published a book, Like a Boss How Top Executives Elevate status, Grow wealth, and Protect their Downside are tips like this inside the book? Like, what’s the book about?

Elisabeth Constantin: Yeah. So the book was a fun departure from, uh, from the from the day job, if you will. And it does incorporate a lot of those lessons and a lot of the topics that we consult on with senior leaders in transitions, especially those lesser known areas around navigating your servants on the way in incorporating legal breaking into paid board service sooner so that you can open up other runways for revenues like pass the pass the corporate career. Um, so all those areas where leaders have blind spots, um, and so they can better protect their downside. That’s kind of what the book is about. And clients had asked me for it, you know, for a long time that I should make this information available to a broader audience. And I suppose at some point you have to give the people what they want. So here we are. But, um, you know, I’m pretty excited about it because it’s this kind of book where readers send me private messages and they say, you know, Elizabeth, I can’t say anything publicly, but I’m telling all my friends about it at the country club, and I’m giving it to my kids who are in senior management right now because they need to know how to play the corporate game. And, you know, in my mind that’s that’s perfect because the wind in the markets is getting rougher out there. Um, so I don’t care how we raise the tide of all boats as long as we do raise it, because at the end of the day, you know, careers are not charity and people are not a commodity.

Lee Kantor: So now, um, is there a story you can share? Don’t name the name of the person, but maybe, uh, share what happened when they got let go and how you were able to help them transition into a new opportunity.

Elisabeth Constantin: Yeah. I mean, we obviously see a lot of different transition stories and circumstances. Um, I would say, you know, irrespective of what happened, I have always believed that, you know, good things always happen to good people and preparedness is everything, and then it’s really a matter of putting yourself out there once you’re ready. So with us, we are often able to reduce the the time to market by a good bit. So you heard me say earlier, like executive search can often take six, 9 or 12 months or even longer, depending on how picky they are. Um, we have had over the course of the past two years, you know, several leaders, CEOs, CFOs who, um, where we took the heavy lifting off the plate, we, you know, aggressively wrote, rewrote their resume with financials and metrics and KPIs that the next CEO would want to see. We advised them on how to go about their search, the multi-pronged approach they should take when it comes to networking. And we’ve had several leaders who found their next opportunity in under three months, which is unheard of at that level. Um, and that’s obviously really great for them, especially if they negotiated a 12 month, um, you know, severance agreement because then they get to double dip for like nine months, which is, uh, that really moves the needle financially at that level for people. So, um, that’s I would say that is how we drive value, not just for the departing leader, but also for the companies who bring us in, because they also want to see good value for for the service they’re paying for. And that’s fair.

Lee Kantor: Now, do you just exclusively work for these large enterprises that are going through transition, or do executives sometimes that are struggling to find their next opportunity contact you, as well as a way to kind of relaunch their job search?

Elisabeth Constantin: Yeah. So we started as a private client business. So, um, corporate outplacement work came later. I originally started the business four years ago as a resume writing business for senior executives, um, mostly out of the executive ed At communities of like Harvard, Wharton, Stanford where executives just spent $100,000 on like an executive education program. And now they want to level up. That’s how it started, and we’re still doing that. But we are doing more and more corporate work because the leaders who know us, trust us, refer us, work with us privately. They then bring us into their corporations when they, um, have to make difficult decisions in their next opportunity or make cuts. And, um, again, this this space doesn’t historically always have a high utilization rate by senior executives because very few companies go the extra mile in terms of actually writing the documents, etc.. So that’s how we’ve always grown as a as a word of mouth business that operates pretty under the radar, if you will. So yes, we still do. We still do both. But, um, growing more and more into the corporate work side.

Lee Kantor: So, um, if somebody wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on the team, uh, what is the website? What’s the best way to connect or get Ahold of your book? Um, any and all.

Elisabeth Constantin: Yeah. Yeah, certainly. So they can contact us on LinkedIn and maybe we can put the information into the into the show notes. Um, our website is, uh, the farm. Com and those would be the best ways to reach out. And then our book is available on Amazon and all the major book retailers like a boss.

Lee Kantor: All right. Well Elizabeth, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Elisabeth Constantin: Yeah. Thank you so much for having me. It’s been a pleasure.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on High Velocity Radio.