How I Hire

Kate Williams is the CEO of 1% for the Planet, a global, philanthropic organization growing a network of businesses committed to donating at least 1% of their annual revenue to verified environmental initiatives. At the helm of 1% for the Planet, Kate leads an international campaign to help companies move beyond good intentions into credible, accountable action. To date, 1% for the Planet’s network has allocated nearly $1 billion to vetted environmental solutions. Through her work and speaking engagements, Kate inspires action and innovation amongst other purpose-driven leaders seeking to make an impact. Kate sits down with Roy to discuss fostering and maintaining a high performance culture, balancing community and autonomy within her team, the importance of learning agility in prospective talent, and much more. Highlights from our conversation include: - Early experiences that made Kate the leader she is today (2:08) - The scope and scale of 1% for the Planet’s impact and mission (7:54) - The unique perspective Kate has at the center of a global movement (10:47) - What effective, purpose-driven leadership looks like in 2026 and beyond (12:26) - Engaging and supporting talent through a critical mission (14:29) - Creating the culture of 1% for the Planet (17:19) - What work and life looks like at 1% and how that impacts performance (20:05) - What Kate looks for in prospective talent (26:01) - Lessons from hiring successes and failures (28:38) - Kate’s advice for rising leaders (32:13) Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode. Follow Roy Notowitz and Noto Group Executive Search on LinkedIn for updates and featured career opportunities.

Coach, speaker, and author Patrick Galvin joins Roy to discuss the principles laid out in his recent book The Connector’s Way. Patrick’s work focuses on the essential role of personal connection and relationship building in our day to day life, our business practices, our sense of success, and more. As co-founder and partner of The Galvanizing Group and author of several books exploring the nuances of social connection and trust building, Patrick helps high-performing companies and individuals achieve greater levels of success in business by strengthening internal and external relationships. Patrick and Roy dig into the many ways to practice relationship building, the pitfalls of networking without connecting, why it pays to be “the keener,” and much more. Highlights from our conversation include: The important distinction between connecting and networking (5:02) Ways in which hybrid/remote work impact connection (7:11) Using Patrick’s methods to build trust, engagement, and performance (9:16) Embedding relationship building into company culture and leadership development practices (12:53) The intersection of connection and recruiting (18:52) Balancing work, life, and maintaining strong relationships (20:58) Metrics that leaders can use to track or improve their ability to foster connections (26:36) How Patrick sees technological advances impacting the formation and maintenance of relationships (29:59) Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode. Follow Roy Notowitz and Noto Group Executive Search on LinkedIn for updates and featured career opportunities. Subscribe to How I Hire: Apple Spotify Amazon

Career coach and HR consultant Kate Sargent returns for the third installment of our series exploring tips, insights, and advice for job seekers. Kate is the founder of KJS Consulting, where she helps candidates prepare and polish all aspects of their job search strategy. Prior to starting her coaching business, she recruited for brands like The North Face, Allbirds, Method, and The Citizenry. In Part 3 of their deep dive, Kate and Roy discuss the art – and science – of negotiation. Together, they dig into the complexities of reaching agreeable compensation for a new role, the pros and cons of equity, how to leave a job graciously, and the importance of maintaining positivity through employment changes.  Highlights from our conversation include: Negotiating compensation when fielding a job offer (1:43) Skillfully navigating and understanding equity, bonuses, and benefits (5:03) Other important variables to be aware of while negotiating a new role (7:16) How to quit and gracefully negotiate your exit (12:33) When, why, and where to get HR involved (14:27) The nuances of separation agreements (16:36) Contracting after leaving your role versus making a clean break (21:48) Dos and don’ts of posting on social media after leaving your job (23:02) Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode, and check out Part 1 and Part 2 of Roy and Kate’s job search series, as well as our in-depth conversations about networking and interviewing. Follow Roy Notowitz and Noto Group Executive Search on LinkedIn for updates and featured career opportunities. Subscribe to How I Hire: Apple Spotify Amazon

Career coach and HR consultant Kate Sargent returns to the podcast for a special, three-part deep-dive into advice, insights, and recommendations for job seekers. Kate is the founder of KJS Consulting and has an impressive track record in recruiting for major brands like The North Face, Allbirds, Method, and The Citizenry. At KJS Consulting, Kate helps job seekers contextualize, articulate, and organize their stories in order to land ideal opportunities. In Part 1 of this conversation series, Roy and Kate dig into the functions of different kinds of recruiters, best practices for candidates in cultivating relationships with search firms and consultants, major do’s and don’ts during the hiring process, and the long range perspective necessary to building a comprehensive job search strategy. Highlights from our conversation include: Ways in which Kate supports and coaches job seekers (3:12) Understanding the role of different recruiters and how they work (4:30) Why communication from recruiters might feel inconsistent or challenging at times (5:58) How candidates can evaluate whether or not a search firm is a good fit (10:18) What candidates should expect when reaching out to a recruiter (12:29) Effective ways for candidates to build relationships with search consultants (15:00) Respecting the recruiter during the hiring process (16:08) The importance of candidate honesty and accuracy in targeting opportunities (21:51) Leveraging your relationships for a long game strategy (23:43) Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode. Follow Roy Notowitz and Noto Group Executive Search on LinkedIn for updates and featured career opportunities. Subscribe to How I Hire: Apple Spotify Amazon

Noto Group’s team of principal search consultants break down key workforce and leadership trends they’re seeing for 2025 and beyond. Sara Spirko, Lena Knofler, and Tami Bumiller discuss predictions and actionable advice for those seeking top talent in the year ahead. Highlights from our conversation include: Challenges, opportunities, and reflections on 2024 (2:27) How client and candidate priorities are shifting (5:01) 3 essential competencies for modern leaders (10:00) How boards and CEOs can leverage search firms for success in 2025 (13:00) What’s making employers competitive in the talent market today (17:46) Creative compensation packages (20:11) Smart solutions to persistent hybrid/remote/on-site challenges (22:35) Attracting top talent to outlying locations (22:58) Current factors to consider when asking candidates to relocate (25:12) Guidance for executives seeking new roles this year (26:29) Reasons to be optimistic in 2025 and beyond (29:29) Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode. Follow Roy Notowitz and Noto Group Executive Search on LinkedIn for updates and featured career opportunities. Listen to How I Hire: Apple Spotify Amazon

Organizational psychologists Dr. Ted Freeman and Dr. Stacey Philpot return to the podcast with a deep dive into their approach to working with teams.  Ted is the founder of Ted Freeman Advisory, where he applies his decades of experience in organizational knowledge and strategy to help companies function more smoothly. His clients include major brands like Arcteryx, Eileen Fisher, Bristol Myers Squibb, Wüsthof. Stacey is a managing partner at Executive Development Consulting, where she utilizes over two decades of leadership development, executive coaching, and high-performance succession planning. Stacey’s clients include Apple, General Mills, Harley Davidson, Johnson & Johnson, and Nike. Ted and Stacey often collaborate on their advisory work, leveraging their combined experience in organizational effectiveness and culture and brand development to help increase the competitive edge of some of the world’s largest companies. Both are longtime friends and colleagues of Noto Group and How I Hire. In this episode, Ted, Stacey, and Roy delve into the complex dynamics inherent to working with teams. They discuss challenges they consistently hear from leaders, how to enhance a sense of inter-team competency, the necessity of translating and communicating context between leaders and teams, as well as commonly accepted myths about what constitutes a high-performing team. Highlights from our conversation include: How leaders and team members struggle with team dynamics in different ways (5:35) Common concerns expressed by leaders about teams (9:21)  How to diffuse and rectify a lack of trust between leaders and teams (11:29) Important guidelines for Ted & Stacey’s approach (14:17) What high-performing teams really look like (18:33) Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode. Follow Roy Notowitz and Noto Group Executive Search on LinkedIn for updates and featured career opportunities. Subscribe to How I Hire: Apple Spotify Amazon

Ben Steele is a seasoned marketing and brand development leader, having most recently served as REI’s inaugural chief customer officer. Prior to carving out this new role at the Co-op, Ben began at REI in 2014 as chief creative officer. Over more than ten years at one of the country’s largest and most preeminent outdoor retailers, Ben has led brand stewardship and strategy, shepherded large-scale marketing initiatives, engaged and grown REI’s 24.5 million-strong worldwide membership, and connected essential merchandising, digital, and physical assets – amongst many other functions at the Co-op – all with the goal of sharing and facilitating a deep passion for the outdoors. Ben and Roy discuss the inspiration for creating the chief customer officer role (as well as the challenges of being the first to occupy the position), navigating the ever-changing context of customer experience, and vital competencies he’s learned to nurture and develop within his teams. Highlights from our conversation include: His initial action items upon joining REI (3:57) How Ben translated REI’s brand and culture through its employee base (6:07) The functions reporting into the chief customer officer role and the structure of Ben’s former team (9:55) Opportunities he’s had to bring the REI brand life for customers and members (12:35) Necessary adaptations and evolutions at REI in the past five years  (17:42) The ways in which being a part of a co-op influenced Ben’s approach to leadership and collaboration (20:40) How to determine whether or not a company is serving their customers well (26:58) Ben’s predictions for the future of retail (32:03) Recommended resources for professional development, news, and networking (35:48) Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode. Follow Roy Notowitz and Noto Group Executive Search on LinkedIn for updates and featured career opportunities. Subscribe to How I Hire: Apple Spotify Amazon

Nadine Hall is a cross-functional business leader, having spent decades innovating in apparel and consumer products at companies like HanesBrands and Sara Lee. At both the president and SVP levels, Nadine oversaw billions of dollars of retail value, built and developed successful teams, and established high-growth business models across a variety of product lines and business units. Nadine’s leadership style includes a collaborative approach to innovative business strategy, data-driven analytics, and breakthrough models for brand growth and development. She’s also a board member, consultant, and advisor for companies in and outside the apparel industry.  Nadine and Roy discuss how she developed her approach to leadership, what she looks for when interviewing potential candidates, the importance of a forward-thinking hiring strategy, and much more. Highlights from our conversation include: Experiences that shaped Nadine’s approach to leadership and hiring (3:20) Development internal teams vs. recruiting external candidates (10:34) What Nadine looked for when hiring for her leadership team (12:28) Evaluating a candidate’s ability to navigate a large corporate matrix (19:14) Supporting her team when they were making high stakes hires (25:37) Lessons learned from hiring successes and failures (27:43) What Nadine wishes she knew earlier in her career (31:16) Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode. Follow Roy Notowitz and Noto Group Executive Search on LinkedIn for updates and featured career opportunities. Subscribe to How I Hire: Apple Spotify Amazon