Presidential Searches and Personal Rolodexes

"I had a fascinating discussion not long ago with a consultant friend of mine about the relative value of expertise versus connections. We were serving the same client — he was helping the institution carry out a strategic plan and I was supporting its presidential search. The issue had arisen during a search-committee meeting as we boiled down the standard, walk-on-water job description to the four or five essential attributes and competencies on which that hiring decision would be based. It was then that the question of the breadth and quality of the candidate's personal contacts pretty quickly shot to near the top of the priority list. The committee clearly wanted someone who had a robust 'Rolodex,' especially when it came to potential financial supporters of the institution. . ."