Olympic Reflections #6: Meeting Matthew

Paul Freed on August 5, 2024

by Ross Fletcher, Director
Herd Freed Hartz – Executive Search

Olympic Reflections and lessons learned for recruiting

I was fortunate to work at seven Olympic Games (and a few Youth Olympics) during my time in broadcasting. For the duration of Paris 2024 I’m sharing a reflection a day.

One of the best bits about creating content at the Olympics was the opportunity to tell stories that you never set out to. Sometimes you really had to dig to find the right story.  Other times, like in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, an Oscar-winning Hollywood A-lister would just turn up in your work zone and ask to hang out with you for a couple of days. Honestly…  

The location was Deodoro Stadium. A functional, temporary construction on the fringes of a dangerous favela, an hour outside of central Rio. This unglamorous setting was my work home for the first nine days of the Rio Olympics, where I’d be the pitchside reporter at the Rugby Sevens competition. My job was well defined – watch six games of rugby union a day and interview the key players after the final whistle. But as a journalist, you were always keeping an eye on what else was happening around you. 

A couple of days in and everything was pretty routine until the USA men showed up to play. It was early in the game when I noticed something odd.  There was a handsome, vaguely familiar guy dressed in USA team clothing with a backpack on and by himself. He was leaning on the end of the American coaches’ bench but looked like he didn’t belong. A few moments later my colleague, a delightful French lady in charge of that area, went over and checked his credentials. There was obviously a problem. I pointed it out to Adam, my camera operator, who said “hang on a minute, I think I know who that is.” 

“Who?” I asked. 

“It looks like Matthew McConaughey“, he said. 

“What do you mean Matthew McConaughey? As in the Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey? What do you think he’s doing all the way out here?“

We found out soon enough.  My colleague escorted him away from the team bench and over to the media row, where we were standing in our ten-by-ten foot pen as part of a long line of international broadcasters. As he got closer, the crowd started to catch on, as did the rest of the assembled media. As we were all staring slightly open-mouthed, my colleague marched him straight to my area. 

“Ross this gentleman would like to watch the rugby but he does not want to sit in the stands on his own.  He is a VIP but can’t be over by the coaching staff. Will you let him stay with you for a little while?” said my French colleague, with eyebrows raised and in her most charming Parisienne accent. 

I couldn’t really say no could I?  

“Hi I’m Matthew” said Matthew, the Oscar-winning Hollywood A-lister. Play it cool Ross. I said hi in the most casual voice I could muster, as the envious eyes of my international colleagues glared straight at me, wondering how they weren’t the ones to have this opportunity fall into their laps. 

It turned out that McConaughey had arrived in Rio to enjoy the Games as a spectator, along with his Brazilian-born wife. He’d come alone to the rugby as he was fascinated by it while filming a movie in South Africa years back.  So we spent a few surreal hours watching the games and making small talk – about movies and sports, life in America and on the road, stopping at the end of the contests so I could do my actual day job. 

He was a gem that day. After initially politely turning down requests from the assembled media who would gingerly walk up and request a few minutes of his time for interview, he graciously gave several of them the opportunity. At which point I called my executive producer with one of the more unusual pitches I’ve ever made. 

“Hey it’s Ross. I’m honestly not making this up but I’m hanging out with Matthew McConaughey, you know, the Hollywood actor and he says he’s up for an interview. Do you want me to get something in the can?“

We did the interview, and at the end of the day’s action, McConaughey thanked me and then hit me with a request I hadn’t expected. 

“I had fun today. You mind if I come hang out here with you guys again tomorrow?“

“Err, yeah, sure Matthew, you’re more than welcome to” I stammered. 

Of course, there was no chance he would be back. Why would this world-famous actor traipse all the way back out to the edge of the city in heavy traffic to watch more qualification games of a sport he barely knew? 

The next morning on our drive to the stadium I checked social media and McConaughey was heavily featured, as the highest profile celebrity visiting the Games. He had been spotted having dinner that night and was getting lots of online attention. In the back of my mind I couldn’t help wondering whether he really would turn up again.   

Game one of the day came and went. As did game two. Then, midway through game three, I got a tap on my shoulder from behind. 

“Hey“, said the man with the distinctive Texan accent. “I’m back, I brought my wife Camila too, all good if we hang out again?” Matthew asked, as his wife pecked me on both cheeks. Unbelievable. Clearly our 100 square foot pen was the hot place to be in Rio. 

I hold the memories of those two days with real fondness. It is such a fun story to tell for so many reasons. Fast forward to today and I’m still using those storytelling abilities to match clients with their next great hire. That is one of the really cool parts of recruiting too – that you never know who you could be interviewing next. 

#storytelling #olympics  

If you liked this, you can also check out:
Olympic Reflections #1: The People
Olympic Reflections #2: Interviewing
Olympic Reflections #3: Across Sectors
Olympic Reflections #4: Resilience
Olympic Reflections #5: Fun

#olympics #executiverecruiting

Olympic Reflections #5: Fun

Paul Freed on August 1, 2024

by Ross Fletcher, Director
Herd Freed Hartz – Executive Search

Olympic Reflections and lessons learned for recruiting

I was fortunate to work at seven Olympic Games (and a few Youth Olympics) during my time in broadcasting. For the duration of Paris 2024 I’m sharing a reflection a day.

Working at an Olympic Games was exhausting. But it was always fun. In Beijing, I tobogganed from the side of the Great Wall of China, ran the 100 meters in the Bird’s Nest Stadium and blindly ordered food from backstreet noodle joints. London was special as my ‘home’ Olympics.

Rio was an intoxicating city and allowed me the chance to interview Usain Bolt on a historic 100-meter treble. It was tough going in Tokyo, with covid looming large – but still a fascinating cultural discovery and a month-long excuse to eat sushi.  

One of the six values we hold at Herd Freed Hartz is Fun. After all, if what we do isn’t fun then shouldn’t we be doing something else? 

If you liked this, you can also check out:
Olympic Reflections #1: The People
Olympic Reflections #2: Interviewing
Olympic Reflections #3: Across Sectors
Olympic Reflections #4: Resilience

#olympics #executiverecruiting #fun

Olympic Reflections #4: Resilience

Paul Freed on August 1, 2024

by Ross Fletcher, Director
Herd Freed Hartz – Executive Search

Olympic Reflections and lessons learned for recruiting

I was fortunate to work at seven Olympic Games (and a few Youth Olympics) during my time in broadcasting. For the duration of Paris 2024 I’m sharing a reflection a day.

Working at an Olympic Games was always a great privilege. Yet it often came with plenty of challenges. I learned a lot about my resilience levels at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games.  

Due to covid, the Olympics were pushed back a year but even in July 2021 there was a very different feel to any other Games I’d covered. Precautions were understandably high.  After stringent testing and airport checks, I was allowed into Japan, where my colleagues and I would spend a significant chunk of our first two weeks isolated in our hotel room. We were only allowed out to go to our place of work and once the workday was finished, we were expected straight back in our rooms. It made for interesting mealtimes.  

At breakfast we would go downstairs, put on disposable gloves, place our food in a Styrofoam container and immediately head back to our room to eat. At dinner it was only a little less relaxed.  After signing out with the hotel security guard, we had 15 minutes to go to the next door 7-Eleven and buy dinner, to also have in our rooms. Just to clarify, Japanese 7-Elevens are actually a thing of wonder, with all sorts of unexpected delights! There were a couple of days when I only just sneaked in under the deadline. 

Eating in a Japanese hotel room alone wasn’t exactly an ideal dining experience. If you’re not a fan of New York hotel rooms, I wouldn’t encourage a stay in Tokyo.  To say an averagely priced hotel room is ‘efficiently sized’ is about as kind as I can get!   

After those two weeks were allowed a much more ’normal’ amount of movement and we got to indulge in a little bit of the amazing Japanese culture. But those first two weeks taught me a great deal about resilience and respecting processes – attributes I’ve tried to carry into my work every day since.  

If you liked this, you can also check out:
Olympic Reflections #1: The People
Olympic Reflections #2: Interviewing
Olympic Reflections #3: Across Sectors

#olympics #executiverecruiting #resilience

Olympic Reflections #3: Across Sectors

Paul Freed on July 31, 2024

by Ross Fletcher, Director
Herd Freed Hartz – Executive Search

Olympic Reflections and lessons learned for recruiting

I was fortunate to work at seven Olympic Games (and a few Youth Olympics) during my time in broadcasting. For the duration of Paris 2024 I’m sharing a reflection a day.

Working at 11 different Olympics events over a 13-year span allowed me the chance to report on a huge range of sports, many of which I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise.  

Who knew that Modern Pentathlon was the most gladiatorial, captivating sport out there?  One minute the athletes are guiding a horse they barely know over fences, the next they’re facing off in a fencing competition. Similarly, I’d never have become a fan of Biathlon unless I’d been thrown into it in -4 degrees Fahrenheit in Seefeld, Austria back in 2012.  How the competitors ski their hearts out for miles and then calmly shoot targets I’ll never know. And what about track cycling? Athletes with thighs bigger than my torso racing at 44mph within an inch or two of the bike ahead of them, on crazily banked planks of hardwood.   

The prospect of variety was always a huge draw at every new Games. Here at Herd Freed Hartz there’s a similar theme. We work across industry sectors, with the company placing over 1000 executives in more than 450 businesses.  Variety is the spice of life and all that.

If you liked this, you can also check out:
Olympic Reflections #1: The People
Olympic Reflections #2: Interviewing

#olympics #executiverecruiting 

Olympic Reflections #2: Interviewing

Paul Freed on July 30, 2024

by Ross Fletcher, Director
Herd Freed Hartz – Executive Search

Olympic Reflections and lessons learned for recruiting

I was fortunate to work at seven Olympic Games (and a few Youth Olympics) during my time in broadcasting. For the duration of Paris 2024 I’m sharing a reflection a day.

I’ve never kept a proper count but I’m pretty sure the number of people I’ve interviewed for work in the last 25 years is comfortably over ten thousand. The biggest volume-per-day would always be at an Olympics.  From snarky Polish hammer throwers to blubbing Bahamian sprinters, there was never a dull day.

When I was making the transition from broadcasting to executive recruiting, one of the biggest draws was the continuing need to interview people. Getting to know someone’s story and their motivations keeps me fresh – call it a daily curiosity.   

A large part of my remit at an Olympic Games was to interview every medalist from every event I was assigned to cover, along with any other interesting athletes or competitors with emerging story lines. It was terrific grounding for what I’m doing now. There were so many different characters from all over world – throw in the stress of competition and it made for a powder keg of emotions and responses. 

The gold medalists were often the easiest, for obvious reasons. The British triple-jumper Greg Rutherford was a particular highlight. After storming to gold in the London Olympics in 2012 he couldn’t contain his excitement, bouncing back and forth from the microphone while repeating the phrase ‘I can’t believe it – I’ve only gone and won the Olympics in my backyard!!’ 

The emotional interviews were always a highlight. I felt privileged when an athlete would be so open, natural and vulnerable in one of the biggest moments of their lives. Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas stormed to the women’s 400-meter title in the 2016 Rio Games and proceeded to spend our entire post-race interview in floods of tears after revealing how she had secretly battled through a nagging injury that even her coach and family had no knowledge of. 

Then there were the snubs. For some reason eastern European hammer throwers rarely wanted to give me the time of day, even after winning a medal. I tried not to take it personally! We would have the comedy situation where I would request an interview, the athlete would blankly walk past me and then a poor media liaison officer would have to chase them down and plead for them to return for a chat.  There was an archer who steadfastly refused to remove his glasses because he said he wouldn’t look as cool without them.  And the translators who would listen to an athlete’s 40 second answer to my question and give a 7 second interpretation.  

So I feel like I’m pretty well prepared for whoever and whatever is thrown my way in my new recruiting world.  But I’m always prepared to be surprised – and I’d much prefer it that way! 

If you liked this, you can also check out:
Olympic Reflections #1: The People

#olympics #interviewing #executiverecruiting 

Olympic Reflections #1: The People

Paul Freed on July 24, 2024

by Ross Fletcher, Director
Herd Freed Hartz – Executive Search

Olympic Reflections and lessons learned for recruiting

I was fortunate to work at seven Olympic Games (and a few Youth Olympics) during my time in broadcasting. For the duration of Paris 2024 I’m sharing a reflection a day.

One of the most common questions I’m asked around my Olympic experiences is “what was your favorite bit”? I always come back to the same answer – the people.   

The Olympics is one fantastic, gigantic fusion of cultures.  I got to work in multinational teams with new colleagues from Beijing to Buenos Aires, learning so much each time about different pockets of the world. It was also a litmus test for how far a dry sense of British humor could travel 😊  

Just as recruiting is a people and relationships business, I know I couldn’t have been successful in the COVID-hit Tokyo 2020 games if I hadn’t developed a strong bond with the people around me, some of whom were complete strangers from the other side of the planet just days earlier. I’m glad to say most of those bonds remain to this day. 

#olympics #relationships 

Elizabeth Brane – BD Mgr, N. America @ Hutchinson

Paul Freed on July 24, 2024

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with Hutchinson, on a nationwide retained search to find their new Business Development Mgr, N. America focused on Aerospace key accounts.

Hutchinson is a global leader in vibration control, fluid management and sealing technologies with solutions across a mix of industries. With a Paris global headquarters, Hutchinson today has 38,000 employees in 25
countries, and €4+ billion revenues in 2023 with strong growth and building on their legacy story since their founding in 1853 by American businessman Hiram Hutchinson.

Hutchinson ADI (Aerospace / Defense / Industry) division is focused on products and solutions for these vertical markets with €1.4 billion revenues and 8,400 employees worldwide. With their acquisition of Barry Controls in Burbank, CA, this built upon prior success in the Americas. In addition, Hutchinson ADI opened up their Business Development, Marketing and Client Success office in 2022 located in Bellevue, WA to focus on Aerospace, Defense and Industry opportunities in the Americas. Clients include Boeing, Bell, Collins, GE, Spirit, Lockheed, Gulf Stream, Cessna, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky. This increased customer focus around key accounts has led to 50% sales growth in unlocking new opportunities and long-term ADI partnerships collaborating with other Hutchinson manufacturing locations and business units worldwide.

Learn more about Herd Freed Hartz’s:
Manufacturing practice
Sales Leadership practice
Family Business practice

Jeff Keene – CIO @ Harbor Foods

Paul Freed on July 23, 2024

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with Harbor Foods, on a nationwide retained search to find their new Chief Infomation Officer (CIO).

Harbor Foods is dedicated to supporting our local partners that provide jobs in their communities, bring convenience to busy lives, and invite us all to experience life around the table. Fortifying Community every day.

Harbor is proud to receive one of the coveted 2023 Washington’s Best Workplaces Awards and recognition as one of Washington’s Fastest-growing Private Companies.

Harbor Foods is the largest independent 4th generation family-owned distributor on the West Coast, obsessed with the success of each of its 1,200+ team members. Harbor Foods and subsidiaries Harbor Wholesale and Harbor Foodservice serve over 8,000 restaurants, hospitality venues, convenience stores, and independent grocers with a wide selection of local and national products, business solutions and Harbor-owned Real Fresh Brands™. Brands such as Scratch Dig-in-Chicken™, Mountain Fresh™, Via Vita Pizza®, Split Shift®, Watertown Craft Roasted®, Mein Street®, and Skippers®.

Harbor Foods also houses Northlink Logistics, an end-to-end third-party logistics company where our culture and values create a unique hassle-free experience. Harbor Foods operates distribution centers in Kent, WA, Lacey, WA, Roseburg, OR, and Modesto, CA.

Jim Winkle, EVP & CFO at Harbor Foods commented on the executive search process, “We really appreciate your work in bringing top quality candidates to the table for us…I think Jeff is going to be a great fit for our team and company. Super excited to bring him into the Harbor family!”  


Learn more about Herd Freed Hartz’s:
Food & Agriculture practice
CIO & IT Leadership practice
Family Business practice

Jon Gisvold – Director of Fraud Operations @ OnPoint Credit Union

Paul Freed on July 17, 2024

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with OnPoint Credit Union, on a nationwide retained search to find their new Director of Fraud Operations. As a repeat client, Herd Freed Hartz also filled the Chief Marketing Officer role for OnPoint.

OnPoint Community Credit Union’s purpose is to build strong communities by supporting financial growth and well-being, one person at a time. OnPoint’s vision is to be the leader in delivering extraordinary experiences and value to our community. They have been improving the lives of members since 1932, when 16 schoolteachers got together to create a safe place to save their money and provide low-cost loans to other teachers and their families. Since that time, OnPoint has grown to be the largest community-owned financial institution headquartered in Oregon with 900+ employees. Today 1 in 4 households in Portland have an OnPoint account.

OnPoint does not just sell products and rates – they demonstrate trust, integrity, advice, financial values and consistency through every delivery channel. They listen, care, are fair, and treat every member as an individual. Over 437,000 consumer and 33,000 business members have chosen OnPoint because their values match customer values – “our community is your community.” This sense of pride and ownership cannot be purchased: it must be grown, nurtured, and protected.

OnPoint has grown to $8B+ in assets and is the largest real estate lender and largest auto lender in Oregon (#5 nationally) and top 25 credit card portfolio holder nationally. With the recent addition of 20 new branches, by the end of summer 2021, OnPoint will offer a total of 54 retail branch locations for members across Portland, Vancouver, Salem, Eugene and Bend. 

Learn more about Herd Freed Hartz’s:
Consumer & Retail practice
Financial Services practice

Ultimate Job Search Guide: Recruiter Insider Tips

Paul Freed on July 9, 2024

As a retained executive search firm, we get hired for very specific leadership roles for our clients. While we don’t help people find jobs, we want to be a helpful resource for those in job transition. Below is a collection of job search article links and resources.

** Read these articles in order. Why? The content is crafted in a way that builds upon prior sections. This system is proven, but it requires you to take a step back before going forward. Most of the challenges in a job search is getting focus and clarity. Your resume and interview strategy success depend on gaining clarity on where you are today and where you want to go next in your career.

This insight is developed from working on the front lines of hiring for 20+ years working with for 400+ clients and reviewing resumes of tens of thousands of candidates.

In other words, these are proven recruiter insider tips on how you can stand out from the pack and land that next job you want.

 

1. PREPARATION // Are you ready?

  • Get recharged. Invest 24 hours to rest, exercise, and do things that clear your head and give you energy. Laugh.

 

  • Check your dashboard indicators. Remember the big picture and assess what you could be learning during the job search. Appreciate your blessings, take responsibility for your life, and forgive others so you can move forward.

 

  • Get organized. Clear out clutter and get your workspace, computer, calendar, and contacts in order. Create folders and a spreadsheet to track your job search.

 

 

2. STARTING POINT // Where are you now?

  • Know your personality. Take a quick personality assessment online (DISC, Myers-Briggs, StrengthsFinder) for added insight on what makes you unique and what drives you.

  • Get wisdom. Share what you been learning with trusted friends, family and past co-workers. Ask for authentic feedback from those who know you best.

 

  • Unpack your career. Evaluate past experience to determine what you want to continue doing (or not) in the future. Create a checklist of criteria for your next job, including: Title, location, compensation, culture, and professional development areas. Download Unpack Your Career worksheet (PDF).

 

3. IDEAL DESTINATION // Where do you want to go next?

 

  • Narrow your focus. Identify the industries, companies and role(s) that interest you most. Narrow your big list down to a top dozen target companies. Aim smart at where you target your job search.

 

  • Visualize your ideal destination. Think about where you’d like to be down the road in your next job. Visit someone actually doing a similar job to gain inspiration and focus.

4. BE DIFFERENT // What’s your story and how can you stand out from the pack?

 

  • Research your network. Who do you know? Find connections at the companies where you want to work. Look for an angle, and a way to stand out to help give you an edge over other candidates. Upgrade your LinkedIn profile (download LinkedIn Tips PDF).

 

  • Ask for help. Tell your friends, family and social networks how they can help you with your search. This can lead to great referrals.

 

5. GET ROLLING // How do you land the job?

 

 

 

  • Say “Thank You”. Remember to follow-up with all of the people who helped you along the way. If you are still employed, finish strong and give notice professionally.