25 July | Agilium Worldwide
Agilium Worldwide returns to a “face-to-face” format for its annual global meeting this June
Monika Borgers, Executive Director, talks about her motivations and expectations
Face-to-face global meetings for all members of Agilium Worldwide were standard practice and were held in a different member country each year. COVID put a stop to that, and the meetings were held online. Now the group is returning to its previous format.
Monika, why are representatives of each member firm so eager to come together again?
Monika Borgers: “The annual global meeting of all member firms is our central event and the highlight of the year, and we all look forward to it very much. Such meetings are an essential element of how we work together as a group. During the year we collaborate “remotely”, so to speak, each of us active in our own location, in 26 countries around the world. As in any other company, it’s also important for us to get together and nurture those human relationships. So we dedicate time to work, but also to fun.”
And what are you hoping to accomplish this year?
“When we meet we typically spend much time, first of all, looking back and learning from each other’s experiences. We will be reviewing the last 12 months, sharing our observations, experiences and the solutions we found for particular problems. We will examine how we handled particular situations and how we overcame certain challenges. It is always particularly helpful to discuss our successes and failures. There’s an incredible richness of experiences among our members. The pandemic forced all of us to change the way we operate. Which of these changes will stay with us, which ones will revert to their prepandemic form? There is really a lot to talk about.
Then secondly, we will dedicate time to looking forward and, especially, to identifying trends. Consolidating everyone’s experience over time facilitates this greatly. What is happening in
the market? What do clients value? What do candidates expect? Where is the growth? How do we foresee and prepare for potential shifts? Each of us will ask ourselves how we can service our clients better? How do we make the best use of the technological solutions that are available? It’s really fascinating! Like putting pieces of a puzzle together and creating a whole new picture.
And finally, we can be more creative. When comparing ideas in a group you reach entirely new conclusions. You start exploring different paths, considering other points of view, analyzing new ways of doing things. Creativity of groups and teams has been widely studied in psychology. It’s proven that you go further, go deeper, you open up your mind more. Working in a team makes us better professionals.”
And you were not able to do all this online?
“During the lockdown and when it was difficult to travel, we held several interactive meetings online and I think they were relatively successful. However, I believe we all agree that human interaction is much better when it’s face-to-face. None of the tools that are currently in use are really a substitute for the profound kind of personal interaction you get when everyone is in the same room. At Agilium Worldwide we all work really well together because we know each other well, and trust each other. Personally, I don’t believe you can build that kind of bond virtually.”
What will you focus on specifically at this year’s global meeting?
“As I already mentioned, we held a number of virtual meetings throughout the past months, so we did manage to conclude a lot of “technical” and “transactional” matters. At this upcoming meeting however, we will focus strongly on reconnecting personally, and on integrating the new members who have joined us since the last time we all met. We will also be defining priorities for the group in terms of strategic goals, growth, and market positioning. As one of Hunt Scanlon’s “Global 40” top global talent providers (www.huntscanlon.com/global-40) we are always looking to stay ahead of the curve, and for that, we need to keep our eye on the ball.”
Founded in 1984, Agilium Worldwide LLC is an international executive search group of independent, owner-managed retained executive search firms, with members who are active in virtually every market. Agilium Worldwide ranks among the world’s top 40 executive search organizations.
Agilium Worldwide’s member firms offer personalized, specialized, client-oriented services. By eliminating the formally structured, pre-programmed approach they can remain proactive and secure prompt, skilled and expert service to their clients, to help them find the “Perfect Fit” – the right person for the right position, at the right time, at the right location.
Agilium Worldwide member firms are trusted advisors to companies from the Fortune 500, as well as to upcoming and start-up companies around the globe. Clients get the best of both worlds: an entrepreneurial approach with global reach and local perspective.