Overview
Introduction
CEOs seek ghSMART’s advice for their most high-stake leadership challenges. And often, ghSMART’s clients see them as the most influential professional relationships they have. Those who aspire to be a trusted advisor to CEOs, Boards and Investors of the world and are equipped with experience at one of the big three strategy firms or a PhD in Psychology should take a closer look at ghSMART.
Company Stats
Employer Type
Private
Size
101-500 Employees
Featured Rankings
Vault Consulting 50
Major Departments/Practice Areas
Leadership Advisory
Major Office Locations
U.S., U.K., and Germany
Employment Contact
Rayna Zacks
Firsthand Findings
Top-tier consultants seeking more control over their lives beat a path to ghSMART’s door, hoping to secure a position that will enable them to work in a unique culture while setting their own schedules. That kind of choice probably shouldn’t seem as radical as it is within the consulting industry and, judging by insiders’ comments, it’s an incredibly popular option. Combined with the ability to work on projects with some of the biggest company names around, and you have the makings of a pretty compelling career stop.
About the Company
ghSMART Founder Dr. Geoff Smart’s Psychology PhD dissertation found that those private equity firms best at choosing teams made the most money. Equipped with an expertise in human behavior, he and his early colleagues went on to advise private equity investors to accelerate (or de-risk) value creation by selecting and developing their portfolios’ leadership teams. Today, ghSMART is still a trusted advisor to large private equity investors, as well as, to CEOs and Boards of F500s and non-profits. ghSMART consultants are each charged with helping their ‘top of the house’ clients achieve their business goals and personal aspirations, build the most effective teams and align a purposeful organization.
A Double Helix
ghSMART’s more than fifty consultants help their c-level clients solve the...
Employee Reviews
- “An extremely satisfying consulting firm for those who are genuinely interested in people and believe that the right people are the first critical step to enabling organizations to succeed.”
- “Consider ghSMART if you enjoy solving leadership issues at the top of the house. Start at a major strategy consultancy if you can, to build a sense for business, but then join us!”
- “If you are really interested in rolling up [your] sleeves and learning to become an advisor to boards, investors, CEOs and the people who run major institutions, we are the place.”
- “Our team is truly the best in the business. Many firms say this, but we only take the very best from the major strategy shops (McKinsey, Bain, BCG) who are not only smart and driven, but also humble and generous.”
- “The trust that our clients - F500 Boards and CEOs - place in us in helping them assess, select, and develop the future leaders of their organizations is unparalleled. And the impact that I, as an individual consultant, can have while still having a lifestyle that allows me to effectively balance work/life, is unprecedented. I advise F500 CEOs and boards while still being able to spend significant amounts of quality time with my family. I am not penalized in any way for wanting to balance that.”
Why Work Here
Since our founding in 1995, our mission has always been to use our expertise in business and human behavior to help CEOs, boards, and investors build valuable organizations. We exist to help leaders amplify their positive impact on the world.
Because we work with those who share our belief that leadership is the ultimate lever for positive impact and value creation, we proudly serve the CEOs of the largest private equity firms, Fortune 500 companies, and highly-respected not-for-profits.
Getting Hired Here
- “It's a multi-step process involving phone screen discussions, a case study, an in-depth conversation of the candidate's career, comprehensive reference checks, and opportunities for the candidate to get to know about a half-dozen current firm employees. The ideal candidate is passionate about talent-related issues, introspective, insightful about people, able to balance assertiveness with humility, articulate both verbally and in writing, and brings a track record of achievement.”
- “Our process begins with an introductory call followed by a phone screen and case study. The case is an opportunity for the candidate to analyze a leader and offer their thoughts. If they pass, we call them back for a half-day SmartAssessment, which is where we walk through their career in depth […] If they pass that, we conduct references and a background check while giving them a chance to speak with our Chairman, Managing Partner, CFO, and a selection of partners and consultants. We are transparent with candidates throughout the process and ask the same of them, which minimizes surprises.”
- “The ideal candidate has achieved top 1% performance relative to their peer group academically and professionally, has worked in a top 3 strategy firm, has performed in the top 25% of his or her peer group, and passionately believes in the power of ‘leadership’ as a topic in which to build expertise and the ability to advise CEOs.”
- “... The interview process is fairly clearly prescribed, and there is flexibility in timing to progress through the various steps at a pace that makes sense for you. Ideal candidates are those with at least mid-level experience in strategy and management consulting, are most interested in solving clients' people-related problems, and possess very high EQ.”
- “We seek candidates that have extremely high levels of both IQ and EQ, not only being smart but also highly personable and focused on building empathy, trust and long-term relationships with our clients. They must have an authentic interest in the space of people/executive leadership and optimizing the ‘who’ questions of business. Our candidates typically have graduate degrees (predominantly MBAs and psychology related Ph.D.s) and have been working for three to five years since graduating from their graduate program.”
