The People with People Passion
Starting a business is exciting. Setting up as an executive recruiter in Denver that will disrupt its market takes that excitement to a whole new level. In our first two articles we described our vision for executive recruitment, and why we feel so passionately about delivering people specialization in the world of staffing.
If you’ve read those two articles, you’ll understand just why we had to do this. You’ll have a good feel for the difference our approach can make to hiring organizations and the executives with the off-the-chart talent they need. There’s another question we get asked that we want to answer in this article. How did we get here?
Read on, and we’ll explain why you should put your trust in us to deliver. Strike that. Let’s give you the background that describes our insane ability to overdeliver, with every single conversation and every single assignment.
Hi, I’m Amanda Gladden
Entrepreneurship. Is it nature or nurture? For me, I guess it’s a bit of both. It’s an instinct that runs through my veins, with lessons that were spoon-fed to me by my father from before I could talk.
Mine is a family of entrepreneurs. My father showed me how to lead decision making. He taught me rules of engagement in a business setting. He also taught me the value of hard work and the value of treating all people equally – “no job is too big or too small” and “there is nothing you can’t accomplish if you put in the time”
I have some of the entrepreneurial traits that elude so many. I thrive under pressure. The more responsibility I take on, the taller I stand. Faced with difficult requirements and tight deadlines, I always deliver.
Crafting a Career as a People Specialist
My career in people specialization started back in 2002. I served in several roles as a consultant for CORESTAFF Services at Broadlane (now MedAssets), from Executive Assistant to Senior Buyer via IT Team Coordinator and Technology Trainer.
While I loved my time at Broadlane, I had a strong desire to sow my business development oats and joined forces directly with CORESTAFF Services.
However, the entrepreneurial fire was inside me, smoldering away and nagging at me to set out in business. So, in 2008 I launched Gladden Transporting LLC with my husband. My experience here built new layers of wisdom and skill that continue to serve me today. Talk about wearing many hats! I managed all operations, staffing, recruiting, business development, accounting, payroll, and other administrative tasks for the company. Phew!
I still had this burning ambition to work more closely with people, making dreams become realities, and returned to staffing when I joined SNI Companies as their senior staffing manager in 2011. Another great organization to work for, but I couldn’t resist the promotion offer to join Lucas Group in 2016 in support of their goal to grow contract solutions in partnership with executive search.
My role at Lucas allowed me to be more entrepreneurial in the role of Branch Manager where I built the largest, most profitable, fastest-growing, number one branch in the company in less than one year. The success there opened the door for my promotion to National Director of Contract Solutions (NCD) in 2018. The combined results I achieved include:
- Accumulated $30 million in revenue and $12 million in profits over four years
- Targeting mid-tier to Fortune 500 companies in my role as NCD, revenue surged from $22 million to $36 million in one year
- Awarded the Most Valuable Player Award for continuously breaking records
- Invited to the President’s Club for outstanding revenue generation
Satisfying My Need for ‘Buzz’
For many people, the success I have achieved throughout my career would be enough. Not for me, though. For me, real success is the buzz I feel when I make that perfect match between the position and the person.
Having worked across multiple industries – including accounting and finance, technology, human resources, marketing, and legal – I came to the realization that most of the staffing and recruitment industry are underdelivering to the people they serve.
Executives have a huge array of talent and skills that are highly transferrable across industries and sectors. Yet many executives are missing out on fulfilling their real potential and discovering life fulfillment because the recruiters they work with pigeon-hole them into their narrow roles.
Similarly, the skillsets that organizations need to drive their success are to be found in a broader and deeper talent pool than their existing staffing agency is fishing.
Thus, Lincoln Group was born. A fusion of my passion for people, entrepreneurial flair, and realization that the staffing industry needs to deliver far more to drive its clients’ performance and its candidates’ careers to new heights.
Making Connections to Find the Needle in the Haystack
At Lincoln Group, we’re bending the rules set by traditional staffing agencies. I love it. The flexibility to offer real bespoke solutions is something I thrive on. Finding that needle in the haystack is a challenge which requires courage and deftness in equal measure.
I’ve built cross-functional teams for large and small companies, developing relationships, and finding people with the precise skillsets, personality, and cultural fit to make the impossible happen.
I’ve found the playbook to make exciting things happen for both hiring companies and the executives who deserve so much more.
Discover the Difference When You Work with People Specialists
Whether partnering with clients or candidates, here at Lincoln Group we are driven by our passion for people and the principles that we hold in our heart. We guarantee that we will always:
- Treat you how we wish to be treated ourselves
- Be honest, and operate transparently and with integrity
- Work with a sense of urgency
- Do the right thing
- Deliver
People aren’t commodities to trade. Positions aren’t holes to fill. If you feel the same, then it’s time to contact Lincoln Group and discover the difference that partnering with people specialists will make to your business or career.