For those who have been around long enough you’ll know that John Sumser is affectionately referred to as “Papa” in some circles. The moniker is apt for a man who has played the role of patriarch, spawning more progeny in the online recruiting world than most chaste mothers of invention or sanctimonious succession planners would care to admit.
Anyone who has been personally guided by John’s counsel on personal and/or professional matters knows it is hard to figure out whether in the long silences where John pauses for thought he is readying to adopt his ‘nurturing-’ or ‘critical-parent‘ mode, getting ready to give you a hug or perform the Heimlich maneuver. Hmmm….
As a dad in reality it is hard to overlook John’s pride in his son Raymond who is an aspiring filmmaker and oldest daughter Bridget who appears to be a chip-off the-old-block in many ways. The other “Papa” Sumser?
Rounding out the stereotype of John as patriarch is Sumser the authority-figure. Very few people in the recruiting business can boast the time served in nurturing an understanding of the market, its drivers, dynamics and trends that John can. His historical perspective, institutional knowledge, intuition and critical thinking adds weight to John’s sought-after views of where we recruiters have been and where we’re going. Of course, that is not to suggest that John is always right but sometimes sounding like you are is enough for a crowd that is often wrong.
Appropriate then that John’s keynote for the Atlanta Recruiting Roadshow should be titled: Multigenerational Recruiting, don’t you think?
John has written extensively on this subject and continues to raise important questions that must be answered if we are to be ready for the next-generation workforce. Over the next couple of weeks we will be revisiting selected works from John that talk to this and related issues.
Today we’ll start with Multigenerational Recruiting I written in preparation for another annual fixture: Onrec. Enjoy!
Posted by: Amitai Givertz
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[...] me I can say that the value of this collaboration with John Sumser to has been immense and continues to grow. My personal network has been enriched and expanded. [...]