John M. Williams shares his views on the degree versus experience debate during a recent interview with Amanda Suriya Ariffin from The PEAK Malaysia (Volume 16 No 9 Malaysia ).

WE'RE TALKING HEADS
In the competitive world of business, branding yourself is just as important as branding your company's products and services, reports Amanda Suriya Ariffin.
Williams diplomatically deliver his candid opinion on leadership qualities and 'poachability'.
"By courtesy of The Peak Malaysia Vol.16 NO 9 Malaysia"
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Urban corporate legends often begin as rumours, such as the one about Bill Gates having dropping out of Harvard to energise a fledgling company that is now Microsoft. A potentially disastrous consequence of such a legend is spawning of a new breed of brash, young tycoons thinking this is the easy, fast way to obscene riches without first completing the necessary groundwork.

Thankfully, people such as John Williams, executive search company head whose business it is to know of many businesses' business, are able to ground such legends and separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.

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Williams is the Managing Director of Agensi Pekerjaan JM Williams & Associates Sdn Bhd (fka JM Williams and Associates Sdn Bhd), a company that has regional reach in India , Singapore and China . He also personally conducts Neuro-Linguistics Programme training, after having paid his dues as the Malaysian country head of an American conglomerate.

He was interviewed on various trends and issues surrounding business leaders; the variation in response was enlightening and stimulating.

For starters, he debunked the traditional perception that piles of paper qualifications were the absolute guarantee to career success, although Williams add, "I know there are a few entrepreneurs who do not have university degrees. I'm a prime example," he grins, "because most of what I learnt, I learnt after school. Some people don't respond to a school environment," he adds tactfully, "but when they find something interesting, then they respond very well!"

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Williams intones thoughtfully, "University degrees show that people have the capacity to learn something and apply themselves, although it doesn't mean they can apply that learning in the work environment."

Some people, he points out, are disadvantaged simply because they're not believable, regardless of whether they have an education or track record. He says, "The company [hiring the candidate] knows what has been successful in the past and what works. It depends on the individual, too. If the individual has a MBA and some experience, it boils down to how he or she can sell himself or herself to an organisation."

And what of possible dangers rendering the MBA an underrated commodity, now that the majority of educational institutions are offering easier access to postgraduate courses? Williams avers, "The world is changing rapidly and the MBA might be replaced, but I don't think that will happen soon, because people still like to know that people have theoretical knowledge about business."

So what do seasoned headhunters such as Williams look for in candidates?

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Touching on tangible qualities, Williams adds, "We're looking for people that possess good people skills and leadership qualities, and once we've got people with the right qualifications, we then look for the right fit. Other qualities are courage and composure which you can't see on a piece of paper. When we do interviews, we're asking questions that will require candidates to tell a story. And it's around these stories - and what you see on their CVs - that you can determine what kind of leadership skills they possess. Because people will always add the gloss," he smiles broadly "and we try and scrape it off and see what's really there."