At first I wanted every mandate. Today I turn down 70 %, and I’m more successful than ever

Am Anfang wollte ich jedes Mandat. Heute lehne ich 70% ab – und bin erfolgreicher als je zuvor

When I started TALENTspy, my thinking was very simple:

take every project. Seize every opportunity. Don’t miss anything.

I wanted to keep every door open. At the start, that feels logical.
In reality, it was a fallacy.

Over time I realised:
if I do everything, I don’t become truly excellent at anything. I spread myself too thin.
I work hard, but without a clear line.

The turning point came when I saw my focus clearly:

a focused executive search boutique. Three to five partners who understand each other,
with the same values and the same attitude, backed by efficient processes.

A small, sharply focused firm. With the best candidates, the top 10 %.
And the right clients, who want truly exciting transformation.

Since then, I ask myself about everything I do:

does it fit our strategic corridor? Is it really our topic?
Or is it just “interesting” but not decisive?

And one more question drives me every day:
how close is what I’m doing right now to revenue?

In executive search, that’s very concrete for me:
I’m closest to revenue when I’m working with candidates.
Not when I’m polishing presentations.
Not when I’m tinkering with side issues.

Not when I’m just “busy”.

The same principle applies to my team. We juggle a lot of balls, so we need clear priorities:
• What contributes directly to our candidates’ and clients’ success?
• What contributes directly to revenue and results?

Everything else is nice to have. Even so, for me it isn’t only about numbers.

What drives me is the idea of building a company I can one day proudly hand over to the next generation.

A boutique where
focus comes before activity for its own sake. Impact before busyness. Quality before taking everything.

I could make life easier for myself, just let my network do the work
and handle the projects that come in.

But I want more. I want TALENTspy to have a clear signature: focus, excellence and an entrepreneurial attitude.

Let’s talk about your situation.

In confidence, directly with a partner and without delegation.

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Melanie Kleemann

Mit dreifacher internationaler Vorstandserfahrung, unter anderem für die IKEA Group, Vorwerk International und die Peek & Cloppenburg Gruppe, blickt Melanie Kleemann auf eine umfassende Karriere entlang der gesamten Value Chain zurück. Ihr Herzstück und ihre Leidenschaft lagen dabei seit jeher in den Bereichen kommerzielles Wachstum sowie (digitale) Transformation.

Ihre internationale Führungskompetenz wurde maßgeblich durch globale Rollen und mehrjährige Auslandsaufenthalte in Schweden und der Schweiz geprägt.

Melanie ist Partner bei TALENTspy und verantwortet die Bereiche Commercial Excellence, Consumer&Retail, Private Equity. Mit feinem Gespür für Markt-Dynamiken und exklusivem Zugang zu Spitzenkräften unterstützt sie Corporate-Entscheider, Private-Equity-Investoren, Gesellschafter und Aufsichtsräte dabei, kritische Schlüsselpositionen diskret, treffsicher und mit nachhaltigem Wertzuwachs zu besetzen.