Our Labradoodle Does Not Shed!

Our 6-year old Labradoodle, Ziba, does not shed! Well, that’s the myth that was perpetuated by my family after the gentle cajoling that ended with a puppy, and budding 70-pounder, joining our family. The purported hypoallergenic qualities represented by the combination of a Labrador Retriever and a Standard Poodle became hard to resist. But really, it was mostly about the hair.

Keep in mind that, had a Labrador Retriever and a Standard Poodle come into “relations” with each other 30-40 years ago, the outcome would have been outside the spectrum of a show dog. The hundreds of dollars that we spent to acquire Ziba, and continue to spend, seem to suggest that things have changed.

Ziba is not perfect…in fact…there has been a growing willingness to acknowledge that she sheds. But something happened along the way. Our experience with Ziba is now defined in other ways: great demeanor, watchdog, companion, smart, incredible range of learned behaviors, playful and more.

So what’s the point? Pedigree and trappings do not equate to results. We find this to be the case with retained search firms as well. What’s important about a dog are the qualities that make it great. What’s important about Leapfrog Executive Search are the qualities that enable you to acquire uniquely talented HR leaders who are well aligned with your organizational needs. Here are some things our team talked about last week:

• Investing well in the small steps that lead to great outcomes.
• Consistent communication with clients and candidates.
• Never losing sight of the goal to produce the desired outcome for our clients
• Understanding that challenges will arise in every search. We don’t get discouraged, we find new avenues that enable success.
• Getting to the desired result, and doing so in the right way.

Note:  carefully managed breeding of pedigreed dogs is required to avoid the elimination of many of the qualities that made them desirable in the first place (see Irish Setter: intelligence)