Expertise

Counsel for the decisions that shape company performance.

North & Human advises on the decisions that determine whether a company can execute: who leads, where to invest in people, how leaders operate, how performance is managed, and how the organization changes as strategy changes.

01

Executive Search & Leadership Assessment

Typical mandates

  • A critical C-suite or senior leadership role is vacant or insufficiently defined
  • The chief executive, board, or investors hold differing views of the mandate
  • The organization requires a more rigorous, defensible executive selection process
  • A board or sponsor needs stronger evidence before committing to an appointment
  • A newly appointed executive requires a deliberate transition and integration plan

Outcomes delivered

  • A leadership mandate anchored in 12 to 24 month enterprise outcomes
  • Explicit authority, decision rights, and stakeholder expectations
  • Structured, evidence-based assessment and scorecards
  • A calibrated interview panel and rigorous referencing
  • A decision-ready appointment recommendation
  • A 90-day integration plan for the incoming executive
02

Talent & Workforce Strategy

Typical mandates

  • Workforce plans are disconnected from strategy and operating capacity
  • The executive team is divided on whether to hire, develop, acquire, automate, or redesign
  • Demand for talent is high while priorities and resource constraints remain unresolved
  • Workforce investment is reactive rather than governed
  • People, Finance, and Operations lack a shared decision framework

Outcomes delivered

  • Explicit strategic priorities and the capabilities they require
  • Workforce scenarios modeled on cost, time, capacity, and risk
  • A prioritized view of mission-critical roles
  • Clear build, buy, borrow, automate, or redesign determinations
  • A standing executive governance cadence for workforce investment
03

Talent Function Transformation

Typical mandates

  • Recruiting is slow, inconsistent, or dependent on individual heroics
  • Hiring leaders are unclear on their accountability within the process
  • The talent function requires a new operating model, metrics, technology, or structure
  • Executive search, recruiting, compliance, and workforce planning operate in silos
  • The organization is scaling faster than its talent infrastructure

Outcomes delivered

  • A coherent talent operating model
  • Defined process ownership and hiring-leader accountability
  • Metrics that govern speed, quality, and capacity
  • Institutional-grade executive and critical-role search practices
  • Greater discipline across process, technology, and data
04

Performance Management Design

Typical mandates

  • Annual reviews take months, create anxiety, and change little
  • Employees feel defined by a single rating, and trust in the process is low
  • Ratings vary widely across managers, teams, or countries
  • The company is moving to a new HR system or expanding globally
  • Leaders want higher standards without a punitive culture

Outcomes delivered

  • A performance philosophy the executive team can explain and defend
  • Rating scales with clear definitions and behavioral anchors
  • An annual cycle for 360 feedback, self and manager evaluation, and calibration
  • Quarterly check-ins and mid-year reviews, so year end holds no surprises
  • Language, communication, and manager training designed for psychological safety
  • System requirements for platforms such as Workday
05

Leadership & Manager Effectiveness

Typical mandates

  • Leaders are stretched, inconsistent, or unclear on expectations
  • Performance conversations occur too late to change outcomes
  • Accountability varies materially across teams
  • Priorities and expectations are not translated clearly to the organization
  • The executive team seeks higher performance without a punitive culture

Outcomes delivered

  • Explicit leadership expectations at every level
  • A sustainable cadence for priorities, feedback, and development
  • Practical frameworks for difficult performance conversations
  • Performance practices that drive clarity and follow-through
  • Sustained leadership support through growth and change
06

Organization Design & Change

Typical mandates

  • Strategy is clear, yet execution is slow or fragmented
  • Decision rights are ambiguous or contested
  • The leadership team is not aligned on priorities or trade-offs
  • The organization has outgrown its structure or operating model
  • Change initiatives are generating confusion, fatigue, or quiet resistance

Outcomes delivered

  • Clear roles, decision rights, and operating cadence
  • Executive alignment on priorities and trade-offs
  • Disciplined change communication and leadership enablement
  • An organization design grounded in strategic requirements
  • A sequenced roadmap from current state to future capability
07

AI in Talent Acquisition & Operations

Typical mandates

  • Talent teams are under pressure to adopt AI without a coherent strategy
  • Tool adoption is fragmented and difficult to govern
  • Leadership seeks efficiency gains without compromising candidate trust or judgment
  • The organization requires clear standards for AI use, data, and human oversight

Outcomes delivered

  • AI use cases tied to material workflow constraints
  • Governance and human-accountability standards
  • Structured assessment practices that preserve fairness
  • Meaningful measures of adoption, speed, quality, and risk
  • A deliberate change plan for talent teams and hiring leaders

Engagement

A senior partner for consequential decisions.

Engagements are scoped to the decision at hand, from a focused advisory mandate to a full executive search. Inquiries are held in confidence.

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