As 2024 comes to a close and we start looking ahead to 2025 (time certainly flies!), I first want to wish you and your family a happy and healthy holiday season. We all – myself included as a husband, father and CEO – can easily get swept up in the day-to-day of our jobs and families, making this time of year incredibly important to recharge the batteries so we can give everyone who depends on us our very best.

Before the ball drops in less than a week, I want to send a quick public thank you to the Stiles Associates team in our headquarters in New Hampshire and across the country. The dedication and commitment to excellence they show every single day makes me incredibly proud to have the best staff in executive recruiting. Their people-first demeanor has enabled us to not only transform companies and advance careers, but develop relationships that last a lifetime.

While I’m optimistic about what 2025 has in store, I’m not naïve to the many challenges and uncertainties our clients and candidates are experiencing. Rising labor costs, inflation, relocation restrictions, shifting cultural perspectives of work-life balance, supply chain management and potential changes to U.S. Government policies have many of us wishing we have a crystal ball.

However, uncertainty can lead us to making quick decisions at the expense of the right ones. We’ve all seen firsthand the staggering monetary and cultural cost of bringing on the wrong leader, so partnering with experienced professionals who not only have the relationships required to fill these kinds of roles, but live and breathe executive hiring every day immediately gives companies a competitive advantage.

At the end of the day we’re here to help. Help not just by transforming companies and careers, but lives and communities.

So, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to each of you for your continued trust and partnership in Stiles Associates. Here’s to a wonderful holiday season and an even more successful 2025!

Warm regards,

Jake Stiles
CEO, Stiles Associates
Jstiles@leanexecs.com