John L. Baker
DHR InternationalAGE: 57
TITLE: Executive Vice President and Global Life Science Practice Leader
HOMETOWN: Troy, Mich.
RESIDENCE: Coralville

As an executive recruiter, my goal is to ensure clients hire the most qualified candidates who will have a significant, long-term impact on their organization.

I also counsel candidates on making the best decision for their careers and that when they join a company, it is the best fit. This involves asking the right questions and getting to know candidates on a personal level. If I can help bring on the most qualified candidate for my client and if it turns out to be the right decision for both parties, than in the long run, both will have created value.

Throughout our lives we face a multitude of decisions, professionally and personally. Each ranges from simple to daunting, and yet all have a profound effect on one’s future and carry both immediate and long-term implications. Each builds upon itself, creating an evolving foundation of experiences we call upon to help shape our lives.

Leadership is about the impact your decisions will have on people and organizations. In many cases, leadership can be thought of as the ability to make these tough decisions in the face of adversity. Oftentimes the easy part is making the decision. The hard part is managing expectations and recognizing the outcome of your actions.

In the best of worlds, children are fortunate enough to have parents who look out for them and make decisions every day that impact their lives. In time, people grow and are given more latitude to make mistakes and learn. In doing so, we become more confident and more independent in our skills. These experiences provide us with a foundation that helps us to become better citizens and leaders. However, sometimes real-life situations get in the way. We may not have had the best environment or the best teachers to help us evolve into that confident and independent person that positively influences others. The truth is that life is not a level playing field and one must make the best of what he has.

I have been blessed with a terrific family who has helped me make the best of what I have. I have tried to do the same for them. I have helped my children recognize the importance of confidence, leadership and how the foundation they have built as young adults is crucial to their future success.

Some of my toughest decisions arose in my professional life, but carried with them profound implications for my personal life. While working for a medical lab equipment company as a sales rep in Michigan, I was asked to pack my things and move to Minnesota to take on a new territory. I had grown up in Michigan and would be leaving behind my entire support structure of family and friends. I knew it was the best move for my career and despite the challenges, I relocated to the Gopher state.

Next, I moved to Illinois for a job with Hewlett Packard Medical (now Philips Healthcare) where I met my wife — clearly a decision with lasting implications. We started a family, but were then faced with an option to move to Boston with HP Medical. This was an easy career decision for me, but difficult for my family. With their support, we moved and raised our kids for 14 years in New England, making a great home and friends for life. During that time, I accepted a job with Quest Diagnostics and spent a couple years commuting to New Jersey from Boston.

Over the past 10 years I have been in the executive search business with DHR International. It was this decision that allowed my family and I to have much more flexibility.

Once the children were off to college, we knew we wanted to get back to the Midwest and chose Iowa City/Coralville because we have family in the area. We love our neighborhood, the friends we have made, easy access to cultural events, restaurants, golf courses and Hawkeyes sporting events.

I have established an office for DHR International in Coralville. DHR is based in Chicago. My son works for the firm and my daughter sells medical devices. We are so blessed to have made this move and to have our kids so close to home. Also, my wife’s parents and her brother’s family are nearby which makes for a great family environment. Our son recently became engaged to a fine young lady from Mt Pleasant who is also a University of Iowa graduate.

In my role as a consultant in the executive search business, I work closely with executives every day who struggle with decisions. Often, it is a struggle over their next career move for personal reasons. Everyone reflects on what may be the best direction for them given their background, personal and professional goals. Other times, I work with executives as they assemble a winning executive team. I enjoy what I do a great deal and take great pride in helping individuals and companies find the right fit for themselves and their organizations.

I rarely used the day-to-day career implications as a means to make decisions and rarely is it for the people and organizations I assist. Many of these decisions are made difficult by trying to measure the impact on others in our lives. These days, most of the toughest decisions are made by committee or as collaborative family decisions because of the ramifications. This is perhaps the by-product of Sept. 11, when many people took a step back from their hectic lives to really think about what matters to them. Or perhaps, our current economic conditions play a role in making these decisions more difficult. However, what I find comforting is that most of these “tough decisions” tend to be made with the health of the family as the driving factor.

If we all keep things in perspective and make decisions based upon what is most important to those that love us, one can rarely make a bad decision. There will continue to be other tough decisions, but listening to those that are closest will always help.