Our business has been built on five very simple principles:

1. In the evaluation of candidates, integrity is the primary criterion. If unquestioned integrity is lacking in a candidate, whether professional or personal, no amount of skill, knowledge, track record, or charm can make up for it.
2. At the very highest levels, searches are done best when a single individual conducts them. If the different elements of the search—client selling and interaction, initial candidate contact, interviews, reference checking, negotiations—are divided among two or more people, neither the client nor the candidate is well served.
3. By far the most important screening device is reference checking. Anyone who is a candidate for a CEO-level position can deliver a credible interview. To learn about integrity, management style, sense of urgency, work ethic, and interpersonal skills requires talking with subordinates, peers, and superiors, often more than once.
4. Truth, candor, and thoroughness are absolute requirements in conducting the search. No material fact should be withheld from a candidate. No candidate should be "sold" to a client. Full reference checking should be shared with clients. It is the recruiter’s responsibility to make sure that the high road is taken at all times.
5. It is an inherent conflict of interest for the search practitioner to have a financial interest in what a candidate gets paid. Search fees should be fixed at the beginning of the search and should be completely independent of the final compensation package.