Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaime Jusidman.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in Mexico, the son of Ukrainian Jews who had left Russia right after the revolution. They ended up in Mexico because the United States had closed its borders and Mexico was the only country taking Jewish refugees. Although our family struggled, living in Mexico was a worldly and diverse experience during the first 15 years of my life. I completed my B.S. degree from the University of Mexico and then, encouraged by my sister, I came to the U.S to attain a graduate degree. I attended UC Irvine where I graduated with an MBA and then transferred to UCLA Anderson School of Management to enroll in their doctoral program of Organization Development.
While at UC Irvine, I met my future wife, Debbie, who was studying for her master’s degree in physical therapy.
We got married and once I finished my graduate work, we left the U.S. to start our life together in Mexico. I immediately started my OD (Organization Development) and OB (Organizational Behavior) consulting practice and was doing well. I was offered a teaching position at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (Harvard University affiliate in Mexico), and then I was asked to participate in establishing their first campus in Mexico City where I pioneered the OD and OB specialty within their MBA program. These opportunities provided me with immediate professional and academic recognition and within six months, I became a consultant for high profile companies including Coca-Cola, General Electric, Banca Serfin (later to become Banco Santander), and General Motors of Mexico. I also worked with the Mexican Social Security Institute and the Secretary of Public Education for the Mexican government.
My corporate experience and subsequent consulting business in the United States began when my wife and I left Mexico and we ended up in Orange County. My first job was with McGaw Laboratories in Irvine where I was hired as a Training and Development Specialist with Training Design, Training Delivery, and Organization Development experience. Companies I also worked for included Baxter Travenol Laboratories (later merged with American Hospital Supply) where I was Head of Training and Development and Rain Bird Corporation where I was Director of HR. At Rain Bird, I was responsible for around six or seven manufacturing facilities and because I speak Spanish fluently, I was able to create a dynamic relationship between senior management and the mostly Hispanic employees¾I became the cultural bridge as well as the cultural change agent across the organization.
While at Rain Bird, the Director of Human Resource Development for ARCO (Atlantic Richfield Company) who I had previously met at McGaw called to ask me if I wanted to work and consult for him. So, that’s when I founded ExecuQuest which has become a highly successful consulting practice that focuses on executive coaching and organization development.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Unfortunately, my wife’s goal to practice physical therapy in Mexico City was not realized and her idealized image of Mexico turned into a complete deception. Having to deal with the cultural machismo and her inability to break through the “gringa” stereotype made her life unbearable and put a huge strain on our relationship. Here we were—I was doing very well while Debbie was losing her confidence as well as her liberal and independent spirit. So, at a very critical moment in the early days of our marriage, we made a life-changing decision to return to the U.S. That first year was one of the most difficult years of my life—I had no job and no friends and we were living in a fairly troubled area of Venice Beach—not at all what I expected or needed to start a healthy and promising new beginning.
Debbie had started a job at a hospital where she worked from seven in the morning to seven at night so for me, it was a time of loneliness, self-doubt, and despair. I spent the whole year interviewing for jobs but with no success. Being Mexican with a heavy accent and a somewhat limited ability to speak English made it very difficult for me to overcome the stereotypical image of a Mexican blue-collar worker or farm laborer. So interviewers were unable to see me as an educated professional who was highly competent in my field of expertise. Unable to find employment in the Los Angeles metro area, Debbie and I decided to move to Orange County where I hoped there would be more opportunities in the job market.
Please tell us about ExecuQuest.
We specialize in Executive Coaching and Team Building, Leadership Development, Organizational Change, 360 Feedback, and Executive Assessments. In addition to offering comprehensive HR consulting services, we design and implement team development initiatives, executive and leadership development programs, talent management/human resources planning processes, company-wide employee opinion surveys, and company-wide 360° feedback programs. We also provide C-level executive assessments for selection at Fortune 500 companies.
We partner and work with businesses from a diverse range of global industries including business and financial services, food and beverage, healthcare, retail, and technology. Our client base has included private firms, Fortune 500 companies, sports franchises, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies.
Our sister company, ExecuSurv, is a survey consulting entity specializing in online surveys. Our proprietary survey platform can customize, implement, and deploy a number of surveys including 360 Feedback Surveys, Customer Satisfaction Surveys, Employee Exit Surveys, and Employee Opinion Surveys for human resource management, organization development, and customer service improvement.
What sets us apart is that we do not provide “off-the-shelf” solutions or package programs. We create long-term, trusting relationships by being direct, clear, transparent, empathic, and authentic. We provide in-depth assessments of the individual and the collective strengths within the organization as well as an analysis of the results in order to assure the sustainability and success of the enterprise.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Something is very clear to me—I have learned from my 40 years in the consulting business that success comes from credibility. People need to trust my competency but most importantly my integrity. The best client is the one who knows about me from someone they trust. Referrals have been the cornerstone of my success regardless of the challenges I have faced. Trusting relationships are essential—every relationship matters and I never know how or when but they will appear in my life’s journey. I have found that as a consultant my responsibility is twofold—first, to provide my clients with memorable worthwhile experiences that contribute to their desired outcome and second, to stay present in their lives by continually keeping in touch.
Contact Info:
- Address: 23272 Mill Creek Drive, Suite 260
Laguna Hills, CA 92653 - Website: www.execuquest.com
- Phone: 949-581-9405
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExecuQuestInc/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExecuQuestInc.
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