As US business leaders try to make sense of what, at times, seems a confusing mix of economic reports and forecasts, there is a huge economy that's booming right now, and it's also focused squarely on talent and executive management and sustaining growth.

That country is Brazil, or for observers of our increasingly multi-polar world, the country that puts the "B" in the so-called "BRIC" economies.

I recently had the pleasure of spending a week in Brazil, speaking to three large gatherings of human resource leaders in Sao Paulo (twice the size of New York City, by the way!), Belo Horizonte (capital of the state of Minas Gerais — whose state economy is larger that the economy of Chile!) and Campinas (which is host to an HR association that celebrated its 50th anniversary three years ago) to mark the publication of my Brazilian-Portuguese language book, Escolhendo Líderes.

During my stay, which included meetings with Latin America region HR heads for some of the largest US-based companies, I learned that companies there are trying to maintain growth by sustaining and expanding their human capital advantage over the competition. Would you believe that, for some roles within the financial services sector, jobs in Sao Paulo are paying more than they're paying in New York City? Or that other Brazilian HR leaders have the budgets and opportunities to explore and improve their existing HR structures and models to drive real business partner results?

After the rough ride we've been on here in the States for the past couple years, it was certainly refreshing to see the competition for executive talent alive and well somewhere, let alone in such an important global economy as that which continues to expand in Brazil.

For me, one of the key takeaways from my latest visit to Brazil was this: Growing economies provide the capital but require top human capital to keep expanding. Companies have to compete to attract and build the best teams, and especially here in the States, as some HR leaders confide some concern about talent stagnation, it's important to consider that as the US economy continues to recover, so, too, will its demand for talent and executive leadership to grease the engine of growth.

Scan to open in your SmartPhone

Joseph Daniel McCool
Joseph Daniel McCool is senior contributing editor with ExecuNet and principal of management recruiting/succession advisory firm The McCool Group. He is also the author of Deciding Who Leads: How Executive Recruiters Drive, Direct & Disrupt the Global Search for Leadership Talent, recognized widely as "one of the best business books of 2008," and its Brazilian Portuguese translation, Escolhendo Líderes, published in June 2010.

Add Your Comment

Lessons learned from and about six-figure leadership and executive career management

Rules of Engagement for Executive Insider

Leadership

Dave Opton’s Six-Figure LearningsPatty Azzarello's Business Leadership BlogJohn BaldoniRussell BishopWally Bock's Three Star Leadership BlogGeorge Bradt’s PrimeGenesisBuilding ChampionsCEO Blog – Time LeadershipCrucial SkillsScott Eblin’s Next Level BlogAdrian GostickLeadership FreakDavid LivermoreJohn MaxwellN2Growth BlogDaniel PinkTerry StarbuckerWorking Knowledge

Recruiting/HR/Search Firms

Allen Associates Executive Search BlogThe Asia Pacific HeadhunterAsk the HeadhunterBoston Search Group BlogThe Cynical GirlThe Executive Search Group BlogNorton Folgate: The Recruiting UnblogGESBlogGuerrilla Job HuntingAmitai Givertz’s Recruitomatic BlogHeidrick & Struggles BlogsHR BartenderRecruiting AnimalThe Recruiting Inferno

Career Management

Best Fit ForwardThe Career CatalystCareer ChaosCareerFolkCareer HubCareer Pro TalkCareerowners’ BlogCareer SolversCareer Thought LeadersCareer TrendCFO CoachDesign RésumésElite RésumésExecutive ActionsExecutive Career BrandExecutive Power BrandGet Hired Stay HiredJibberJobberJob Search NewsHire EffectInspired ChoiceKeppie CareersLessons Learned on the Road to KonaMy Executive Career CoachTalent CultureTim’s StrategyTotal Picture RadioPenelope TrunkQunitessential CareersUnbridled TalentSusan WhitcombWorkStrongThe Write SolutionYour Best Impression

Topics

robyn greenspan joseph daniel mccool execunet executive recruiters leadership executive job search executive employment networking job search the economy executive careers dave opton market trends innovation business confidence mark anderson executive job market search firms world business forum recruiter confidence index executive hiring world innovation forum most read search firm hiring index skills popular talent management culture hiring strategy