Women in Staffing Leadership Masterclass: Executive Readiness

Republished from Staffing Forward Magazine

The journey to leadership isn’t always straightforward. At the upcoming “Women in Staffing: Leadership Masterclass” at SIA Exec Forum, industry experts will share their knowledge with emerging leaders. We sat down with one of those experts, Robin Mee, to talk about her Masterclass track: Executive Selection and Readiness. Mee is the Founder and CEO of MeeDerby, a leading executive search firm dedicated to staffing and workforce solutions. With decades at the center of the industry’s talent ecosystem, Mee brings hard-won perspective on how leaders rise, what “readiness” really looks like, and how first-time executives can avoid early missteps.

The Journey to Leadership

Mee’s path to leadership started early. While still in college, she helped kick off (and then after graduation, ran) a Department of Labor–funded Summer Youth Employment Program, placing hundreds of low-income teens into paid roles. At 22, she was managing a multimillion-dollar budget and led a team of 10+ – most older and more experienced than she was.

“I remember hiring a woman who was fifteen years my senior, and she asked me this question: why would you hire me when I have more experience than you do? And my response was, I need to hire people that have more experience than I do, that I can learn from. And it really set the stage for a leadership value I carry to this day, to surround yourself with great people.”

Her lessons from those early years still guides her leadership today: Surrounding herself with excellence, investing in hiring, training, and development, and embracing life-long learning. She founded MeeDerby in the late 80s and has served the staffing industry ever since as a go-to executive search partner for staffing and workforce solutions, working across the full industry ecosystem and placing leaders who drive performance and growth.

Assessing Executive Readiness

As a search leader, Mee assesses executive readiness every day – and she also prepared for her upcoming Masterclass by interviewing 8 high-powered executive women in staffing to refine the signals that matter most.

Based on that, here are the leading indicators of executive readiness:

Sustained, verifiable performance. This is the minimum of what it takes to get to the C Suite. Most executives rise from high powered recruiting, sales, or operations roles and have a clear record of delivering results over time.

Leadership that builds leaders. A proven ability to hire, train, develop, and retain talent is key. “Executives execute through others,” Mee says. “So their ability to train, lead, and scale teams is paramount.”

Growth mindset and change leadership. Comfort with ambiguity, leading transformation, and creating a pathway forward in tough markets.

Strategic and tactical fluency. Big-picture thinking paired with disciplined execution, meeting cadence, and accountability.

Clear communication. Clear, consistent written and verbal communication that sets tone and direction across the organization.

Emotional intelligence. Self-awareness, empathy, and resilience that fosters trust and credibility at all levels.

Tips for New Leaders to Avoid Pitfalls

Mee’s guidance to first-time executives is clear: secure broad support, listen deeply, and build trust before you change things.

“What I’ve seen working successfully is true executive buy-in. Whether it’s from the Board or from the incumbent CEO, it’s important that they really drive home that message both inside and outside of the organization. The message of, ‘this is our person’, sent out over social media and press releases to build a buzz. That really helps set the stage for success.”

After garnering support, Mee says the next crucial step is to build relationships within the organization – fast. And to do this, her best advice is to listen more than you talk.

“The first 30, 60, 90 days are critical. There’s so much to learn, and the successful executive is going to be the one who is meeting with direct reports, meeting with important stakeholders in the company and doing more listening than talking. Based on those conversations and on data, they can make assessments about the health of the business. Before starting to make any changes, they’ve got to establish their credibility.”

Takeaways

Mee points to a simple framework popularized in the Adecco Group’s engAGe leadership program—PIE—as a practical guide for aspiring executives:

Performance: It’s non-negotiable. Build and be able to articulate a concise, data-driven record of results.

Image: How you show up matters. Elevate your professional presence—demeanor, vocabulary, and brand—inside and outside the company. Speak publicly, publish, and strengthen your reputation so people know your value before they meet you.

Exposure: Volunteer for stretch work, raise your hand for cross-functional opportunities, and make yourself visible. Build mentors and sponsors—the people who will advocate for you when you’re not in the room—and invest in a real network beyond your current company.

Mee adds that P&L ownership and strong financial acumen are “table stakes” for executive roles in staffing.

“Seek out experiences that expand your scope, ask for the next challenge, and be intentional about the relationships that will help you rise.”

Thank you to Robin Mee for sharing her knowledge and insights. Join her for a deeper dive into executive readiness at the Women in Staffing: Leadership Masterclass on March 25, 2026 at 11:45 AM CT.

About the Speaker

Robin Mee is the Founder and CEO of MeeDerby, the leading search firm for the Workforce Solutions ecosystem. She is a passionate advocate of staffing, a volunteer industry leader and a regular speaker at staffing events nationally. Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) has honored Robin many times on the Staffing 100 and the Global Women’s Power 150 lists and in 2016 the American Staffing Association (ASA) recognized Robin with their first-ever Volunteer of The Year award. Robin is also a member of the SIA Staffing 100 Hall of Fame.