Kevin Rutherford’s Full Story

Hi, I’m Kevin Rutherford

I’m a HR professional by training.  But, probably like many of you, that was not my chosen career field.  I actually wanted to be a pilot, but not just any pilot; I wanted to fly F-16 fighter jets.  As the son of a pilot, that was one of my dreams but, that was not to be as my vision changed after I joined the Air Force and my dream was crushed when I failed my final eye exam.

Well, as fortune would have it, it was one of the best failures I ever experienced.  Why?  I was assigned to Personnel and found another true passion…helping find, grow and develop talented people.  I received great training and assignments in HR while in the military; they also funded most of my Masters in HR program.  However, with a system that favored time-in-job and time-in-service before one could get promoted, I felt like I could achieve more elsewhere. So, once my four years were up, I left the Air Force for the private sector.

The Early Years

After leaving the military, I joined HEB Grocery Company, one of the largest privately held grocers in the USA, and worked in leadership and organizational development, field human resources, training design and delivery as well as recruitment.  Over the next decade, I took on progressively responsible positions leading and directing teams in recruiting, workforce planning, training, organizational development, employee relations, compensation and benefits with Chemical Bank, May Department Stores Company, The Limited.  These experiences lead to my first “baby VP” job with FootAction, a rapidly growing athletic footwear retailer.

The Dog Years

When retail giant Waldenbooks ($billion plus in sales, 1200 stores, HR dept of 75  people) recruited me as VP-HR, I had no idea of what was to come.  It was a big job with big expectations and big opportunities. Two months in, they fired the CEO and told us we were merging with a sister company, Borders Books and Music, with the intent of spinning the companies off and going public.  Wow…fear and excitement all at the same time.

My tenure as Chief Human Resources Officer of Waldenbooks, then of the combined companies, while intense, provided me with opportunities one usually works a lifetime to obtain but may never achieve.  I was lucky—I had senior leaders who believed in HR and I was able build a great team of high-quality HR professionals who wanted, and knew how, to make a difference through people.  It has been said that one year of a dog’s life is roughly equal to 7 of a humans.  And, although I was in my early forties, I felt like the dog; it was if I had crammed an entire career’s worth of experiences in the span of four years.  In many ways, it was one of the best experiences in my working life.

I moved on to new CHRO roles at Michaels Arts and Crafts and later Garden Ridge Pottery.  After eight years of taking a company public, leading global business/workforce expansion, executing a turnaround, and experiencing the frenetic pace of VC-owned companies, I was ready for a break!  So, as any forty-something would do, I took six months off, spent quality time with my family and reevaluated what I wanted to do in the next chapter of my life.  I knew I wanted to stay in HR but no longer desired working as an employee of a company.  It was time to move on, to pursue my other passions as an entrepreneur, educator and developer of talent management products, services, and software.  That “jumping off” point that lead to a number of ventures, two of which I am still active in today.

The Entrepreneurial Years – Part I

Shortly after launching my own consulting company, PeopleMax HR, I was retained by a fledgling start-up company, Navicus, a pre-employment background and drug screening company, to help build a talent-centric organization and grow their revenues for a potential flip/sale.  Our early success together lead to my becoming an equity partner in the business and taking on roles as CEO, EVP Sales and Chief Talent Advisor.

In an industry with little innovation, we changed the landscape of employment screening as one of the first entrants to integrate screening with recruitment and talent management.  By building a high-performance culture and a relentless focus on service, quality, and results, we were able to consistently double business every year.   Our hard work and execution landed Navicus on Inc. 5000’s fastest growing companies in the USA four years in a row.  Life was good; things were progressing as we hoped.

As the business started receiving sale inquiries, I knew that if I was asked to stay on with the acquiring company, it would have taken me away from what I loved most—building high performance leadership teams and workforces that can consistently deliver on strategic business objectives.  Consequently, I stepped down as CEO and took on the role of Talent Advisor.  This enabled me to re-launch my consulting business part-time, which I renamed TalentLeap, in anticipation of a sale.

Almost a year later, International risk management giant, Pinkerton, a division of Swedish security company, Securitas AB, noticed our success and ultimately bought us out.  While the sale was financially and professionally rewarding, I was now free to focus full-time on building TalentLeap into the HR advisory firm I always envisioned.  Plus, with more free time, I could actively pursue my desire to give back to the profession through training, speaking, and coaching.

Back to My Roots:  The Entrepreneurial Years – Part II

Jumping back full-time into HR consulting with TalentLeap felt like a well-worn, comfortable pair of shoes.  I was back to my roots but with a different business focus.  Our initial work focused on broad HR consulting with small to mid-sized businesses.  As the business matured so too did our research, results, thought leadership and educational offerings in the areas of strategic HR and talent management.  We attracted new clients with increasingly complex talent and organizational challenges.  Our client results have been recognized by Corporate Leadership Council and other leading talent management think tanks.

Over a decade later, our team has grown and we are still going strong, serving clients large and small, in a variety of industries all over the globe.
We serve a growing international client base, adding strategic value for clients through five consulting and education practices in the areas:

1.  Business/HR Strategy alignment
2. Workforce Planning and Analytics
3. Competency Modeling, and Development
4. Leadership and Talent Development
5. Organizational Performance.

The quality of our work has enabled to create strategic partnerships with companies like McKinsey & Co, Org Solutions, the Hofstede Centre, and others.We have been fortunate to serve as a strategic advisor to a wide range of companies including emerging growth companies, global corporations, government and military agencies, and non-profit organizations.

Paying It Forward Globally by Sharing My Knowledge

Earlier I mentioned I have a passion for education.  And, when it comes to education, I love learning and I love teaching.  So, it was only natural that I would get involved and “pay it forward” to my fellow HR professionals by sharing my knowledge and expertise as trainer, speaker, coach and thought leader.  That goal lead me to work with Human Capital Institute as a senior faculty member and contributor to a number of their certification and training programs for six years before leaving to work with Talent Management Alliance as their Chief Talent Strategist chairing conferences and delivering presentations, workshops and one-on-one coaching.  I also joined Leoron Professional Development Institute, a premier training provider in the Middle East as a Board Member.  I also serve as their HR Practice Leader, developing several new certificate programs for their clients and deliver public and private HR and leadership training in the MENA region.

In addition to my training programs, I share my knowledge from the stage as a speaker.  From Amsterdam to Dubai, from Johannesburg to Shanghai, from Calgary to London, and all parts of the USA, I routinely speak 12 -15 times annually as a keynote, breakout or panel participant on strategic HR topics at international/national/regional conferences, symposiums, briefings, and private company retreats or events.   All of my events are known for two things:  comprehensive and actionable content, and personal transformation.

My Family

I have been married to my wife, Sharon, for twenty-six years.  We have two great children, a daughter who recently graduated from university, now working in New York City, and a son who is pursuing his college degree.  We live outside of Houston, Texas.