Zenith Search Partners

Early in my career, I walked into a customer meeting with what I believed was an absolutely elite spreadsheet.

Color-coded. Forecasts. Pricing comparisons. Margin analysis. Probably a pie chart no one asked for.

I was prepared.

Or so I thought.

About ten minutes into the meeting, the customer looked at me and said:

“Yeah, but can you actually help us solve the problem?”

That was a humbling moment.

Because he wasn’t looking for another presentation. He was looking for someone who understood the pressure his team was under and could help make his life easier.

I’ve thought about that conversation a lot over the years.

Especially in technical industries, it’s easy to assume expertise is about having the most information.

But the people who build the strongest relationships usually do something simpler:

They listen well.
They understand the business problem.
And they follow through consistently.

Also, for the record, I still love a good spreadsheet. Let’s not get carried away.

What’s a moment in your career that changed how you approached customers or leadership?

The April Jobs Report finally gave us something we haven’t seen much lately:

A little breathing room.

115,000 jobs added. Unemployment holding at 4.3%. Not exactly “economic boom” territory… but also not the collapse some people were bracing for.

Honestly, most business leaders I talk to aren’t looking for perfect conditions right now anyway.

They’re looking for signs that they can plan again.

Hire carefully.
Invest selectively.
Move forward without feeling like the ground is shifting every 15 minutes.

What I found interesting is that the report felt… steadier.

Not euphoric. Not disastrous. Just steadier.

And after the last few years, steady has become a pretty underrated word.

Curious what others are seeing.

Does this report change how you’re thinking about hiring over the next few months?

Here's an article to check out: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/08/jobs-report-april-2026.html

U.S. payrolls jump more than expected, but the report had several red flags for the economy Nonfarm payrolls were expected to increase by 55,000 in April, according to the Dow Jones consensus.