Season 6 | Episode 01

“I really like the part of the process in discovery where we're really working alongside our clients to understand what they genuinely need—which is not just a list of competencies and skills. It's really about envisioning what the human who does that role can be.” – Tom O’Connor

What really happens when you put two nonprofit insiders in a room and ask them to solve the sector’s toughest hiring puzzles? In this episode, we sit down with Tom O’Connor, founder of TOC Arts Partners, to decode the mysteries of executive search, organizational strategy, and the human side of leadership.

Tune in for a conversation that goes beyond résumés and reference checks. Tom shares why the best searches start with curiosity, how to spot the difference between a good candidate and the right candidate, and why transparency is the ultimate retention tool. Along the way, we explore the subtle art of “discovery,” the realities of uncertainty in the nonprofit world, and the power of building teams that are more than the sum of their job descriptions.