Solve your people challenges with clarity and confidence

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Assessments

Hiring & Recruiting

Leadership Development

Management Consulting

Succession

Common Challenges. Real Results.

The reality is that growing organizations often struggle with core people-related challenges:

  • Hiring mistakes are expensive
  • Strong performers don’t always become strong leaders
  • Accountability gets inconsistent as you grow
  • Too much leadership time is spent on people issues
  • There are no clear development or succession paths

When you have your people strategy dialed in:

  • Hiring becomes more predictable
  • Leaders perform at a higher level
  • Expectations are clear and consistently met
  • Teams operate more smoothly
  • You gain time and confidence to focus on growth
You know it hurts, but you don’t really know why? Use our Hurt (Un)Locker™ to see where you’re at.
Hurt (Un)Locker™

How We Help

Hiring, leadership, management, and succession are interconnected parts of the people side of your business. When one area struggles, the effects are felt across the entire organization.

Learn more about our solutions

Why STM?

Our work is practical, data-driven, and grounded in real business experience.

  • Insight grounded in validated assessment data
  • Proven, structured processes for hiring, development, and succession
  • A business-first perspective
  • Long-term advisory relationships, not one-time engagements
  • Clear, actionable guidance you can use immediately – not reports that sit on a shelf

“We just did our second hiring assessment with STM and we didn’t receive the news we wanted to hear about a candidate. We became emotionally attached, even though STM cautioned us otherwise. We asked the candidate more questions to dig into some of the concerns STM had raised. Just as STM said the candidate would, he gave us all the right answers; he knew what we wanted to hear. We made him an offer which would require him to prove himself in the areas in which there were doubts. He declined and that is when we knew – he wasn’t willing to take the risk on himself. So, back to the job boards. And we promise to never not listen to STM again!!!!!!!!!!!! 😊

Thank you STM. We do really like our new tool [hiring assessments], and this just proves it actually works!!”

Chris Cluff
President, Paper Trails

“I wouldn’t dream of hiring any candidate in any position at Red Sage without going through you”

Ellen Didier
President & Creative Director, Red Sage Communications

“Art understands the agency business and even more important — the agency owner.  That allows him to use his decades of experience, his testing tools (custom built for agency employees & positions) and his ability to coach both the new employee and their supervisor to ensure that every agency hire is a good, long-term investment.”

Drew McLellan
Top Dog, Agency Management Institute

“I have had the opportunity to work with Sue MacArthur and Art Boulay for a number of years and on a number of critical hires at Esparza.  Their unique process of understanding the culture of my organization and only presenting candidates that would be a solid cultural fit has been such a relief.  They have always been right on the mark with their recommendation and have been a vital part of our recruitment process.  I highly recommend STM for your recruitment and hiring needs.”

Del Esparza
President, Esparza

For over a decade you have assessed prospective employees, which gave me insights into how they would “fit” as part of The Chamber team. The proof of the worth of those assessments is clear when you see how many long-term employees are with The Chamber. You took that to the next level when you assisted the board in recruiting a new CEO. Your efforts brought a candidate to their attention who might otherwise not have not gotten beyond initial screening. I recommend you without reservation to future clients.

Chip Morrison
CEO emeritus, Androscoggin Chamber of Commerce

Happy Clients

“We just did our second hiring assessment with STM and we didn’t receive the news we wanted to hear about a candidate. We became emotionally attached, even though STM cautioned us otherwise. We asked the candidate more questions to dig into some of the concerns STM had raised. Just as STM said the candidate would, he gave us all the right answers; he knew what we wanted to hear. We made him an offer which would require him to prove himself in the areas in which there were doubts. He declined and that is when we knew – he wasn’t willing to take the risk on himself. So, back to the job boards. And we promise to never not listen to STM again!!!!!!!!!!!! 😊

Thank you STM. We do really like our new tool [hiring assessments], and this just proves it actually works!!”

Chris Cluff
President, Paper Trails

“I wouldn’t dream of hiring any candidate in any position at Red Sage without going through you”

Ellen Didier
President & Creative Director, Red Sage Communications

“Art understands the agency business and even more important — the agency owner.  That allows him to use his decades of experience, his testing tools (custom built for agency employees & positions) and his ability to coach both the new employee and their supervisor to ensure that every agency hire is a good, long-term investment.”

Drew McLellan
Top Dog, Agency Management Institute

“I have had the opportunity to work with Sue MacArthur and Art Boulay for a number of years and on a number of critical hires at Esparza.  Their unique process of understanding the culture of my organization and only presenting candidates that would be a solid cultural fit has been such a relief.  They have always been right on the mark with their recommendation and have been a vital part of our recruitment process.  I highly recommend STM for your recruitment and hiring needs.”

Del Esparza
President, Esparza

For over a decade you have assessed prospective employees, which gave me insights into how they would “fit” as part of The Chamber team. The proof of the worth of those assessments is clear when you see how many long-term employees are with The Chamber. You took that to the next level when you assisted the board in recruiting a new CEO. Your efforts brought a candidate to their attention who might otherwise not have not gotten beyond initial screening. I recommend you without reservation to future clients.

Chip Morrison
CEO emeritus, Androscoggin Chamber of Commerce

Who We Serve

We partner with small and mid-sized business leaders nationwide to solve their people challenges so they can get back to growing their business.

Professional Services
Firms

Who?
Small to mid-sized law firms, accounting practices, consulting firms, financial services firms, and architecture or engineering groups that rely on specialized talent and intellectual capital.
Challenges
High turnover, low productivity, hiring missteps, and lack of leadership bench strength. Many also struggle with culture misalignment and succession planning.
How?
STM uses validated talent assessments to understand the root causes of people challenges and then provides leadership development strategies and hiring support to align teams with business goals. We reduce hiring risk and improve retention.

Marketing, Advertising, & PR Agencies

Who?
Agency owners and leaders of creative agencies who need to build high-performance teams and scale operations efficiently.
Challenges
Talent engagement and retention, creative burnout and complacency, inconsistent performance, and difficulty finding team members who fit their fast-paced, innovative cultures.
How?
We help creative agencies identify and hire the right talent, enhance team performance, and design leadership pipelines using our proprietary assessments and coaching.

Closely Held
Companies

Who?
Family-owned businesses and limited partnership privately held companies that value stability, loyalty, and strong cultural alignment.
Challenges
Succession uncertainty, lack of leadership depth, family-business dynamics, and struggles balancing growth with team cohesion.
How?
STM works closely with ownership and leadership teams to build effective hiring processes, identify high-potential leaders, and develop succession plans.

Private Equity

Who?
Investment professionals who manage portfolios of mid-market companies and need talent strategies that accelerate growth and reduce operational risk.
Challenges
Misaligned executive leadership, lack of management accountability, and people risks that threaten deal value or post-close performance.
How?
Our assessments uncover key insights about executive teams, enabling informed decision-making for leadership changes, team alignment, and post-acquisition growth.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Who?
Buy-side and sell-side stakeholders who need visibility into leadership teams during due diligence and post-transaction integration.
Challenges
Lack of cultural compatibility, conflicting leadership styles, and unclear roles after closing a deal can erode value quickly.
How?
STM’s assessment-driven insights provide an objective view of organizational readiness, leadership fit, and culture alignment—critical to a successful merger or acquisition.

Venture Capital

Who?
VC-backed startups and scale-ups, along with the investors who support them through rapid growth and transformation.
Challenges
Early-stage companies often struggle with hiring foundational leadership, managing team dynamics under pressure, and building scalable people systems.
How?
STM equips founders and investors with tools to make confident hiring decisions, accelerate leadership development, and establish a strong organizational foundation.

Move your business forward

Let us solve your people challenges so you can:

Increase Productivity

Minimize Turnover

Make Well-Informed People Decisions

Unlock Your People’s Potential

Strengthen Company Culture

Recover Valuable Time & Energy

Reach your business goals

Stop wasting time, money, and energy and start leading, promoting, and growing your business.

Understand your people

It all starts here. By assessing your people using our objective, scientific tools, we can pinpoint the source of your challenges.

Get actionable solutions

Understanding your company’s culture and people, we gain valuable insights and suggest actionable solutions.

Transform your business

We’re your strategic partner for all people-related business decisions. Working together, we can help you achieve your goals.

Learn more about our process

Frequently Asked Questions

What services does Strategic Talent Management (STM) offer?
We offer hiring and recruitment, leadership development, management consulting, succession planning, and a wide range of talent assessments.
Who typically uses STM’s services?
Our clients range from CEOs and COOs of small to mid-sized companies to HR directors and business owners seeking to improve hiring, team performance, and leadership effectiveness.
How can STM help my organization grow?
We align your talent strategy with your business strategy, enabling sustainable growth through better hiring, leadership coaching, and succession planning.
What industries does STM serve?
We serve a wide array of industries, including marketing, advertising, and PR agencies, as well as manufacturing, construction, professional services, education, energy, and more.
How is STM different from a staffing agency?
We are not a staffing agency. STM takes a strategic, consultative approach—helping clients understand the “why” behind hiring and talent decisions, not just filling roles.
How do I get started with STM?

Visit our Contact page to request a discovery call.

Does STM offer remote or virtual services?
Yes, our consulting, assessments, and coaching services are available in person and virtually for clients in the U.S. and internationally.
How do STM’s services integrate with existing HR systems?
We can work alongside your existing systems or provide tools that complement and enhance your current HR practices.
What results can I expect from working with STM?
Clients typically see stronger hires, reduced turnover, clearer succession plans, improved employee performance, increased employee engagement, enhanced communication, and greater leadership effectiveness.
Why should we choose STM as our talent management partner?What results can I expect from working with STM?
With 60+ years of combined experience and a proven methodology, STM delivers actionable insights and measurable business results.

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