Shaming, Trying to Poach Talent from Hand Feeding You - Mosaic Search Founder Bryson Malcolm & Goodwin's Response

 A number of vendors to businesses (and individuals) like myself are bug-eyed following the developing situation between law firm Goodwin and Mosaic Search founder Bryson Malcolm. Never since launching my first boutique in 1987 have I encountered an unraveling like this.

As Bloomberg Law documents Goodwin had been a client of that recruiter. The latter didn't approve of the law firm's response of the Equal Employment Commission's investigation. Obviously, he felt strongly about the matter - enough to post on LinkedIn that the action was shameful. On the same day Malcolm also emailed a Goodwin associate, essentially offering to place them outside the firm.

Beyond strange. This is not only biting the hand that feeds you. It is also attempting to poach talent from a client. How unethical. Maybe illegal, depending on the terms and conditions of the contract with Goodwin. 

Of course, an option was to send a confidential letter to Goodwin, requesting to be released from the contract.

What Goodwin did was also beyond strange. It terminated the contract. 

In a sector which has become so controversial since Trump's Executive Orders Goodwin was inviting more controversy. That has turned out to be not about this termination decision per se but also about its myriad other policies and practices. 

Top-notch law firms ranging from Paul Weiss to Simpson have been absorbing much unwanted attention because of their dealmaking with the Trump administration. It would be branding suicide for any of them to do anything to add flame to the fire. In terms of the usual thought leadership in the media, for instance, most have been adopting low profiles. 

Goodwin had many other options. For example, it could have released a public statement explaining its stance on the equal opportunity response, then simply not assign any more searches to Mosaic. That's how such things are handled.  But, no, it made the grand gesture of firing Mosaic. 

On Reddit Big Law, some are putting the knock on Goodwin. In their postings they are critical of not only that decision but Goodwin in general. 

That brings us to yet another beyond-strange move seemingly by Malcolm. On that subreddit Reddit Big Law he or someone impersonating him, under the handle deanhiddles, blasts Goodwin. That is in addition to the infamous LinkedIn post. The subreddit headline says that things are getting "spicy" on LinkedIn. Among the comments there's pointing out the obvious: What did Macolm expect given the LinkedIn rant and the recruiting from Goodwin which at the time was a client.

If any vendor is in business long enough it's common not to agree with some of clients' policies. But if we intend to stay in business we smoothly navigate around that. Should it become a matter of ethics we quietly stop doing business with that entity. 

Actually I landed an account with a prospect by answering their question about where I stood on their stance this way: To me it doesn't matter what your position is. My mission would be to present that effectively to your constituents. They loved it. 

In coaching I tutor how to understand the right of employers to support certain ideologies and then for employees to assess their options. 

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