William Vanderbloemen | CEO & Founder of Vanderbloemen Search Group | Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits That Separate the Best from the Rest
Release Date: 04/23/2025
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William Vanderbloemen | CEO & Founder of Vanderbloemen Search Group | Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits That Separate the Best from the Rest
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is the CEO and Founder of Vanderbloemen Search Group, an executive search firm that serves faith-based organizations, churches, schools, and nonprofits around the world. With over 15 years of experience in executive search and leadership consulting, William and his team have conducted over 30,000 interviews and helped thousands of organizations find mission-aligned leaders. Before launching Vanderbloemen, he served as a senior pastor and worked in the corporate HR space at a Fortune 200 company. He’s also the author of several books, including his latest, Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven...
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is a retired four-star admiral who served as Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) for the United States Navy. He retired on July 22, 2005, after five years in the role—making him the second-longest serving CNO in history, after Arleigh Burke. During his distinguished military career, Admiral Clark received numerous awards, including four Defense Distinguished Service Medals, three Navy Distinguished Service Medals, and three Legions of Merit. Following his retirement, he was further recognized with the Eisenhower Award from the Business Executives of North America, the Distinguished Sea Service...
info_outlineWilliam Vanderbloemen is the CEO and Founder of Vanderbloemen Search Group, an executive search firm that serves faith-based organizations, churches, schools, and nonprofits around the world. With over 15 years of experience in executive search and leadership consulting, William and his team have conducted over 30,000 interviews and helped thousands of organizations find mission-aligned leaders. Before launching Vanderbloemen, he served as a senior pastor and worked in the corporate HR space at a Fortune 200 company. He’s also the author of several books, including his latest, Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits That Separate the Best from the Rest, which is rooted in insights gleaned from decades of leadership and hiring experience.
William joins us on The Wow Factor to discuss his entrepreneurial journey, from paperboy to pastor to founder of a top-tier executive search firm. He shares the story behind starting Vanderbloemen, how he navigated the 2008 financial crisis while launching the company, and why responsiveness, authenticity, and purpose are key markers of top-performing leaders. We also dive into his new book and explore a few of the 12 habits that define “unicorn” candidates—those rare individuals who leave a lasting impression and drive long-term success.
“Speed wins. You get back to people, you win. It’s the lowest-hanging fruit, and hardly anyone’s picking it.” – William Vanderbloemen
“If you want to be interesting, be interested. Turn the conversation back to the person you’re talking to.” – William Vanderbloemen
“The higher and nobler the North Star, the farther that person goes in accomplishing their mission.” – William Vanderbloemen
This Week on The Wow Factor:
- How William’s early entrepreneurial mindset emerged from delivering newspapers in a small North Carolina town
- His journey from Princeton Theological Seminary to a 15-year career in pastoral leadership
- The surprising catalyst that led him to launch Vanderbloemen after working in HR at a Fortune 200 company
- The challenges of starting a business in 2008 and how his wife Adrian played a crucial role in saying yes to the vision
- How Vanderbloemen has facilitated over 30,000 in-person interviews and built a reputation for matching great leaders with aligned missions
- The core concept behind Be the Unicorn and why responsiveness is one of the most underrated leadership habits
- A breakdown of several unicorn habits including: being fast, authentic, agile, prepared, likable, and purpose-driven
- Real-world hiring lessons drawn from churches, nonprofits, and corporate organizations
- Tips on running more effective meetings—like turning productivity into a game and calculating the cost of every meeting in real time
- Why asking better questions is one of the most powerful things a leader can do to develop others
William Vanderbloemen’s Word of Wisdom:
If you want to lead well, stop giving directions and start asking better questions. Great leaders don’t just provide answers—they develop the next generation of leaders who do.
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