The State of Engagement:
Leon Milns, Founder of Adam
Welcome to the first in a series of interviews with Founders / CEO’s of businesses who put people first. The state of engagement is about EVP, employee engagement, and ways we can improve engagement in the UK.
To kick things off on TSOE I spoke with Leon Milns, Founder of Adam, about what really engages employees, how purpose drives culture, and why partnership matters more than ever in today’s world of work.
Adam are a search and selection agency who help businesses grow by placing the very best talent in marketing, sales/commercial, and HR roles. They don’t just put ‘bums on seats’, they are partners with their clients (rather than suppliers), ensuring these relationships are long lasting. Their mission? Simple: help businesses achieve their growth plans by delivering exceptional talent.
What engages your employees most?
For Leon, engagement comes back to an approach they created called their “Adam Compass”. Developed with a third party many years ago, the compass acts as their ethos, guiding people to be “the best version of themselves.” It underpins how Adam operates, evolves, and hires.
The Compass is built on four pillars:
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Be The Partner Of Choice – becoming the partner of choice by truly getting to know people.
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We Evolve. We Deliver. We Are Adam – constantly embracing change and staying ahead of the curve.
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Transforming Lives – helping clients and candidates genuinely change their careers and lives.
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Being Your Best Self – striving to be better, every day.
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Every new hire is assessed and scored against these pillars to make sure they fit the culture. And since Adam became an employee-owned business, these pillars aren’t just words on a wall, they’re owned by the next generation of leaders shaping the agency’s future.
What gives Adam the edge in attracting talent?
Leon is clear: Adam is a lean, high-performing team, focused on long-term partnerships rather than short-term wins. That’s a deliberate choice. They’re not looking for someone people who are used to transactional recruitment fees; they’re looking for professionals who align with their partnership mindset. This already sets them apart.
As Leon put it, “We wouldn’t hire someone who’s only worked in contingency recruitment — the mindset is too different.”
My experience is the same, there’s a huge difference in recruitment of those who act as suppliers vs partners. The ‘supplier’ recruiter just sends CVs and hopes to fill a role. The ‘partner’ knows that they are making a difference to the business they work with, the hiring manager, and the candidate who is making a huge life decision.
Beyond that – this video gives an idea of the breadth of topics that attracts talent.
In your experience, what are employees looking for now?
“The world has shifted. Post-COVID, purpose has moved to the front of the queue.” says Leon. “People want to work for businesses with a clear reason for existing and to see the impact of their contribution”. It’s about what passion looks like in practice rather than on paper.
The flip side of this is there are people who are attracted to their mission, but who might not be fully invested, or are paying lip service to their recruiters. However, experienced recruiters and talent professionals can see through this. “I can tell if someone’s talking BS or not. Experience gives you that instinct”, says Leon, and I completely agree.
Beyond that, there’s no surprise in what talent are looking for now:
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Flexibility: employees expect trust, wherever they work.
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Community: being part of something bigger than themselves.
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A strong North Star: a business with a clear purpose keeps the business grounded, especially in tough times.
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Which part of EVP matters most to you personally?
EVP, or Employee Value Proposition, is the balance of what people give and what they get back. I like to break it down into seven pillars:
Brand & Purpose, Culture, Environment, Monetary, Prospects, Relationships, and Wellbeing.
So what is the most important to Leon?
Leon starts by ruling out Monetary reward – because that’s a ‘given’. You’d expect an employer to pay you for the job, the more ‘transactional’ side of work.
He understands that the point of EVP is that there are more than one important areas to engagement at work, but if there was one that stood out it was culture.
To Leon, culture isn’t just bean bags and nights out, it includes purpose, values, and relationships form the real foundation of engagement at Adam — the reason people show up and give their best, to be the best version of themselves every day.
What are your biggest people challenges right now?
Adam’s focus is on maintaining their lean, high-performing model while continuing to evolve their culture. As an employee-owned business, they’re building “Adam version 2.0” — empowering the next generation of leaders to take the Compass forward and keep shaping the culture as the business grows.
Of course, that presents its own challenges, in a competitive space. Which is why EVP and engagement techniques become the most important in giving them that competitive edge.
Final thoughts
What stood out most from my conversation with Leon was how much purpose and partnership underpin engagement at Adam. Their unique approach with the Adam Compass takes a traditional engagement approach and makes it relevant to their business. Yes – it’s etched on to the walls, but it’s actively lived through hiring, decision-making, and culture.
Leon also echoes what a number of voices are suggesting in the talent space. Gone are the days of relying on dartboards and beers, employees want to know they’re part of something meaningful, with leaders who genuinely care about their contribution – and of course, you can have both!
Thank you Leon for sharing your insights.
For more on We Are Adam
Follow Leon on LinkedIn
Contact CHEER!