"It was all search, all the time," she says.
It's what you'd expect from the trade organisation that represents the firms that help corporate clients find top-flight talent for executive and boardroom roles.
The Chicago-based Greenbaum says there is a common misconception that by employing an executive search specialist you're getting access to someone with a Rolodex of likely candidates at their fingertips.
"That is not at all what we do," she says.
It's about assessing talent, understanding the business environment of the organisation, making sure it will be a good fit for the candidate and helping bring that person successfully into the organisation, she says.
"We really do search and it's very specific for the client, for the assignment."
Signing on top talent will become increasingly competitive this year, says Greenbaum.
The AESC's annual Executive Job Outlook survey, set for release next week, shows 72 per cent of executives around the world are optimistic about job market opportunities.
This is a "huge jump" from 51 per cent last year and 36 per cent in 2013, she says.
Greenbaum says as growing economies create more opportunities for those at the top, the war for talent will become a reality for many firms.
"People are also looking around the world to fill top positions, not just locally," she says.
New Zealand's quality of life is an advantage in this respect, Greenbaum says, making it an attractive market for local executives and those looking for opportunities in another market.
Greenbaum is in New Zealand speaking with government officials and organisations working on board diversity.
She says executive search firms are increasingly used, particularly for board positions, to not only shine a light on new talent but to bring diversity to leadership appointments.
The "old school way" was for the board to sit around and put together a list, based on people they know, Greenbaum says.
"But you know, frankly, they all look alike and came from similar backgrounds and they're going to know similar kinds of people, that's just the reality of the world.
"And so you don't build diversity of any kind, not just gender but of any kind, by having a group of common people identify who's in their network and use that as the pool."
She says embracing diversity not only opens companies up to more candidates for leadership, but also provides fresh thinking.
"If everyone in your organisation looks the same and came from the same place you're all going to think the same, so you're stifling innovation as well."
However Greenbaum is not a fan of using quotas to redress the board table imbalance.
"I think the answer is, you really want sustainable change and what you don't want to do is be the person who got on a board to just check off a box.
"That's just the worst possible situation. You have to be highly qualified.
"What I would rather see is, rather than quotas, I'd like to shine a light on the board and understand who's diverse and who's not and get that visibility without putting quotas in.
"And I also think the responsibility for diversity of the board has to be the board itself or its shareholders."
Boards are increasingly demanding people with strategic skills - experience in an overseas market, for example - or specialist skills such as cyber security, and are also looking to attract board members who are in touch with their customer base, says Greenbaum.
By hiring an executive search firm, boards are finding candidates they wouldn't have found on their own, she says.
Women seeking to put themselves on the radar for an executive role or directorship need to be out there creating a personal brand, not sitting back waiting for a recruiter to come knocking, she says.
"You don't call executive search firms; they find you, and the question is 'how do they find you?'.
"Well, you have to build a personal brand so that you can be found.
"If you're in the right roles and you're visible in the right way then you actually will be found."
She says potential candidates need to be creating a profile through public speaking, writing articles and high-profile involvement in associations.
"And frankly sometimes people are naive."
Greenbaum says she has met women who aspired to become a director, but when questioned about their skill and expertise for the role, they told her they were "a good manager". "No one is looking for a good manager for a board position so the question is what is your unique capability that will add value at your board or to a c-suite and how do you build on that?"
