Talent Talk
What to expect from an executive search firm, how to choose one, and how to judge whether you are getting what you are paying for.
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The Commander is the schema you appoint in a crisis. It is also the one you have to watch once the crisis has passed. There is a phrase you hear in big organisations when nothing is moving. "It's just how things get done here." Say it out loud and it sounds like culture. Listen properly and it is something sharper. It means someone at the top is commanding, and everyone below has quietly learned to wait.
The board thought they had found the perfect CEO. Two successful exits. A scaled multinational division. References that read like a character witness: decisive, commercially sharp, a natural leader. In the interview he was confident, fluent, convincing on growth and culture and transformation. The appointment was unanimous. Twelve months later the same board was negotiating his exit. Revenue targets had been missed.
There’s one question almost every HR-led interview process insists on. “Tell me about a time you failed.” At junior level, it sometimes earns its keep. At C-suite, it’s a junk question. And it’s almost always the wrong thing to ask in the room. I’ll explain why I won’t ask it. And then I’ll tell you what I ask instead.
Imagine accepting a senior leadership role and, in the same conversation, being told the date you will be let go. Not as a threat. Not as a warning. As a feature of the offer. That is exactly how one HR director I worked with used to transformational senior hires. After walking the candidate through salary, package, incentives, all the usual bits, she would lean in and say something close to this:
Some companies are so successful that they never have to be brilliant. Think about the organisations that dominate their markets so completely that urgency simply does not exist. The revenue keeps coming. The brand carries weight. The infrastructure is established. And somewhere inside that comfort, the standard of leadership quietly settles into something unremarkable.
Succession planning too often rewards visibility over viability. The squeaky wheel gets noticed, but the quiet engine actually keeps the organisation moving. In many businesses, the squeaky wheel ends up on the succession plan simply because it is easier to see. That shortcut is getting riskier. With employers expecting nearly 40% of workers’ core skills to change by 2030, the signals we use to identify future leaders need to change as well.
I interviewed someone this week who has spent 31 years at the same organisation Fast tracked early in his career. Senior roles. MBA. Extremely well qualified. Articulate. Impressive in every measurable way. He was positioning himself as a transformation leader. Now, I’m not in the game of criticising anyone, or framing things negatively for my own gain. But my own personal observation here could save a board millions and years of wasted momentum.
Your next great leader may not be the sharpest speaker, but they will almost certainly be the best listener. We are good at measuring technical skill and cognitive ability. These are the table stakes for any executive role. Yet we still hire leaders with flawless CVs who create dysfunctional teams. This gap between competence and effectiveness is where value is destroyed.
Leadership performance in 2025 is being judged on evidence, not assertion. Boards, people leaders, and investors now have clearer data on where executive hiring is failing and which traits genuinely correlate with success. We can also see how inclusive hiring is evolving and how UK plc is progressing on representation.
Are you hiring for comfort or for progress? It’s an easy trap to fall into. You sit across from a candidate who reminds you of yourself ten years ago. Or maybe they mirror someone on your team who’s been successful. They “just feel right.” That’s the comfort zone of culture fit. It feels safe. It feels smooth. But here’s the risk: If everyone looks the same, thinks the same, and solves problems the same way, fresh ideas never surface.
Sustainable growth and long-term success require a cohesive, high-performing team supported by strategic consultancy and ongoing development. Adastrum Consulting is dedicated to going beyond recruitment by offering a suite of consultancy services that drive impactful change, build resilient teams, and ensure your leaders are well-equipped to meet today’s challenges. This comprehensive newsletter outlines Adastrum’s consultancy offerings, including our innovative strategic partnership with Meta T
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Our mission has always been to support the success of our clients' businesses beyond the initial talent search, driving their business transformation through an integrated talent management approach.Since 2009, we are proud to have worked with businesses of every size, closing knowledge gaps and creating new capability to help them achieve more.Our approach has meant 100% of our searches in the past ten years have delivered on time, first time. Leading with purpose has been central to this succe
It was great to see Global Recruiter and HR Dive covering our new 90-day accelerator offering. Read the Global Recruiter coverage here, the HR Dive piece here, or read more about the programme here.
