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🚨 20–30% of leadership searches fail to result in a hire. And from the 70%-80% that are completed, 40% don't make it beyond 18 months in the role. Why?!
It’s not because of talent shortages
It’s not because of attrition
It’s because the search process itself is broken
And it's because most executives are left to sink or swim 🏊🏼♀️
According to Savannah Group, up to a 1/3 of executive searches are paused, re-scoped, or cancelled before a hire is made. That’s a staggering waste of time, energy, & opportunity
So what’s going wrong?
🔍 Common culprits:
1. Overly narrow briefs that don’t reflect market realities
2. Slow, consensus-driven decision-making
3. Misalignment on compensation or scope — often at the final stage
Shifting business priorities mid-search
4. Poor candidate engagement in competitive markets
The result?
🚫 Critical roles left unfilled for months
🚫 Frustrated stakeholders
🚫 Damaged employer brand
🚫 Lost market momentum
💡 One consumer brand left a GM role open for two years due to rigid requirements! The cost? Declining market share & lack of leadership continuity
✅ The solution? Upfront calibration
Savannah advocates for live talent mapping before launching a search:
1. Validate the brief against real-time market data
2. Align internal stakeholders early
3. Identify barriers to speed, diversity, & success
As a coach, I’ve seen this firsthand: The most successful leadership hires start with clarity, alignment, and agility — not just a job description or search brief
📣 If you’re about to launch a senior search, ask yourself:
1. Are we aligned on what “great” looks like?
2. Have we tested our expectations against the market?
3. Are we ready to move at the speed of talent?
4. Do we support the executive once they have been hired?
👉🏼 Did you know that targeted executive transition coaching is said to reduce the derailment risk by half and at the same time cutting the time-to-productivity by another 50%?
📣 But don't take my word for it, take it from a recent client of mine. A Chief Commercial Officer of a technology firm signed up to work with me for a year with the desire to transition successfully into her 1st C-suite position on the back end of a long and stablished career with a telco.
This is her feedback about our coaching engagement:
💬 “I had the privilege of working with Navid during my transition into my first C-level role. As a specialist in Executive Transitions, his ability to challenge my thinking, combined with a practical, phase-based approach, had a significant impact, helping me gain confidence quickly. I deeply value both his expertise & his personal style. His support was instrumental in shaping my leadership journey, & I highly recommend him to anyone navigating a career transition.”
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