My first commitment
I only recommend people who fit
I’ll only recommend we hire candidates who fit. If we reach the final stage of selection and I have evidence of poor fit, I’ll tell you clearly.
Senior hires fail far more often because of a clash of values and behaviours than because of a lack of skill. So I profile how a client organisation really behaves, not how it describes itself, on eight dimensions, and I assess candidates on exactly the same eight.
For the first seven, neither end of the scale is better. Each simply describes a style; what matters is how close the client and the candidate are. I listen for evidence, not opinions: real, recent, specific examples. Values only show when they cost something.
The eight dimensions
Decision-making style
How decisions really get made: from tight control, with sign-off and close oversight, to high autonomy, where people decide and inform.
Conflict and dissent
Whether harmony is valued and disagreement kept private, or open challenge is expected and debate is robust in the room.
Response to pressure and adversity
How a business behaves when things get hard: measured and process-led, protecting people and calm, or intense, urgent and all-hands.
Pace and ambiguity
A steady pace with clear structure, plans and roles, or very fast and highly ambiguous, building it as you go.
Accountability and failure
Whether failure is hidden or punished, or surfaced fast and owned openly in a learning culture.
Integrity and ethical lines
Whether grey areas are tolerated when commercially justified, or the lines are firm and people escalate or walk away rather than bend.
What is rewarded vs tolerated
Whether ‘how’ matters most, so poor conduct is not tolerated even from stars, or ‘what’ matters most and good numbers excuse poor conduct.
Say-do gap
Whether leadership’s stated values are visibly lived, especially under pressure. This is the one dimension where higher is better: a large gap is a warning in its own right, however well matched a candidate looks on paper.
Let’s build something great.