There’s a lot of pressure in hiring right now. Teams are stretched, leaders are juggling too much, and an empty senior role can feel like a fire that needs to be put out yesterday. It’s no surprise that “How fast can you get candidates?” is one of the questions I sometimes hear.
Speed absolutely matters. No question. But it’s not the most important metric when you’re hiring for a leadership position.
Executive roles shape an organization’s direction, culture, and stability for years. A VP of Finance isn’t just closing month-end. A Director of People isn’t just resolving employee issues. A President or CEO isn’t just signing off on strategy. These roles influence how decisions get made, how teams communicate, how problems are solved, and how the organization shows up to its stakeholders. Getting that wrong is far more costly than taking a few extra weeks to get it right.
You can bake a near-perfect apple pie in about an hour, after you’ve gotten it ready. Doubling the heat and cutting the time in half? That doesn’t tend to work out so well.
Fast recruiting tends to favour the candidates who are most visible or most actively looking. And while there’s nothing inherently wrong with active candidates, they may not be the ones who are the best long-term fit. Whether they’re employed or not, strong leaders take time to engage properly. They have questions, priorities, and a thoughtful decision-making process of their own. When you rush, you skip the deeper conversations that reveal how a leader will actually show up in your organization.
A strong search process balances efficiency with intention. That means moving quickly where it matters: alignment, communication, and transparency. It also means taking the necessary time to evaluate leadership style, values, strategic thinking, and cultural fit. It means prioritizing the right hire, not just the fast hire.
We promise to be intentional, and efficient. We don’t promise to be the fastest. And we’re okay with that.
Because in the end, it’s the quality of the decision, not the speed of it, that determines whether a new leader becomes an immediate asset or an expensive misstep.