Insights

Your succession plan is more fragile than you think. It looks structured. It has names. It has “ready now” and “ready soon” labels. And yet, when a critical leader exits, the organisation scrambles. I’ve seen this too often in succession discussions. On paper, there is confidence. In reality, there are gaps no one has fully examined. Because most succession plans are designed to reassure. Not to expose risk. So the conversation stays comfortable: “We have a strong successor.”

Some of the most capable senior leaders I’ve assessed didn’t fail because they lacked skill or experience. They failed because alignment was assumed, not engineered. That’s the uncomfortable reality of senior hiring. When a senior hire doesn’t work, the explanation is often reduced to: “Bad hire.” “Wrong fit.” “Didn’t deliver.” Senior hires derail when organisational conditions and leadership behaviour don’t match the mandate: - expectations shift without clarity - authority

The hardest shift in leadership is not becoming a CXO. It’s realising the job you were excellent at is no longer the job you’re being paid to do. A few months ago, I was coaching a business head who had just stepped into his first CXO role. On Day 1, he told me confidently: "I know what I need to do. I’ve been doing this work for years." Three weeks later he said something very different. "This job isn’t harder. It’s just a completely different game." He wasn’t struggling wit

Most people don’t know the difference between an HR Head and a CHRO. But CEOs do. Boards do. An HR Head is critical. A CHRO is indispensable. Here’s the difference and it has nothing to do with years of experience. HR HEAD → Runs the function • Leads HR operations • Delivers processes & compliance • Implements the people agenda • Supports business needs • Manages reports, cycles & issues • Solves today’s problems CHRO → Shapes the organisation • Influences business strategy •

If you’re hiring a CXO, don’t get seduced by the charm and polish. Look for these patterns to tell you what to test before you make the decision. Many executives are professionally polished enough to impress in 60 minutes. And the risk that poses isn’t incompetence. It’s manufactured credibility that collapses once the role starts asking for real operating truth. Here are the 10 patters to look for while interviewing for CXO roles. 1. Narrative machine (clean story, thin t