In each organisation, some moments shape the next decade. A major acquisition. A new strategy. A culture shift. And, invariably, a leadership appointment that either accelerates the business forward… or quietly unravels much of what has been built, writes Jeremy Bossenger of BossJansen Executive Search.
Executives joke that a bad hire “hurts,” but the truth is far sharper: the pain of a failed senior appointment is deep, expensive, and often invisible until it’s too late. Yet companies continue to approach top-level hiring with the same tools used for mid-level recruitment, most commonly, contingent recruitment models designed for speed rather than precision.
The Hidden Cost of a Wrong Leader
When a senior leader doesn’t work out, you won’t always notice it immediately. In fact, the damage is often silent at first: slowed execution, delayed decisions, uncertainty creeping into teams, and strategic plans that quietly stall.
By the time the problem is visible, the real cost has multiplied. Studies regularly show that a single executive mis-hire can cost between one and three times that individual’s annual salary once you factor in lost opportunity, replacement costs, disruption, and reputational damage.
Behind every headline about missed targets or cultural unrest, there is often a leadership appointment that simply wasn’t the right fit. And this is where the difference between executive search and contingent recruitment becomes far more than a fee debate; it becomes a question of organisational health.
Why Contingent Recruitment Falls Short at the Top
Contingent recruitment was built for a world of high-volume hiring. It is fast, transactional, and reactive. It rewards speed: whoever gets a CV in first has the advantage. For many junior and mid-level roles, this works perfectly well. But senior appointments demand something entirely different: depth, judgement, insight, and the ability to read both a candidate and an organisation at a strategic level.
Contingent recruiters, often juggling dozens of open roles, simply aren’t incentivised to spend weeks mapping markets, interviewing passive talent, or carefully aligning with a company’s culture. Their model rewards momentum, not meticulousness. For leadership roles, this is where shortcuts become expensive.
The Power of a Focused Search
A professional executive search firm operates with a very different philosophy. The assignment is not a race; it is a craft. Each search begins with listening, absorbing the organisation’s nuances, culture, and ambitions. Only then does the real work begin: a methodical, research-driven exploration of the entire talent landscape, not just whoever happens to be looking for a job that week.
A focused, retained search team:
- maps the full market, not just the obvious candidates;
- engages senior executives who are not actively looking;
- conducts long-form interviews that explore behaviour, leadership style, and cultural fit;
- validates achievements, references, and character;
and - protects confidentiality, brand, and reputation at all stages.
The result is not just a shortlist; it is clarity. It is the confidence that each candidate has been systematically benchmarked and professionally evaluated, not just quickly screened and forwarded.
Professionalism Matters, Especially at the Top
Boards don’t choose auditors on speed. Lawyers are not appointed because they sent a document first. Strategic business decisions are never made based on who responded the fastest. Yet leadership hiring, arguably the most consequential decision a CEO or board ever makes, is too often left to a process designed for convenience rather than quality.
Retained search brings what the moment deserves: a disciplined methodology, a team that is fully dedicated to the assignment, and a level of judgement that only comes from experience embedded deeply in the executive market. It creates a partnership rather than a transaction.
It ensures that the company sees the leaders it should see, not just the ones who are available. And it provides something contingent recruitment cannot: accountability for the full journey, from search strategy to appointment.
When the Search Hurts… and When It Helps
The search hurts when companies settle for the quick route. It hurts when leadership decisions are treated like routine hires. It hurts when the wrong person steps into the most important room in the building.
But when handled through a true executive search process, one that is retained, deliberate, and deeply invested in understanding the organisation, the search becomes something else entirely. It becomes a strategic advantage. A safeguard. A competitive differentiator. Because, in the end, companies don’t rise or fall on products or promises; they rise or fall on leadership. And leadership is far too important to be left to chance.
