Because senior leaders don’t forget how they were treated.

Executive recruitment is more than a process. It reflects how a company makes decisions, aligns at the top, and communicates when it matters most.

And yet, when it comes to C-level hiring, the experience candidates go through is still too often disappointing. At this level, candidates aren’t just looking for a position.

Because the org chart doesn’t show you who really holds the keys.

In family-owned, mid-sized companies, particularly within the Franco-German Mittelstand, leadership is rarely just formal. Authority is often invisible, relational, and coded. And for external executives, this can be difficult to decode.

Even the most qualified leaders can fail in this environment, not because they lack experience, but because they misread the dynamics.

Because hiring without strategic clarity is just filling a seat.

Too many executive searches begin with a title, not with a real business need.

“Let’s hire a CFO.”
“We need a new CMO.”
“Our GM is leaving.”

But behind every leadership role, there is a deeper strategic trigger.

In executive recruitment, most of the focus is placed on the hiring process, from identifying the right profiles to closing the offer. But the real challenge often begins after the contract is signed.

At this level, integration is not automatic. And yet, onboarding remains one of the most underestimated phases of executive transition.

A signed contract doesn’t mean success, it marks the beginning of the most sensitive period, the moment where expectations must meet reality.