What’s the real need behind your next C-level hire?

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.

Is the company preparing for growth?
Trying to regain operational control?
Navigating a delicate succession, or post-merger instability?

In many cases, this root issue remains unspoken, even internally.

When roles come before purpose

Starting with a job title instead of a challenge leads to predictable risks:

• misaligned expectations between stakeholders

• vague briefs, disconnected from the real mission

• candidate profiles that feel strong, but miss the point

• risk of early rejection or misfit, politically or culturally

Sometimes the process looks successful on paper, but fails in reality.

Because when the strategic problem isn’t clearly defined, even the best profiles cannot deliver.

Asking the right questions before the search begins

At Cb-Advisory, we believe that a successful executive search starts well before the role is written.

Before activating our network or shaping a shortlist, we help clients answer three core questions:

• What problem is this hire meant to solve, not just what role to fill?

• How will success be measured, over the next 12, 18, or 24 months?

• What cultural, strategic, and relational environment are they stepping into?

Once these answers are clear, everything else flows more naturally, from the job design to the candidate engagement.

Why upstream clarity works

This strategic approach unlocks alignment where it matters most:

• shared expectations between leadership and governance bodies

• more focused and relevant candidate selection

• stronger integration and post-hire performance

• long-term fit, not just a short-term fix

In complex environments, ambiguity is the real risk.

Laying the right foundations

To approach a search with clarity, we begin by structuring a strategic intake.
This isn’t about filling in a role description, but about creating a space to align internally on what is at stake.

Together with the client, we examine the business context, define what success would look like over time, and explore any cultural, strategic, or political complexities that could influence the outcome.

This shared understanding is what turns a hiring intention into a real leadership mission.

→ Because a clear brief is never just a list of requirements, it’s a strategic choice.