When the profile being sought changes mid-search

At the start of a leadership selection project the partner was looking for a classic operational leader. During the search and the candidate interviews, however, it became increasingly clear that the organisation would in fact respond well to a different type of competence.

In the project:

• we redefined the role,
• adjusted the search strategy,
• and the focus of the position shifted from operational management towards change management.

In a significant share of leadership searches, the real need is not always the same as what was formulated during the first briefing.