Executive Search: entry point
Ten days. One decision: go, calibrate or no-go.
A confidential sprint that tests a mandate against the market before significant time, resources and leadership capital are committed to it.
Anonymised outreach under NDA. No public advertising, no candidate process, no market exposure. Without real market signals, organisations confuse internal expectations with external reality, and an unclear mandate produces slow execution, internal friction and avoidable risk.
When to use it
The mandate is not yet stable
- Uncertainty around scope, seniority, compensation, location or timing.
- Differing expectations between decision-makers and key stakeholders.
- Concerns about market attractiveness: compensation, governance, reporting lines.
- Critical constraints to validate before committing to a full search.
- A need for real market signals before engaging the organisation.
If the mandate is already clearly defined and the decision is ready to be executed, we recommend moving directly to implementation rather than running a Sprint.
The ten days
Process
Days 1–2 · Scoping & decision criteria
Clarification of the challenge, the decision criteria, the areas of uncertainty and the confidentiality requirements.
Days 3–7 · Market testing & analysis
Eight to twelve confidential, anonymised conversations. Signal gathering, validation of assumptions, identification of execution risks. No individual names disclosed without explicit consent.
Days 8–9 · Decision pack
Market insights, recommendations, and go / calibrate / no-go scenarios assembled into an 8–12 page decision-ready report.
Day 10 · Executive decision readout
45 to 75 minutes. Findings, assumptions clarified, strategic options discussed, alignment on next steps.
Deliverables
What is in the decision pack
Format & terms
Fixed fee, fixed timeline
An 8–12 page decision-ready report, 8 to 12 confidential market conversations conducted under NDA, and a 45–75 minute executive decision readout. Ten business days.
Deductible from the search fee where the recommendation is go and a search follows.
Where a situation spans several countries or requires a tighter confidentiality framework, the scope is set before we start rather than added afterwards.
What it is not
- Not a full executive search engagement.
- Not a market mapping exercise.
- Not a consulting study without an outcome.
- Not a replacement for stakeholder alignment.
- Not a commitment to launch a search.
Which route fits
Decide, map, or appoint
| Route | Purpose | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Decision Sprint™ | Decide whether to proceed at all | Go / calibrate / no-go, on anonymised market intelligence |
| Talent Mapping | Understand the market before acting | Market landscape, talent pools and hiring scenarios |
| Retained Search | Appoint the leader | Full search and candidate process through to onboarding |