…and how to fix them before it costs you your next great leader.
Hiring the right executive isn’t just about filling a seat—it’s about shaping your future. The stakes are high, but too often, companies unintentionally sabotage their own search process with avoidable missteps. Whether you’re scaling a startup, restructuring a sports franchise, or building a mission-aligned marketing team, here are five of the most common (and costly) mistakes we see—and how to get it right.
1. Searching for Titles Instead of Traits
Too many organizations fixate on a candidate’s last title—“We want someone who was a CMO at X”—rather than identifying the traits, instincts, and leadership style their organization actually needs.
Fix it: Start by defining the outcomes you expect this leader to drive. Then reverse-engineer the skills, mindset, and cultural fluency needed to get there. Titles are just labels—traits move the mission.
2. Ignoring Cultural Fit (Until It’s Too Late)
Resumes don’t reveal relational intelligence, self-awareness, or how someone handles pressure in a fast-moving environment. That’s why cultural misalignment is one of the top reasons executives quietly flame out within 18 months.
Fix it: Bake culture-matching into your search from day one. Ask candidates how they handle conflict, how they lead under stress, and what values shape their decisions—not just what brands they’ve worked for.
3. Confusing Diversity with a Checklist
Diversity isn’t a box to check—it’s a strategic advantage. But too often, companies treat it as a reactive requirement instead of an intentional lens. This leads to rushed placements or overlooked candidates who could transform your team.
Fix it: Partner with a recruiting firm that leads with cultural intelligence, not quotas. True diversity recruiting is proactive, relationship-based, and deeply tied to your long-term goals—not just optics.
4. Underestimating Candidate Experience
Top-tier executives are interviewing you, too. A clunky process, delayed communication, or vague expectations can send your ideal candidate elsewhere—fast.
Fix it: Streamline your process, communicate clearly, and treat every touchpoint like it matters. Because to elite talent, it does.
5. Going It Alone
Internal teams are stretched. Stakeholders want results. But relying solely on internal bandwidth often leads to missed opportunities, bias, and burnout. Executive search is too important to treat like a side project.
Fix it: Partner with a firm that lives and breathes this work. At BGG Enterprises, we specialize in values-aligned executive recruitment across sports, tech, media, marketing, and experiential industries—connecting brands to ready-now leaders who reflect where you’re headed.
The Right Leader Changes Everything.
If you’re serious about building a future-ready team—one that reflects your values, delivers results, and moves your culture forward—we’re here to help.
Let’s start with a 20-minute strategy call.
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