Our Framework
How this works
Most senior executives navigate career transitions reactively, We provide strategic counsel through six stages: understanding your positioning, building strategic visibility, evaluating opportunities systematically, shaping perception, navigating process dynamics, and negotiating success conditions.
CLARITY
Know yourself first before you let the market know you
The Challenge
We all operate on assumptions about how we're perceived, not intelligence. You don't know how you're being positioned, where concerns exist, or what's really being assessed at each stage.
Why This Matters
If the people who control opportunity flow in your space can't articulate what makes you different, you're competing on credentials alone. And at C-suite level, credentials are table stakes. Differentiation is what wins roles. Clarity is how you ensure your differentiation is actually understood.
The Work
How clearly do you understand how you create value at C-suite level, not what you've done, but the repeatable pattern that differentiates you from peers? How do the headhunters who control opportunity flow in your space actually describe you when you're not in the room? Where do your strengths create maximum value, and in which organisational contexts do you thrive versus struggle? What's the gap between your capability and how you're currently positioned, and what would it take to close it?
Common Failure
Most Leaders describe "what they've done" but struggle with the "why" and "how"—they don't know how to tell the story/articulate what makes them different. They say: "I transformed the technology organisation." That's not a story, it's a headline. The story is the situation you inherited, the actions you took that others wouldn't have, and the results that created measurable advantage. We help you build that narrative systematically, revealing how you create value versus just what you delivered.
"Clarity isn't just about knowing who you are—it's about ensuring the market sees what you see."
How We Help
Conduct leadership assessment – Evaluate your leadership through our proprietary EQ/IQ framework designed specifically for senior technology executives, assessing how you create value, make decisions, and build organisations at C-suite level
Execute 360° market perception audit – Systematically assess how the people who control opportunity flow actually describe you: headhunters, former colleagues, board contacts, PE partners, industry leaders
Map critical strengths to market value – Identify where your differentiated capabilities lie and translate them into value propositions that resonate with different buyer contexts
Determine organisational fit profile – Define which cultures, maturity stages, and organisational contexts enable you to perform at your highest level versus those that constrain you
Align perception with positioning – Map the gap between how you should be positioned and how you're currently perceived, then build the strategy to close it systematically
VISIBILITY
Ensure the right people know you for the right things
The Challenge
At C-suite level, visibility isn't volume. It's precision. Most executives confuse activity (updating LinkedIn, attending conferences, taking headhunter calls) with strategic positioning. The question isn't "do people know you?"—it's "do the right 10 to 15 people know you for the right things?"
Why This Matters
If the right people don't know who you are and what you stand for, you're not in the real game. You're in the waiting room, hoping your name comes up. Meanwhile, the best opportunities go to people who are top of mind. Visibility isn't about being known—it's about being known by the people who control access to the opportunities you want.
The Work
Which specific individuals shape opportunity flow in your target market? Which search partners place board-level technology roles in your sectors? Which PE partners build technology leadership teams across their portfolios? Which Chairs have your number when they realize their current CTO can't take them through the next inflection?
When a board needs what you bring, your name should already be in the conversation. That doesn't happen by accident.
Common Failure
Executives think "I've reached out to my network" equals visibility strategy. But if those contacts can't articulate your value to their clients, or don't place the roles you want, you've created activity without impact. Visibility without precision is noise. And at this level, noise is expensive.
"Strategic visibility means being top of mind when the opportunities that matter most are being filled."
How We Help
Map the influence network – Identify the specific individuals whose opinion shapes opportunity flow in your target market: search partners, PE/VC partners, board members, sector leaders
Build relationship pathways – Design strategic approach for each key influencer: who introduces you, with what framing, creating what impression, leading to what outcome
Ensure narrative consistency – Align what you say with what others say about you when you're not in the room, eliminating disconnect that undermines credibility
Shape your strategic positioning – We help you evaluate which thought leadership, speaking opportunities, advisory roles, and board positions actually reinforce your positioning, then counsel you as you build presence in those arenas
Activate your network strategically – We work with you to identify which relationships can create introductions and validation at the right level, then guide your approach as you activate them
DUE DILIGENCE
Evaluate opportunities before they become expensive mistakes
The Challenge
Not every opportunity is what it appears. Not every role is yours to succeed in. Most executives evaluate opportunities emotionally ("this feels exciting") or financially ("the comp is strong"). Neither tells you if you can actually succeed.
Why This Matters
Due diligence done properly prevents expensive mistakes. Due diligence done poorly means you discover 18 months in that the role was never actually doable. At your level, that's not just career disruption—it's reputation damage that constrains your next decade of options. The best time to walk away from the wrong opportunity is before you've accepted it.
The Work
Does the job description promise transformation but the culture punishes risk? If the last three technology leaders lasted 18 months each, the problem isn't the leaders—it's the setup. Does reporting structure reveal true strategic intent or advisory role? Who actually controls the outcome? Is the CFO's relationship with technology "strategic partner" or "budget problem to manage"?
These aren't questions you answer in final interviews. They're intelligence you gather throughout the process—before you're too invested to walk away.
Common Failure
Executives get excited about impressive brands, big titles, strong comp. They rationalise away red flags: "I can make it work" or "I've handled worse." Then they're surprised when the dynamics they ignored become the dynamics that force them out. The pattern is predictable: what you overlook in diligence becomes what you struggle with in execution.
"Proper due diligence isn't about finding perfect opportunities; it's about understanding exactly what you're walking into."
How We Help
Build role evaluation frameworks – Create systematic scorecard for assessing scope, mandate, authority, reporting structure, and what success actually requires versus what's promised
Assess organisational readiness – Evaluate whether the organisation is genuinely prepared for what the role requires or if you're being hired to solve a problem they're not willing to address
Map stakeholder dynamics – Identify who controls outcomes, where alliances enable progress versus create stalemate, who has authority versus who has title
Define success conditions – Determine what you'd actually need to succeed: board sponsorship, budget control, platform authority, realistic timelines, ability to build the team
Identify structural risk – Surface political dynamics, resource constraints, cultural resistance, and misalignment between transformation ambition and organisational willingness to change
INFLUENCE
Shape how organisations perceive your value
The Challenge
Being the best candidate and being perceived as the best candidate are very different things. Almost like "being right and being effective" Even at this level, Executives remain passengers seat —letting the interviewer control the conversation, the agenda, and ultimately how they're perceived.
Why This Matters
This is where most executives lose momentum without realising it. They're competent in interviews but never shift to peer-level strategic dialogue. They answer what's asked. They're respectful to the point of passive. The organisation thinks "solid background" but doesn't think "we need this person." The difference between those perceptions determines whether you're the inevitable choice or the credible backup.
The Work
This is where the clarity work from Stage 1 becomes operational. You've identified your pattern of value creation. Now: how do you ensure organisations perceive that value correctly?
What is this organisation actually solving? What does each stakeholder need to hear? Which questions demonstrate you're thinking at the right level? How do you frame experience as strategic problem-solving, not credential recitation?
Most critically: how do you take control of the conversation respectfully? When do you bridge from their question to what actually matters? When do you reframe questions that would lead to generic answers? How do you demonstrate how you think, not just what you've done?
Common Failure
Executives defaulting to CV recitation. They answer questions. They're pleasant and articulate. They think "letting them lead" shows respect, when it actually signals lack of confidence in peer-level engagement. They don't shape how they're perceived, so the organisation fills in the gaps with assumptions. And those assumptions are rarely in your favour.
"True influence means shifting from answering their questions to shaping how they think about the opportunity."
How We Help
Map strategic agendas – Decode what the organisation is actually trying to solve beneath the surface questions and what success looks like from different stakeholder perspectives
Frame value contextually – Connect your experience to their specific reality and constraints, not generic capability recitation but strategic problem-solving demonstration
Develop stakeholder narratives – Build distinct emphasis for what different stakeholders need to hear, tailoring without changing who you are
Design influence architecture – Craft questions and perspective that demonstrate strategic thinking at the right level and shape their perception of what "good" looks like
Position competitively – Make your differentiated value obvious without knowing who else is being considered, emphasising what matters most to this specific context
NAVIGATION
The equivalent of having google maps throughout the entire Executive Search journey
The Challenge
Every search process has hidden dynamics. Who's really driving the decision. What's being assessed beyond stated criteria. Where the real objections live. Most executives show up and react. The ones who win anticipate and stay ahead. Navigation starts the moment a researcher calls to gauge your interest—not when you're sitting across from the CEO.
Why This Matters
The difference between being considered and being inevitable is navigation. Executives who stay ahead of the process, who understand what's really happening at each stage, who maintain narrative control and momentum—these win roles even when they're not the obvious choice on paper. The ones who treat each conversation as standalone, who show up without strategy, who don't understand what the partner conversation is really testing. They can't read what's being assessed in client meetings. They don't maintain momentum strategically. They have no intelligence on where they stand, what concerns exist, or how to navigate toward the outcome they want. Then they're surprised when they don't progress, or when the offer comes in below expectations, or when they're the "second choice" backup.
The Work
Executive search operates in stages, each testing something different beneath the surface questions. The researcher call assesses seniority and whether you're worth the partner's time. The partner conversation tests whether they can present you confidently to their client. Client meetings progress from "can this person operate at board level?" through strategic fit, cultural alignment, political capability, and ultimately whether the CEO genuinely wants to work with you. Most executives focus on answering questions well. The ones who win understand what each conversation is actually testing and position accordingly.
The real skill isn't performing in interviews—it's extracting intelligence at each stage that shapes how you navigate the next. How do you help the researcher position you accurately to the partner before you've even spoken? Which objections are predictable given your background, and how do you surface them before they become barriers? How do you use the headhunter strategically to understand what's being discussed internally, where you stand, what concerns exist? Momentum matters, but so does not appearing overeager. Process intelligence separates executives who progress from those who win.
Common Failure
Executives treat each conversation as standalone. They show up, answer questions, wait to hear back. They have no strategy for the overall process. They don't prepare the researcher to position them correctly. They don't understand what the partner conversation is really testing. They can't read what's being assessed in client meetings. They don't maintain momentum strategically. They have no intelligence on where they stand, what concerns exist, or how to navigate toward the outcome they want. Then they're surprised when they don't progress, or when the offer comes in below expectations, or when they're the "second choice" backup.
"Strategic navigation means controlling the process instead of letting the process control you."
How We Help
Decode process intelligence – Understand who has real influence over decisions, what's being assessed at each stage beneath stated criteria, where the actual decision points are
Plan stakeholder strategy – Define objectives for each conversation beyond answering questions: what intelligence to extract, what beliefs to create, what positioning to establish
Manage momentum – Maintain forward progress without appearing desperate, knowing when to push for next steps versus when creating space adds value
Position against competition – Differentiate without knowing who you're competing against by understanding what the organisation values based on what they emphasise and probe
Anticipate objections – Identify likely concerns given your background and their context, addressing them proactively before they become unstated barriers
NEGOTIATION
Secure the conditions that make success possible
The Challenge
At C-suite level, negotiation isn't just compensation. It's power, scope, authority, resources, and long-term value. Most executives negotiate the offer in front of them rather than what they need to succeed. Then they discover 6 months in they don't have the conditions required.
Why This Matters
You're not negotiating an offer. You're negotiating the conditions that make a decade of impact possible. The structural authority to move decisively without endless stakeholder navigation. Board sponsorship that endures when transformation creates discomfort. Resource control that matches what you're accountable for delivering. This isn't about negotiating more; it's about designing the setup that enables the impact you're capable of three years in.
The Work
What do you actually need to succeed? What separates ambitious mandates from achievable ones? The structural authority to move decisively without endless stakeholder navigation. Board sponsorship that endures when transformation creates discomfort. Resource control that matches what you're accountable for delivering. Timelines calibrated to organizational capacity, not theoretical ideals. The question isn't whether these matter, it's how you ensure they're embedded in the setup, not assumed in the enthusiasm of hiring.
Common Failure
Maximum effort goes into compensation at offer stage, precisely when the company knows you least and has least flexibility. Meanwhile, the elements that actually determine whether you succeed: reporting structure, board access, mandate clarity, transformation authority, resources, often get mis-handled differently. The real negotiation happens progressively: what you surface in early conversations, what you pressure-test during due diligence, what you frame as prerequisites rather than requests.
"Effective negotiation means securing not just the offer, but the conditions that make transformational success possible."
How We Help
Map success conditions – Define what you actually need to succeed: authority, resources, board support, realistic timelines, team-building ability—separating must-haves from nice-to-haves
Architect value structure – Design compensation approach that reflects your priorities and opportunity profile: equity versus cash, upside versus protection, alignment with your wealth position
Build negotiating leverage – Identify what strengthens your position: other opportunities, unique capabilities, cost of hiring wrong, timing dynamics working in your favour
Sequence strategically – Structure negotiation approach: scope and authority first, then compensation structure, then specific terms—framing around mutual success not personal demands
Create protection mechanisms – Ensure the deal you negotiate is the deal you get: clear reporting lines, defined decision rights, scope protection, severance terms, equity structures