Why Familiarity Can Quietly Undermine Leadership Decisions In boardrooms and leadership discussions, referrals are often spoken about with quiet confidence. A trusted name. A known track record. A recommendation from someone credible. At the CXO level, where stakes are high and margins for error are thin, referrals appear...
Why Context, Mandate, and Timing Matter More Than Titles “Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” — John C. MaxwellIn many organizations, CXO roles are spoken about as though they belong to a single category—senior leadership. In reality, nothing...
I've watched this happen too many times. A company announces its expansion into a new market. There's excitement, capital is committed, and the board is confident. Eighteen months later, the whispers start: timelines have slipped, breakeven keeps moving further out, and everyone's wondering what went wrong. The usual suspects get...
When organizations talk about leadership, they often rely on familiar terms such as vision, confidence, and decision-making. Yet when senior leadership hires fail, the issue is rarely a lack of intelligence or experience. More often, it stems from the deeper qualities of a good leader not being...
Strategy decks are getting sharper.Leadership outcomes, however, often aren’t. Across Indian organisations, bold strategies are being approved with confidence. Yet months later, execution slows. Momentum fades—transformation stalls. Not because the strategy was flawed—but because the leaders hired to deliver it were optimised for a different business chapter. This is the alignment gap...
In today’s boardrooms, one concern is rising quietly—but decisively. It is not the CEO who lacks experience. It is the CEO who believes they already know enough. Across Indian promoter-led firms, PE-backed companies, and listed enterprises, boards are increasingly cautious about CEO overconfidence. While experience gaps can...
This article examines how a leader’s personal style unconsciously influences hiring choices, affecting culture, team performance, and the organisation's trajectory. It reveals the psychology behind CXO hiring decisions, blind spots leaders often overlook, and how self-awareness drives better leadership outcomes. What Your Leadership Style Reveals About...
In an increasingly interconnected world, Indian organizations must decide whether to adopt a global or local approach to hiring senior leaders. This blog explores how both search models work, what advantages they offer, and how companies can make the right choice based on strategy, culture,...
Diversity in leadership is no longer a conversation about fairness, it’s about future readiness. This blog explores how executive search firms, particularly CORNERSTONE India, are enabling diversity at the top by balancing client mandates with inclusive leadership advocacy. It covers: Why gender diversity drives stronger business outcomes Barriers...
This article explores the unique complexities of leadership hiring in family businesses where loyalty, trust, and generational heritage intersect with modernization, scale, and global ambitions. It examines how executive search partners help identify leaders who can preserve the soul of the business while ushering in...
