Insights

Insights for Leaders Who Build

Practical thinking on hiring, leadership, succession, and the industries we serve.

Retained vs. contingent executive search: what's actually different

Retained and contingent recruiting work differently, cost differently, and produce different results. Here's what each model actually looks like so you can decide which fits your hire.

Executive Search5 min read

The real cost of a bad executive hire (and why most companies undercount it)

A failed executive hire costs $300K to $500K when you count severance, lost momentum, team turnover, and the search you have to run again. Here's how to count the real number.

Executive Search5 min read

Executive onboarding: what happens in the first 90 days after you hire a leader

What to do between the offer and day one, how to set up a new executive's first weeks, and what to check at 30 and 90 days after the hire.

Executive Search6 min read

What Kills an Executive Search Before It Finishes

Most executive searches don't fail because the talent isn't there. They fail because the process breaks down. Cord Sachs on the six momentum killers we see most often.

Construction8 min read

Why Construction Executives Fail in the First Year

Most construction executive failures aren't about competence. They're about fit, onboarding, and the first 90 days. Here's what actually goes wrong and how to prevent it.

Executive Search8 min read

Hiring for Character AND Capability: Why the Best Leaders Have Both (Part 1 of 3)

Most companies hire for capability and hope character comes with it. Cord Sachs on why the best executive hires require both, and how to stop compromising on either.

Executive Search5 min read

Hiring for Character AND Capability: How to Structure the Search (Part 2 of 3)

Cord Sachs walks through how FireSeeds structures a retained search to evaluate both character and capability, starting with the Bullseye Meeting.

Executive Search6 min read

Hiring for Character AND Capability: Why Faith-Driven Companies Can't Afford to Compromise on Either (Part 3 of 3)

For faith-driven organizations, character includes mission alignment and spiritual maturity. Cord Sachs on how to hire leaders who share your convictions and can perform at the highest level.

Executive Search6 min read

When should you hire an external recruiter vs. keep it in-house?

Not every hire needs a recruiter. But some hires are too important to handle internally. Here's an honest breakdown of when an external executive search firm earns the fee and when your internal team can handle it.

Succession Planning7 min read

CEO succession planning for founder-led companies

Most CEO succession advice is written for public-company boards. Here's how succession actually works when the founder owns the business, knows every client, and has no board to run the process.

Succession Planning8 min read

Family business succession planning: choosing who runs it next

Most family business succession planning advice is about transferring ownership. This is about the other half: deciding who's actually capable of running the company, and what it takes to hand it to them.

Faith & Leadership6 min read

Succession with Purpose: When Letting Go Is the Most Faithful Thing You Can Do

A friend of mine sold his company last year. He'd built it over twenty-seven years. Started it in his garage with one truck and a conviction that he could serve people better than