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
Contingent search firms are paid when they fill a role. Retained firms are paid to run your search. What each costs, and which one your next senior hire needs.
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Confidential executive search: how to hire a leader quietly
When a leadership hire has to stay quiet: replacing someone still in the seat, a succession or an acquisition. How a confidential search works and what it costs you in time.
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How to hire a COO for a founder-led company
How to hire a chief operating officer: confirm you need one, decide what they'll own, find the ones who aren't looking, and set up the first 90 days so the hire sticks.
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CFO vs. controller: which one your company needs next
A controller keeps the books right. A CFO decides what the numbers mean for cash and growth. How to tell which hire your company needs next.
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Chief of staff vs. COO: which one the owner actually needs
A chief of staff extends the CEO's reach. A COO owns the operation. How to tell which problem you have before you hire the wrong one.
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Culture fit interview questions for hiring a leader
14 culture fit interview questions for a GM, VP or COO hire, what a strong answer sounds like, and how to check the answers before you make an offer.
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How to recruit top talent when the best leaders aren't looking
The leaders worth hiring already have good jobs. What moves them: a bigger role, a straight story, no surprises on money and a process that respects their time.
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The executive search process, step by step
How a retained executive search runs from the first meeting to a signed offer: the steps, the timeline, what you'll be asked to do, and how the fee works.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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