CEO turnover hit a record high in 2025. Across major global indices, 234 chief executives departed their roles, up 16% over the prior year [1]. The demand for transformational leadership has never been greater, and yet 40% of externally hired executives fail or leave within their first 18 months [2]. After spending twenty years placing senior leaders across Louisiana and the Gulf South, I can tell you that the issue is almost never a lack of qualified candidates. It is almost always a C-suite hiring process that was built to find the wrong things.
Here are the three patterns I see most often, and the ones I wish more boards would talk about before a search kicks off.
Hiring the Resume Instead of the Leader
When a board is evaluating candidates for a high-stakes role, there is real comfort in a polished CV with the right industry tenure and credentials. I understand that instinct. But some of the strongest executive placements I have been part of came from candidates who did not check every traditional box. What they brought instead was a leadership philosophy that aligned with where the company was headed and a genuine ability to connect with the people around them. When we lean too heavily on pedigree without understanding how a candidate actually leads, makes decisions, and navigates conflict, we end up with someone who looks right on paper but struggles to gain traction inside the organization.
Moving Like It Is Still 2005
The average executive search takes 90 to 120 days from kickoff to offer [3]. The strongest candidates in today's market are off the table within 10 days [4]. I have watched organizations lose exceptional leaders to competitors simply because the internal process could not keep pace. Multiple interview rounds spread across months. Indecisive stakeholders. Drawn-out committee reviews. All of it sends the same message to top-tier talent: this organization does not move with urgency. In the Gulf South, where the executive talent pool is more concentrated and relationship-driven than in major metros, that kind of delay can cost you the hire entirely.
Treating Culture as an Afterthought
Early in my career, I watched a client hire a technically brilliant COO who checked every competency box on the scorecard. Within six months, they knew they had made a mistake. The skills were there, but the way this person communicated, handled pressure, and treated the people around them was at odds with how the organization operated. That experience shaped how we approach every executive engagement at Connectly today. The organizations that consistently make strong senior hires are the ones that define what cultural fit and alignment actually mean before the search begins, not after the finalist is already in the room.
None of these patterns are inevitable. The good news is they are very fixable with the right awareness and the right partner walking alongside you. At Connectly, every C-suite hiring engagement starts with the question most executive search firms skip: What kind of leader does this organization actually need right now? Getting that answer right is where the real work begins.