How AI Layoffs and Token Shock Are Defining the CFO’s AI Workforce Strategy in 2026 At an enterprise event in early June 2026, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged something that caught corporate America mid-sip: cost management has become the second most common complaint he hears from enterprise customers. A meme was circulating in boardrooms. It […]
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Nonprofit Chief Development Officer Search: Five Questions Your Board Must Answer
In Part 1 of this series, we examined how AI is reshaping the competencies nonprofits need in their senior philanthropy leaders and why the organizations that adapt fastest will have a decisive fundraising advantage in an increasingly competitive environment. This piece is the harder conversation. Because attracting one of those leaders requires more than a compelling […]
Understanding the Different Types of Executive Search
Updated May 2026 | Originally published March 2015 We’re often asked by new potential clients: “How does this work?” And honestly, after more than twenty years in the business, we’re still surprised by how many companies including well-funded, sophisticated ones make the same costly mistakes when it comes to choosing the right executive search model […]
Should You Trust AI to Evaluate Executive Talent? (And Where It Breaks)
AI executive hiring is no longer an experiment. Whether it is working as intended, and whether it can be trusted at the level of a C-suite decision, are three very different questions. A CEO in San Francisco recently made news for feeding every job interview transcript into ChatGPT before making a final hiring decision. He […]
Hiring the Right Executive for Your Growth Stage: A 2026 Checklist
Every CEO knows the gut-punch feeling of executive hiring gone wrong. The VP of Engineering who can’t function without a team of 50. The Chief Revenue Officer who built a $100M pipeline at their last company but can’t close your scrappy Series A deals. The COO from a Fortune 500 who spends three months creating […]
Beyond the AI Hype
What SMB Leaders Actually Need to Know About Hiring for AI Transformation Some years back, I was speaking with a senior marketing executive at a well-known agency during the height of the “app revolution.” Every client walked through their doors with the same demand: “We need an app.” His response never varied: “Why?” The silence […]
2026 Executive Search Reality Check
The Counterintuitive Truth-And the High Cost of Getting It Wrong While LinkedIn is flooded with posts about Chief AI Officers and Chief Digital Officers, the most competitive executive searches in 2026 aren’t for technologists-they’re for financial and operational leaders. And here’s what most boards and CEOs don’t realize until it’s too late: these searches are […]
SF’s AI Executive Search Boom: From Doom Loop to Boom Loop
How AI Investment Is Transforming the AI Executive Search Market San Francisco has dramatically reversed course. The city once synonymous with pandemic-era decline is now experiencing an AI-driven renaissance that’s reshaping the AI executive search market. Understanding this transformation is critical for strategic hiring and organizational planning. Key Takeaways 96% of SF business leaders optimistic […]
Seeing the True Picture of Your Organization: 10 Years Later
What’s Changed since 2014? Ten years ago, we published a post that challenged the traditional org chart mentality. We argued that organizations aren’t hierarchical boxes, they’re interconnected puzzles where relationships, strengths, and cultural dynamics matter more than reporting lines. The response was overwhelming. Leaders resonated with the idea that people are “squiggly and wiggly” and […]
Executive Hiring Trends 2025: Strategic Selectivity Wins
In the ever-evolving landscape of executive recruitment, understanding the subtle shifts in the labor market is critical for advising clients and shaping talent acquisition strategy. Recent data indicate that while white-collar vacancies are up year-over-year, hiring growth has plateaued. This selective growth mindset signals a new reality for organizations: the roles they choose to fill […]