Hiring Senior Leaders When You Cannot Outbid Big Companies
You cannot outbid large companies for senior talent. You can out-design them on role, scope and ownership.
By Maia Lafortezza, Founder and managing partner , 1 min read
You cannot outbid large companies for senior talent. You can out-design them on role, scope and ownership. You cannot outbid large companies for senior talent. You can out-design them on role, scope and ownership.
Sell the scope
Senior candidates move for the chance to build something they can point to. Describe the decisions the role will own, the problems it will solve in year one and the access it has to the founder and board.
Make the process fast and honest
Run the whole process within three weeks, share real numbers early and let candidates meet the team they will lead. A clear, respectful process is itself a signal of how the company is run.
How we apply this with clients
In client work this usually becomes one priority on the quarterly plan, with a named owner and a measure the leadership team reviews every month. Our leadership partners start with a short diagnostic of where the business is today, then agree the smallest change that will make a visible difference within ninety days.
Key takeaways
- Describe the decisions the role will own.
- Finish the process within three weeks.
- Share real numbers early.
Want to apply this in your business? Book a discovery call with a Maia Lafortezza partner.
Maia Lafortezza
Maia Lafortezza founded the firm in 2019 after nearly two decades across corporate finance, strategy consulting and operations. She began her career in transaction advisory, led growth and operating-model projects for mid-market and family-owned companies, and then served as chief operating officer of a European industrial group through a period of rapid expansion. Today she leads the firm's strategy and leadership practices, advises founders and boards directly, and writes on operating models, decision rights and building companies that last. She works in English, Italian and French.
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