Decision Systems / System 02
The Executive Hiring System
Make your next executive hire with the rigor of a board-level investment decision.
Designed for Chief Executives, founders, boards and search committees, Chief People Officers, and heads of talent leading senior searches.
The problem it solves
Executive hires rarely fail for lack of candidates. They fail because the mandate was unclear, the panel assessed different things, and the debrief rewarded confidence over evidence. This system gives you one disciplined method from mandate to the six-month review.
What changes
- A written mandate agreed before the search launches
- A weighted success profile with explicit threshold requirements
- Structured interviews, a case exercise, and hypothesis-driven references
- A calibrated panel and a debrief that decides on evidence
- A deliberate 90-day integration and a six-month review that closes the loop
What is included
A complete system, ready to use.
21-page PDF
Executive Playbook
The six stages, failure patterns, rating anchors, bias safeguards, a worked Chief Financial Officer search, a twelve-week timeline, and decision rights.
Excel, 8 tabs
Executive Hiring Scorecard
Weighted success profile, candidate list, interview ratings, automatic candidate comparison with threshold checks and panel-disagreement flags, reference tracker, search dashboard, and 30-60-90 tracker.
Word
Twelve editable templates
Role Context Brief, Success Profile Canvas, Structured Interview Guides, Interviewer Assignment and Calibration, Case Exercise, Debrief Agenda, Reference Check Guide, Selection Memo, Closing Plan, 90-Day Integration Plan, CEO and Executive Working Agreement, and Six-Month Review.
PowerPoint, 10 slides
Panel Calibration Deck
A ready-to-tailor briefing that aligns every interviewer before the first interview.
Also included: Start Here and License Terms (a first-week plan and the terms of your license). Files are delivered as a single download.
Licenses
Choose the license that fits your team.
Practitioner License
$299
One named individual, for their own professional work.
- Complete system
- All future updates to this edition
Internal Talent Team License
$1,500
Up to 10 named internal users within one organization.
- Complete system
- Shared use across the talent team and panels
- All future updates to this edition
Company or Board License
$3,500
Executive searches within one company, including board-led searches.
- Complete system
- Unlimited internal searches
- Board and committee use
- All future updates to this edition
Every license is purchased securely online, and files are delivered immediately by download. Licenses are for internal use and may not be shared, resold, or used to deliver services to external clients. For a facilitator, portfolio, or custom license, contact mlibby@northandhuman.com.
Questions
Common questions.
Does this replace a search firm?
No. It strengthens any search, retained or internal. Many teams share the Role Context Brief and success profile with their search partner so the market is assessed against the same standard.
Which roles is it designed for?
Vice President and C-suite roles, and any senior hire where the cost of a wrong decision is high.
Can we adapt the interview guides?
Yes. Every template and the scorecard are fully editable for internal use within your license.
Does it address legal requirements?
It includes fairness and consent practices, but it is not legal advice. Hiring, reference, and pay-transparency rules vary by jurisdiction; consult qualified advisors.
The materials provided by North & Human are educational and decision-support resources. They are not legal, employment-law, tax, financial, accounting, data-privacy, security, or AI-compliance advice. Buyers are responsible for adapting materials to their organization, jurisdiction, policies, contracts, and circumstances, and should consult qualified advisors where appropriate.
Implementation support
Prefer to install it with guidance?
Facilitated executive sessions and advisory implementation are available for organizations that want the discipline in place quickly and well.