Essay 05

Hiring = Mandate × Evidence

I have a habit that sometimes surprises my clients. Before we look at their CV... Before we prepare for the interview... Before we even talk about their career... I ask a different question. "Why does this role exist?" Not the job description. The role. There's a difference. Most executives immediately start talking about themselves. I stop them. Because I don't think they're the starting point. The business is.

Over time, I realised that almost every executive hiring decision can be explained by one simple equation. Hiring = Mandate × Evidence The mandate is the change the company needs to create. The evidence is proof that you've created that kind of change before. Everything else is supporting material.

This simple equation explains something that frustrates many executives. Two candidates can have almost identical careers. Similar titles. Similar education. Similar years of experience. One receives an offer. The other never reaches the final interview. Why? Not because one was necessarily more capable. Because one answered the company's question. The other answered their own.

Most executives prepare the evidence. A stronger CV. Better interview stories. A more polished LinkedIn profile. All useful. But they're only preparing half of the equation. The bigger mistake happens much earlier. They never diagnose the mandate. And if you've misunderstood the mandate, you're solving the wrong problem.

Imagine a company looking for someone to restore profitability after two difficult years. The executive spends the interview talking about building new markets. Everything they say is impressive. Almost none of it is relevant. Now imagine another candidate. Less international experience. Smaller organisation. But they've successfully turned around two underperforming business units. Who creates more confidence? Probably the second candidate. Not because they're objectively stronger. Because their evidence fits the mandate.

This is why I believe executive hiring is less about finding the best candidate... ...and more about reducing uncertainty. Companies are trying to answer a simple question. "Has someone solved this kind of problem before?" Your stories exist to answer that question. Not to impress. To reassure.

That's why I rarely start by asking executives, "Tell me about your career." Instead, I ask: "What change is this company trying to create?" Because once you understand the mandate... Choosing the evidence becomes remarkably simple. And that's when positioning starts to work.