Every organisation knows the thrill of landing a star executive; the sort of leader whose appointment prompts an almost audible sigh of relief across the boardroom table. For a moment, the future feels reassuringly within reach. And yet, many senior teams recognise a different scene a few months later: early optimism dissolves into strained conversations, performance wobbles, and the once-celebrated hire seems oddly disconnected from the rhythm of the business.
When a brilliant leader stumbles in an environment that clearly wanted them, something deeper is at play. And it usually lies beneath the surface of the org chart.
The Hidden Biology of Culture
To understand why strong executives falter, we need to acknowledge that organisational culture functions as a system with its own patterns, norms, and implicit rules, which influence how leaders succeed. Most organisations underestimate just how powerful cultural reflexes are. Roughly half of senior hires underperform in their first 18 months, and the issue rarely relates to skill. Instead, leaders collide with an unseen immune system guarding “how things are done round here”.
TRANSEARCH International is one of the leading executive search organisations in the world. Headquartered in Europe, we have representation in The Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Our global presence allows us to service companies around the world – covering all the major industry sectors. For over 40 years TRANSEARCH International has, as passionate experts in the executive search and leadership consulting industry, built leadership teams for our clients.
