Executive Selection Assessment · Fortune 500 · Office of the CEO
Executive Selection Assessment: How a Fortune 500 CEO Made a 10-Year COO Hire
“His last COO hire cost him a year. He would not miss twice.”
The challenge
A Fortune 500 enterprise CEO — a long-standing coaching client — watched a hand-picked COO unravel inside eighteen months: right résumé, wrong wiring for the seat and the culture. The mis-hire cost momentum, a restructuring charge, and the executive team's confidence. With three finalists lined up for the replacement, he refused to bet on résumés and instinct a second time.
Our approach
As his executive coach, I assessed all three finalists on behavior, not just credentials: validated Hogan profiles of their strengths, stress derailers, and motivators — read against the CEO's own leadership data, structured intake, chemistry interviews, and 360 references — delivered as one side-by-side decision analysis.
Results beyond the numbers
- A finalist comparison built on behavior, not résumés
- Sharper interviews and a faster, cleaner onboarding
- A CEO who trusts the COO seat again
“I had hired on instinct once and paid for it. This time I had the evidence — and ten years later it is still the best hire I have made.”— Chief Executive Officer
Frequently asked questions
What challenge did the client face?
A Fortune 500 enterprise CEO — a long-standing coaching client — watched a hand-picked COO unravel inside eighteen months: right résumé, wrong wiring for the seat and the culture. The mis-hire cost momentum, a restructuring charge, and the executive team's confidence. With three finalists lined up for the replacement, he refused to bet on résumés and instinct a second time.
What results did NextGen People deliver?
Key outcomes included: 3 → 1 — three finalists narrowed to one clear, defensible decision, 10 yrs — the new coo's tenure and counting; his predecessor lasted under two, $5M+ — repeat mis-hire and restructuring cost the company never paid again.
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