Leadership Readiness Assessment
Clarity before you
commit to the search.
Most executive searches fail before a single candidate is sourced. The wrong role structure, undefined success criteria, misaligned stakeholders — these are design problems. We fix them first.
$10,000 · Two weeks. This is where most engagements begin.
What the assessment produces
- 01A clear hiring recommendation
Proceed, pause, or redesign — with the reasoning behind it.
- 02A defined leadership mandate
The role, decision rights, and operating model — designed before search begins.
- 03Stakeholder alignment
Surface misalignment before it becomes a mis-hire.
- 04Success criteria
What does "great" look like at 30, 90, and 180 days?
Two weeks. Focused diagnostic. Actionable output regardless of whether you move to search.
Is this right for you?
You're at an inflection point.
The stakes are too high to guess.
Companies don't call Hive when things are calm. They come at the moments that define what comes next — when the wrong hire would cost far more than the search fee.
The Leadership Readiness Assessment is for organizations that want to think before they move. It's for leaders who understand that clarity is the first deliverable — not resumes.
- Something isn't working — but you're not sure the answer is "hire"
- You're scaling fast and need leadership that will grow with the organization
- A previous VP-level hire didn't work — and you want to understand why before you go again
- Stakeholders disagree about what this role should actually do
- You want an outside perspective before a high-stakes leadership decision
- You're willing to hear that the right answer might be to wait
Hive isn't for everyone
This is not the right fit if…
You need to fill a role this month.
We move deliberately, not reactively. If speed is the only metric, we're not the right partner.
You want resume volume over rigor.
We take selective engagements because judgment requires focus. We are not a pipeline service.
The decision is already made.
The assessment is only useful if you're genuinely open to the finding — even if it's "don't hire yet."
How it works
Two weeks. Four stages.
One clear answer.
Organizational diagnostic
We map the current state — structure, mandates, gaps, and what success has actually looked like in this function.
Days 1–3Stakeholder alignment sessions
We interview the people this hire will report to, collaborate with, and be accountable to — surfacing misalignment before it becomes a mis-hire.
Days 4–7Role and mandate design
We define the role for where you're going — not where you are. Decision rights, operating model, and success criteria are built from the ground up.
Days 8–11Readiness recommendation
You receive a clear written recommendation: proceed to search, pause and redesign, or build the conditions for a hire to succeed first.
Day 14What you receive
Actionable output — regardless of next steps.
Leadership Readiness Report
A written assessment of your organization's readiness to hire, the gaps that would sink a search, and a concrete recommendation for what to do next.
Role Mandate Document
A fully designed role definition including scope, decision rights, reporting structure, and success criteria — built for your current stage, not a generic template.
Stakeholder Alignment Map
A summary of where stakeholders agree, where they diverge, and how to close the gap before a candidate ever enters the process.
Talent Architecture™ Blueprint
If search is the right next step, we'll walk you through how Hive structures the engagement that follows — so you know exactly what working together looks like before you commit.
What leaders say
Rigor before the search changes everything.
She understood what we were building before we finished the sentence. Kate helped us find the right leader in half the time — and made the process feel grounded, rigorous, and calm.
Chief Design Officer
Global Consumer Brand
Kate has an uncommon ability to see both the business need and the human being. She doesn't just find candidates — she architects the right match.
René Lassauzet
SVP Brand Creative
Working with Hive shifted how we hire entirely. We went from four months of stalled searches to landing our ideal Marketing Lead in half the time — and we're still using their framework today.
CEO
Regional Logistics & Transportation Company
We needed to fill a global design leadership role fast — Hive delivered. Within two weeks, we had a vetted shortlist, hired our ideal Experience Design Lead, and built a pipeline that will fuel our next phase of growth.
Chad Borlase
SVP Experience Design, leading data & tech consultancy
Ready to begin?
Start with the
right question.
Book a 30-minute Leadership Readiness Conversation with Kate. No pitch. No pressure. We'll talk through what you're navigating and whether the assessment is the right next move.
Book your conversationLeadership Readiness Assessment · $10,000 · Two-week engagement