Leadership Hiring
& Leadership-Talent Acquisition

- Norbert Abraham

Leadership Hiring is a very complex process. The key to successful Leadership Hiring is the ability to evaluate the candidates' personality and matching it against spirit, culture and agility of the new team. I am going the extra mile to find the new generation of efficient Heterarchical Leaders.

The Age of the Charisma Leadership Generation is approaching its dawn. Driven by their own self-importance, not accepting responsibility for failure, taking more credit for success than is fair, not listen-ing to feedback, not learning from experience, feeling entitled to their role, they have ruined many companies through bad decision making.

The next Heterarchical Leadership Generation is characterized by humility. Without self-importance, admitting their mistakes and limitations, spotlighting others’ contributions, listening and learning from others, making fun of themselves, not feeling entitled, having egalitarian values.

Non-charismatic Leaders focus on team performance, not their individual performance. They channel ambition back into the organization and not for their personal gain. They foster a culture of development and learning, and they build a culture of openness, trust and recognition.

Let´s start our conversation to hiring a leader, ...

If you are looking for a leader servicing the organization and not his own ego.


If the leadership role you want to fill is very complex, highly efficient or transformational.

If you expect the highest diplomatic competence for the dialogue with the “non-active looking”.


If your company / organization is faced with the challenge of keeping up with the attractiveness of the "top employer brands" or the "magnetizm of the metropolises"

If you want to use diagnostic tools to ensure that candidates personality matches the task, the stakeholders and the culture of your company.

If you want to fill the vacancy in short time, with extended guarantees and with a fair risk sharing.

If you want to find executives from the European or Global talent pool.

Match Capabilities, Chemistry and Culture. Don't just hire Charisma. Look for Humility!

Hiring decisions for executive roles are always complex. I systematically use the three parameters CAPABILITIES | CHEMISTRY | CULTURE to support you as headhunter and sparring partner in these decisions. The HOGAN assessments are part of the search process.

CAPABILITIES
Which hard and soft factors does the person bring to the role: training, skills, abilities, experience, intelligence, energy level, integrity, dynamics, resilience, agility, ...

CHEMISTRY
How does the person fit into the specific chemistry of the team, peers, superiors, customers, ...

CULTURE
How does the person fit into today`s culture of the company, the management crew, the stakeholders, the team, ...

Read more about my values and attitudes as a Senior Headhunter:

In mutual trust

Because deep mutual trust is the basis of our relationship

  • My attitude towards you is determined by openness, respect, constant transparency and high loyalty.
  • You can rely on me. I listen very carefully and I keep my promises - always.
  • My goala are realistic results in a short time frame - I don't accept search projects, where I am not confident to deliver in quality and in time.
  • I am always willing to learn, but I also try to be as realistic as possible with the intention to clarify non-realistic expectations beforehand.
  • I continuously develop and strengthen the transparency and sincerity of my own principles and opinions.
On a passionate diplomatic mission

Because "The Best" will only be accessible with diplomatic passion!

As passionat diplomat and as professional "reading ambition and agility", I strengthen your position in the competition for the best talent.

I have 20+ years of expertise on both sides of the market for demanding leadership roles. Experience my sensitivity in analyzing and understanding complex leadership roles. Learn how I suceed to open a dialogue with potential candidates - how I manage to create openness and sincerity on both sides of the table. I only do my job well, if both sides agree, to have made a well balanced and right decision.

With a sense for human behaviour

Because it is important to look under the surface in order to reliably recognize the attitudes and motives of a candidate.

My insights and knowledge gained through the use of diagnostic tools and my many years of experience as a coach for private individuals have further strengthened my sensitivity to dialogue with people.

With the recommendation to use diagnostic tools as an airbag for decisions

Because personality is the only reliable predictor for future success!

Looking at a candidates personality - without diagnostic tools - is always looking at deeds, behavior, self- and third-party assessments. Deep personal insights are necessary to find a balanced judgment, free of presuppositions and assessment errors.

When selecting executives with modern diagnostic tools, the quality of decisions will always be significantly more neutral and scientifically more precise.The psychometric diagnosis thus serves as an airbag for human decision-making. As a corrective and regulative of a sometimes imprecise or influenced perception.

With a trained eye for typical career derailers and high risk personality patterns

Because if selection and evaluation are superficial, the basis for failure is already laid.

The greater the power of an executive, the more often personality patterns are recognizeable that are associated with considerable risks: selfishness, narcissism, arrogance and limitless self-centeredness. Many stories are known in which the decisions of an individual or a manipulated management team have destroyed immense corporate values and caused considerable damage to the company's reputation.

Four out of five executives are convinced that they are performing well. But only one in five of those led share this opinion.
70% of all terminations by individuals are still due to the lack of leadership competence of the superiors.

Who will deliver excellent results even under high time pressure

Because the search for executives and top performers is often under time pressure. The opportunity costs of an unfilled c-lecel position are generally high, especially if the unrealised businesss opportunities are taken into account.

I counter this time pressure by offering fixed time-based searches and reimbursing parts of the professional fee if the time is exceeded. (Money-Back Guarantee)

Who is able to introducing leaders from the European and global talent pool

Because in industries with high demand pressure, the German talent pool is too small or already exhausted.

Through around 40 national member companies of IIC Partners - one of the most successful global networks of owner-managed executive search firms - I am able to offer professional access to the executive talents of the respective countries. The network has grown in trustful cooperation over many years and is very reliable.

Who is offering supplementary services, extended guarantees and attractive fee structures

Because my clients have very different expectations for the depth of services offered by Executive Search.Some expect the headhunter to be involved in the placement risk, others are looking for special guarantees.

I am able to flexibly meet these expectations with a win-win concept consisting of additional services, extended guarantees, fair risk sharing and attractive prices,

Who also is able to offer recruiting process outsourcing (RPO) in addition to classic headhunting

Because my clients are occasionally looking for individual and tailor-made outsourcing solutions.

Most of my clients expect the classic full service in headhunting, others are looking for relief only in individual process steps (RPO). Others are looking for professional support for attractive multi-posting advertising concepts.

With my many years of experience in all kinds of recruiting processes, I offer my clients individual, tailor-made solutions and always my highest commitment.

I am your Senior Headhunter:

For high value or high risks roles.

When communication requires meticulousness and a high-end special touch.

When time is running out.

If you want to increase the roles’ attractiveness in the war for talent.

If you want to win the war for talent as a “not-for-profit” organization, focusing on the meaning and the contribution to the common good.