(And what boards should look for instead)
The best leaders aren’t always obvious.
I love reaching out to candidates expecting an average call and then getting blown away with the person that I’ve just found. I love uncovering top talent from unsuspecting places. And I absolutely love a ‘wild card’!
This is only truly possible by having an actual conversation… this sort of find is not often discovered by just reading a CV…
In the year ahead, organisations that only hire the ‘safe pair of hands’ are putting themselves in danger. Because the market is not what it used to be.
Operating models are evolving. AI is disrupting work. Customer expectations are rising. Cost pressure is relentless. Transformation is no longer optional – change is the new way of working – it’s the only constant.
And in this environment, a predictable CV doesn’t guarantee effective transformation delivery.
Sometimes it guarantees the opposite.
The era of the ‘perfect CV’ is fading
Traditional hiring favours linear progression, big or relevant brand credibility, role-title consistency, and sector familiarity, with minimal risk.
This approach is comfortable, and it’s familiar. But comfort and familiarity are not usually effective strategies for change.
Most businesses do not fail because they hired someone without enough experience. They fail because they hired someone who cannot ‘lead’ with purpose, create movement, build belief, challenge the status quo, and gain buy in from a board, their peers, and a wider organisation.
This isn’t a tenure issue, or that the CV isn’t ‘good enough’. This is an issue with leadership skills.
Why Dark Horses are outperforming right now
A dark horse leader is rarely the obvious candidate. They are unconventional. They challenge what’s gone before them. The go against ‘the norm’.
They often haven’t followed the expected pathway, bring insight from a different sector, have a “non-standard” career trajectory, have taken calculated risks, and more importantly have had setbacks – and learned from them.
They tend to have what many ‘perfect CVs’ do not reflect:
Adaptability
Dark horses don’t break under ambiguity, and they don’t need perfect information to move.
They learn fast, adjust fast, and definitely do not do things just because it’s ‘how it’s always been done’.
High personal accountability
Dark horses don’t pass on responsibility, and they’re not driven by ego. They’re driven by outcomes.
They get to the bottom of ‘What’s the real problem?’, ‘What matters most?’, and ‘Why are we doing this in the first place?’. Then they influence accordingly.
Healthy relationships with discomfort when it’s required
Unconventional leaders are inherently curious and are prepared to have the difficult conversations.
They’re not thrown by resistance, uncertainty and scrutiny, and instead always look to find a ‘workaround’.
They lead through trust, not control
Command-and-control leadership isn’t sustainable in the mid-longer term to nurture a healthy people culture.
Dark horses often lead through clarity, energy, persuasion, presence and relentless communication. They create momentum. They engage.
They can challenge legacy thinking without disrespect
Some leaders disrupt like a bull in a china shop. Dark horses disrupt intelligently getting to the bottom of context.
They listen, often picking up on things that other people don’t, they build strong alliances, and then they then challenge the right things at the right time picking their ‘battles’ very purposefully. They modernise appropriately without compromising an organisations welfare.
The hiring trap: mistaking ‘polish’ for leadership
This is a big warning to every board… there are brilliant interviewees who are performers. Good at selling themselves during a beauty parade, but not too great at actual delivery.
They will say the right things, tell impressive stories and sound plausible on the surface. But when appointed… they are unable build traction. Because transformation doesn’t respond to polish alone.
It responds to empathy, courage, strong decision making, emotional intelligence and real follow-through.
When companies select based on what feels comfortable and familiarity alone, they often hire the wrong person for the job.
What to hire for instead: 6 traits that predict performance
If you want leaders who will succeed, you will need to look for:
Pattern-breaking ability; Have they shifted entrenched ways of working?
Speed of learning and demonstrable agility; Do they build capability quickly in new areas?
Influence under resistance; Are they susceptible to changing their mind and behaviours?
Outcome focus; Do they measure impact rather than process and activity?
Operating model thinking; Can they design and embed new systems?
Emotional breadth; Can they lead with strength and empathy – leaving their own ego behind?
Final thought
The leaders who will succeed in the year ahead won’t always have the ‘prettiest’ CVs. They’ll have something better.
They will have ‘edge’, honesty, integrity, resilience, energy, and credibility that’s earned the hard way.
So if you’re hiring this year, ask yourself, ‘Are we recruiting for familiarity… or for future business performance?’
Because the organisations that hire dark horses now will be the ones outpacing the competition later.
