In 2013, while interviewing Ted Turner at the Georgia Technology Summit during his induction into the Georgia Technology Hall of Fame, I asked him what it was like to be a billionaire.

His response was immediate: “Well, you’re not a billionaire, so you wouldn’t know.”

Someone could say the same about my perspective on the evolving role of CIOs and CTOs: “Well, you’re not one, so you wouldn’t know.” Fair enough.

While I never aspired to become a technology executive, I’ve spent more than two decades working alongside technology leaders. Today, as President and Managing Partner of Retained, I recruit CIOs and CTOs for organizations navigating growth, transformation, and change. That experience has given me a unique perspective on what CEOs, boards, and investors now expect from technology leadership.

CIOs and CTOs are becoming enterprise leaders because technology now influences nearly every major business priority, from growth and customer experience to workforce productivity, risk, and enterprise value. 

 

The New Technology Leadership Mandate 

A decade ago, technology leaders were primarily measured by operational excellence. They maintained infrastructure, protected the organization, managed budgets, and delivered projects successfully. 

Today, those responsibilities are table stakes. 

Organizations now expect CIOs and CTOs to help drive growth, transformation, innovation, and competitive advantage. Technology has become a primary driver of enterprise value, which means technology leaders are increasingly expected to help shape business strategy. 

This shift is reflected in the priorities of business leaders. Gartner’s 2025 CEO and Senior Business Executive Survey found that CEOs continue to prioritize growth while increasingly viewing AI as a force reshaping competition, operating models, and workforce strategy. 

AI further illustrates the changing mandate. According to McKinsey’s 2025 State of AI report, 88% of organizations regularly use AI in at least one business function, yet only approximately one-third have begun scaling their AI initiatives across the enterprise. 

The primary challenge is not whether organizations can adopt new technology; it’s turning those investments into measurable business outcomes.

That requires a leader who understands both the technology and the enterprise it supports. 

 

The Human Side of Technology Leadership 

As technology becomes more important to business success, leadership capabilities are becoming just as important as technical expertise. 

Serena Sacks-Mandel, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Gwinnett County Public Schools, believes one of the biggest changes has been how organizations define performance and leadership: 

“Organizations increasingly measure success by outcomes and impact rather than hours worked or activity. Employees at all levels are expected to communicate clearly, build relationships across teams, and contribute to a positive customer or stakeholder experience. There is also a growing emphasis on adaptability, continuous learning, and the ability to navigate change. Leaders are expected to be visible, transparent, responsive, and skilled at listening and building trust.” 

Her observations reflect what we see in executive search. 

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 projects that 39% of workers’ core skills will change by 2030. For CIOs and CTOs, adaptability, communication, and change management are no longer secondary capabilities. They are central to the role. 

Technology transformation ultimately requires people to change how they work. A platform can be implemented successfully from a technical perspective and still fail to create value if employees do not understand, trust, or adopt it. 

The strongest technology leaders know how to create alignment, earn trust, and lead people through that change. 

 

When Innovation Moves Beyond IT 

Another major shift involves who builds and applies technology within an organization. 

Historically, business teams identified challenges and turned to IT to develop solutions. AI is rapidly blurring that distinction. 

Employees across functions can now build prototypes, automate workflows, and experiment with AI-powered tools independently. This creates opportunities for innovation, but it also introduces challenges related to governance, security, data quality, and accountability. 

Christopher Huff, Chief Information Officer at National Air Cargo, sees this as one of the most important changes affecting technology leaders: 

“As AI becomes embedded in daily workflows, business teams are increasingly building prototypes, automating processes, and participating in solution design at a much deeper level. We need to acknowledge and plan for these new employees (AI agents), while establishing the governance, security, and operational guardrails necessary to enable responsible innovation.” 

CIOs and CTOs cannot own every technology decision, nor should they become obstacles to experimentation. Instead, they must create the standards and guardrails that allow the business to innovate responsibly. 

The role is evolving from technology operator to enterprise orchestrator. 

 

Trading Technology Management for Business Outcomes

One of the most consistent themes we hear from boards, investors, and CEOs is that they are no longer hiring technology leaders simply to manage technology. They are hiring them to produce business results. 

The strongest candidates can discuss architecture, cybersecurity, AI, and data strategy while clearly explaining how those capabilities affect growth, customer experience, operational performance, risk, and enterprise value.

Equally important is their ability to communicate with technical teams, fellow executives, board members, investors, and employees. They translate complexity into clear business decisions and build alignment across functions they may not directly control.

That combination remains rare and increasingly valuable. 

 

Looking Ahead 

As technology becomes more deeply embedded in every aspect of business, the evolution of the CIO and CTO roles will continue. 

Historically, CFOs and COOs were often viewed as the most likely CEO successors. Increasingly, technology leaders are developing the enterprise-wide perspective boards seek in future chief executives. 

They understand how strategy, operations, talent, technology, customer experience, and risk intersect. They are also gaining experience leading enterprise transformation, allocating resources, advising boards, and influencing decisions across the organization. 

Not every CIO or CTO will aspire to become a CEO. However, organizations will increasingly expect their technology executives to operate with that level of enterprise awareness. 

The leaders who thrive over the next decade will combine technical fluency with business judgment, adaptability, and the ability to lead people through change. 

The next generation of CIOs and CTOs will not simply guide technology but help guide enterprises.

The phrase “culture eats strategy for breakfast” has been said in boardrooms for decades. People often attribute it to Peter Drucker, but no reliable record confirms that he said or wrote it. One of its earliest documented appearances traces back to a 2000 Giga Information Group headline.

Despite the unclear origins, the idea endures because it captures a hard truth: even the strongest strategy will fail when the culture cannot support it. A lack of trust or commitment can quickly derail an otherwise excellent plan. The business impact is measurable. According to McKinsey’s Organizational Health Index, healthy organizations are three times more likely to outperform unhealthy ones, regardless of industry.

After decades in leadership roles, and now as President of Retained, I have watched culture determine whether strategies gain momentum or lose it.

In executive search, hiring teams often prioritize skills, industry experience, and technical expertise. Those qualifications still matter, but they do not guarantee leadership success. A successful search must also consider how a candidate leads. How do they influence others and respond under pressure? Do their actions align with the organization’s values and working norms?

These questions will reveal if a leader will strengthen the culture.

What Culture-Shaping Leadership Looks Like

Mission statements and values displayed on a wall do not create culture. Leaders create it through the behaviors they model, reward, and tolerate every day.

Gallup found that managers account for 70% of the variance in team engagement. Although everyone contributes to culture, employees experience it most directly through the people who lead them.

Dr. Cherry Collier-Davis, Founder of Personality Matters, describes culture-shaping leadership through the C.A.R.E. framework:

“Clarity helped the leader set clear expectations and communicate openly. Accountability was demonstrated by following through on commitments and addressing problems directly. Recognition was given not only for results, but also for teamwork and respect. Empathy helped employees feel valued, trusted, and motivated to contribute.”

These behaviors may sound simple, but their power comes from consistency.

Leaders strengthen culture when they clarify expectations, honor commitments, recognize how people achieve results, and demonstrate empathy without sacrificing accountability.

How Leadership Behavior Becomes Culture

Barbara Reilly, Senior Consultant for Turknett Leadership Group, experienced that influence through a leader who continually challenged the team to improve:

“I had an amazing leader who exuded positivity and a ‘can-do’ attitude. He was always asking, ‘Can we make this better?’—and we always did. Eventually, we began asking ourselves the question before being prompted. It shifted the culture to one of excellence.”

That is one of the clearest signs of a healthy culture: people uphold its standards even when the leader is not in the room.

Tim Huff, Vice President of IT for Cleaver-Brooks, witnessed an equally powerful transformation while serving in a military unit. An ego-driven and demeaning leader had damaged morale, destroyed trust, and weakened performance. When a new leader took over, the culture began to change.

“He was quiet and humble, but held exceptionally high standards for himself first, and then for everyone around him. He treated people with respect, gave his team credit when we succeeded, and created an environment where people wanted to perform at their best rather than simply avoid mistakes. Morale improved, performance followed, and people from outside the unit eventually requested transfers because they wanted to be part of what we had built.”

This experience is a good lesson that a leader’s character and behavior shape culture every day.

Research supports that conclusion. McKinsey found that organizational transformations are 5.3 times more likely to succeed when senior leaders model the behavioral changes they expect from employees.

People watch what leaders do and when their actions contradict their words that built trust disappears.

When Leadership Style Creates Cultural Friction

My five years leading Turknett Leadership Group reinforced this lesson daily.

Many leaders sought coaching to improve their performance, strengthen their leadership skills, or prepare for a promotion. Others struggled because their behavior created friction within the organization. During 360-degree feedback, leaders who viewed themselves as collaborative, empowering, and approachable sometimes learned that their supervisors, peers, and direct reports saw them very differently.

That gap usually pointed to a lack of self-awareness.

Retained addresses that risk by using assessments such as Hogan to identify behavioral tendencies, potential derailers, motivators, and cultural alignment. These assessments strengthen human judgement. They help hiring teams move beyond the resume and uncover patterns that could either reinforce or damage the culture they have worked hard to build.

Understanding the People Behind the Strategy

Throughout my career, I have led the largest YMCA system in the United States, scaled a technology association from 350 to more than 36,000 members, led a major health charity, and guided a leadership-development firm. My strongest leadership moments came when I took the time to understand the people behind the work.

Early in my career, I learned that one leadership style does not work for everyone. Strong leaders recognize individual differences and adapt their approach. When I did that well, trust grew and the culture became stronger. The same principle applies across executive search, leadership development, and organizational life: strategy defines the destination, but culture determines whether people will move toward it.

If your organization needs a leader who can strengthen culture and drive strategy forward, Retained can help. Contact us to discuss your next executive search.

A company can have a strong strategy, talented people, and real opportunities for growth and still struggle to execute. Usually, the challenge is whether the leadership team is prepared for what’s next. 

According to DDI’s 2025 Global Leadership Forecast, only 20% of CHROs report having leaders ready to step into critical roles. 

Five questions can help identify leadership risk before it impacts performance. 

Does the team match where the organization is headed?

The leaders who built the company aren’t automatically right for its next chapter. A team built for $20M in revenue isn’t necessarily right for $100M. This doesn’t always mean replacing leaders, it means adding capability alongside them.

Are key responsibilities put on one person?

When too much knowledge or authority sits with one executive, the whole organization is exposed if that person leaves. Ask: which roles affect performance the most, and who could step in if that person were gone tomorrow?

Is there a real succession plan for critical roles?

Succession planning must start before someone announces they’re leaving. Naming a possible successor isn’t enough. That person usually needs development and real experience first, so the transition happens on the organization’s timeline, not one forced by circumstance.

Can this team actually lead people through change?

Growth brings change, new systems, structures, and markets. Leading through it takes more than technical skill. In a McKinsey survey of 750+ executives, only 56% said their transformation met most of its goals initially, and just 12% said the gains lasted more than three years. Starting a change can be easy, but sustaining it is difficult.

Is the leadership team built for what’s next, or what came before?

A leader can be highly capable and still be the wrong fit. The skills that drove success in the past, like efficiency, stability, and deep functional expertise, aren’t the skills that drive transformation now. Transformation calls for comfort with ambiguity, cross-functional influence, and the ability to bring people along through disruption. The question is whether the team is equipped for the next stage.

Start Before It’s Urgent 

Leadership planning works best before a critical role becomes vacant. Regular assessments help catch risk early and keep the leadership team aligned with where the business is going. 

The problem is that most leaders skip the assessment step entirely, relying on gut feel instead of data. 

“Over the course of my career, I’ve watched many leaders rely on subjective progress updates rather than examining the underlying realities,” says Tino Mantella, President & Managing Partner of Retained. “The principle ‘what gets measured gets done’ is not a cliché; it’s a discipline. Leaders who consistently benchmark performance gain the insight needed to make precise, in-flight adjustments that keep initiatives on track. Nearly every leader claims to do this, yet many are still caught off guard when targets are missed.” 

Retained helps organizations identify and secure senior leaders who support growth, transformation, and long-term success. If you’re evaluating your leadership needs, contact Retained to start the conversation. 

The Leadership Shift

I had the unique opportunity to lead the Turknett Leadership Group (TLG) from 2018 to 2022, during which we coached thousands of leaders worldwide. Some were rising into bigger roles, and others were fighting to hold on. One universal truth is that change devours the old models of leadership. Great leaders practiced human-centered leadership, putting people at the center of every decision. They understood that in times of rapid disruption, teams thrive when they feel safe, supported, and grounded. Google’s landmark Project Aristotle study reached the same conclusion. After analyzing roughly 180 teams, researchers found that the single strongest predictor of team performance was psychological safety. 

The best technology leaders build that safety deliberately. As Rob Milstead, CIO at Intertape Polymer Group, said,

“I try to build trust with my teams by showing empathy, encouraging autonomy, and creating psychological safety through regular check-ins, transparent communication, and being an exceptional listener.”

Why People Matter More Than Ever

That instinct of leading people first isn’t new to me. Even before my time at TLG, I spent twelve years running the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), where I watched firsthand as CIOs and CTOs confronted wave after wave of internal and external change. That experience shaped my belief that the best technology leaders are defined by their ability to lead humans through complexity. 

From my days at TAG to my work today at Retained, the pace of change has only accelerated. CIOs and CTOs are being asked to modernize platforms, secure increasingly complex ecosystems, and harness AI responsibly. All while guiding teams that are stretched and uncertain. The leaders who thrive are the ones who understand people. The data backs this up. In research from Oxford’s Saïd Business School, they found that a human-centric approach improves a leader’s odds of meeting their objectives from just 28% to 73%. 

And to be clear, this isn’t about going easy on people.

“Human-centered leadership isn’t about lowering expectations,” says Paula Moody, CEO at Families First. “It’s about creating an environment where people feel respected, challenged, and supported. When leaders invest in trust, empathy, and meaningful relationships, high performance becomes more sustainable.”

What Boards Are Looking For

Boards have figured this out, even if they don’t always articulate it well. In our C-suite searches at Retained, we see boards and CEOs want leaders who build cultures where people feel valued, heard, and inspired especially in technical environments. They consistently select leaders who understand how people think and how they feel. Gartner’s research shows 90% of HR leaders say success today requires focusing on the human aspects of leadership. Employees who report to a “human leader” show a 37-percentage-point jump in engagement. Yet only 29% of employees say they actually have one. That gap is exactly what the best boards are trying to close. 

Leading Through AI and Constant Change

Nowhere is that gap more visible than in how organizations handle AI. It’s rightly dominating today’s conversations, but anyone who has spent time in technology knows that change is accelerating. Some leaders default to a “get on the bus or get run over” mentality. The best leaders remember the truth that people transform organizations not just technology. As Dominic Savio, Co-Founder and CEO of Relevantz, puts it,

“Human-centered leadership isn’t about protecting people from change. It’s about preparing them for it. When people grow faster than the rate of change, organizations become resilient.”

The stakes of getting this wrong are enormous. As highlighted in research compiled by Mahat Advisory, roughly 70% of digital transformation initiatives fail to meet their objectives. An estimated $2.3 trillion in wasted investment every year, and study after study points to the same root cause that it’s not the technology, but the people and culture side of change. People follow leaders who never lose sight of that. Larry Williams, President & CEO at Technology Association of Georgia, learned that lesson leading through COVID and sees it again with AI:

“People can handle change better than we sometimes give them credit for. What they need is clarity, honesty, and confidence that their leaders have a plan and genuinely care. Technology will continue to evolve, but trust will always be a leader’s greatest asset.”

People First Is the Point

Successful  CIOs and CTOs pair technical vision with human connection. They will build cultures where innovation is safe, change is supported, and AI becomes a tool for empowerment rather than fear. Or as Scott Schemmel, CIO at Construction Resources, summed it up:

“Ambiguity is exhausting, more so than change itself. When people don’t understand the reasoning, they fill the gaps with worry. At the end of the day, performance holds up when people feel like people first.” 

I’ll close with this: human-centered leadership isn’t soft, and it isn’t easy. It requires intentionality, courage, and consistency. It’s essential if you want the best from your people and the best for your company.

Executive tech hiring is undergoing a significant transformation. As CIOs and CTOs take on greater responsibility for business strategy, innovation, and organizational performance, companies must rethink how they identify, evaluate, and attract technology leaders capable of driving long-term success.

Did you know CIOs and CTOs at Fortune 500 companies are actually staying in their roles longer? In 2022, the average tenure was 4.4 years; today, it’s 5.2. Even with my ear to the ground, that surprised me. At Retained, our goal has always been to find leaders built for longevity. Multi-year transformation, platform modernization, and strategic influence don’t happen in a year or two.

The CIO’s Seat at the Leadership Table

Before diving into how to find the right leaders for these roles, it’s worth recognizing how much the role itself has evolved.

When I was leading the Technology Association of Georgia, people used to joke that technology leaders were tucked away in a back room somewhere and we’d slide a pizza under the door because they must be working on something important. Those days are long gone.

Today, Deloitte says:

• 70% of CIOs report directly to the CEO
• 80% of CIOs say their responsibilities have significantly expanded
• More than one-third now manage their own P&L

Technology leaders are increasingly viewed as enterprise leaders rather than technical specialists. In a recent podcast I am doing on LinkedIn based on CIOs that have moved to CEOs and/or Presidents, I interviewed John Trainor President of Four Technologies where this is also a trend. In fact, Deloitte reports that 67% of CIOs are interested in becoming CEOs. That trend reflects a broader shift in how organizations view technology leadership and its influence on business outcomes. If you want to learn more, you can watch my podcast: Watch here

Why Traditional Hiring Approaches Are Falling Behind

As organizations elevate these positions, the way they identify and evaluate talent must evolve as well.

In conversations with CEOs, boards, and senior leaders, its clear that expectations for technology leadership have changed dramatically, yet many organizations still rely on hiring practices built for a different era.

Posting a role and activating a network once produced a strong slate of candidates. Now, most impactful leaders aren’t actively looking because they are focused on driving transformation, leading teams, and delivering results.

Finding them requires a proactive and strategic approach.

Looking Beyond the Résumé

Assessment is evolving too.

Experience and technical expertise remain important, but they are no longer the primary differentiators. Organizations increasingly want leaders who can make sound decisions, adapt to change, influence culture, and align teams around a shared vision.

Mike Neumeier, APR, co-founder and CEO of Arketi Group, believes many organizations focus too heavily on credentials and not enough on leadership effectiveness.

“Organizations sometimes put too much weight on credentials, past titles, and what a leader has already accomplished, and not enough on how that person turns thinking into action. The best executives create clarity, build trust quickly and help teams move with purpose, especially when the path forward is uncertain.”

Neumeier also notes that successful leadership hires are often determined by qualities that don’t always appear on a résumé.

“What separates a successful leadership hire from a disappointing one is often fit, adaptability, and the ability to bring structure without adding complexity. A résumé can tell you where someone has been, but it does not always show how they listen, lead under pressure, or create momentum across an organization.”

Those observations reinforce what we’re seeing across executive search today. The question is no longer, Can this person do the job? The question is, Can this person lead us where we’re going?

Candidate Experience Matters More Than Ever

The importance of candidate experience is growing.

Senior executives evaluate organizations just as closely as organizations evaluate them. Every interaction sends a message about leadership, culture, and priorities. The strongest candidates have options, and organizations that stand out create thoughtful, transparent, and engaging experiences from the very first conversation.

The companies winning in the executive talent market understand that hiring is a leadership strategy.

The Future of Executive Tech Hiring

A strong technical foundation remains essential for today’s CIOs and CTOs, but organizations are increasingly prioritizing strategic thinking, business acumen, communication skills, adaptability, and a proven ability to deliver results.

I recently attended a technology conference where much of the conversation centered on artificial intelligence. It’s clear that AI is a powerful tool, but CEOs and boards remain focused on business outcomes. Technology alone isn’t the differentiator but the leadership controlling the technology is.

After more than two decades supporting technology leaders through TAG and now through Retained, I’m convinced that the organizations that thrive will be those that identify leaders capable of making innovation into impact.

The future of executive hiring is about finding the leader who can create lasting results.

 

Miller Zell has announced the appointment of Dallan Elk as Chief Information Officer. Elk brings decades of technology leadership experience spanning the entertainment, hospitality, food and beverage, and retail industries, having supported iconic brands including Disney, Universal, Six Flags, and SeaWorld. Most recently, he served as CIO at Zaxby’s, where he led a comprehensive IT transformation, modernizing infrastructure, strengthening cybersecurity, and enabling scalable growth. Known as an early adopter of AI, IoT, and mobile technologies, Elk brings a forward-thinking approach to technology leadership that consistently drives operational efficiency and innovation. 

Retained is proud to have partnered with Miller Zell on this Chief Information Officer search and congratulates Dallan as he begins this next phase of leadership with the organization.

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Deluxe, a leading financial services provider to small businesses for over a century, has announced the appointment of Ronald Wong as Chief Product Officer. Wong brings extensive product leadership experience building innovative financial SaaS and payments platforms, having held senior roles at JPMorgan Chase, ACI Worldwide, and Worldpay. He has led teams of 100 or more, with deep expertise in CX/UX, agile transformation, cloud modernization, and AI/ML-driven product innovation. In his new role, he will oversee the Merchant Services product portfolio and guide a talented team toward continued growth and innovation. 

We were honored to support Deluxe in identifying a product leader with the experience and vision to help drive the company’s continued innovation and growth.

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Relevantz, a global technology and consulting solutions provider, has announced the appointment of Niko Sundrica as Sales Director. Sundrica brings more than 10 years of enterprise sales experience, with a proven history of generating over $100M in corporate revenue through strategic client partnerships and consultative technology solutions spanning professional services, managed services, hardware, and software sales. Known for building strong executive relationships and leading cross-functional teams, he brings a results-driven approach to growth and client engagement. 

Relevantz’s continued investment in strategic sales leadership reflects the company’s focus on long-term growth, and we are excited to have supported this important search.

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Larson-Juhl, a global leader in custom framing solutions and design innovation, has announced the appointment of Bhanu Sodhi as Vice President of Technology. Sodhi brings extensive experience in enterprise applications, IT strategy, digital transformation, and operational excellence, with a proven track record of leading large-scale technology initiatives and aligning technology strategy with long-term business goals across complex global environments. 

Bhanu’s experience leading enterprise technology transformation initiatives will be a valuable asset as Larson-Juhl continues evolving its technology capabilities and operational strategy.

Want to find talent like Bhanu?

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Over the years, working with thousands of companies and leaders, one question has consistently risen above the rest: How do you build a mutually trusted relationship with a potential or current client? 

It’s a question that sounds simple, but in reality, it’s one of the hardest things to truly get right. Most business relationships start with a need. A company has a challenge to solve, a leadership gap to fill, or a strategic initiative that requires outside expertise. But the relationships that last, the ones that turn into long-term partnerships, are rarely built on the transaction itself. They are built on trust. In many ways, the strongest partnerships come from consistently building client trust long after the initial transaction is complete.

Building Relationships That Last

Most CRMs today are designed to move prospects through a pipeline: lead, opportunity, proposal, close. That structure is useful for tracking activity, but it doesn’t come close to reflecting how real relationships are built. Transactions are linear, and relationships are layered. They take time, consistency, and a willingness to invest beyond the immediate ask. Building client trust requires far more than simply moving someone through a sales process.

Oddly enough, the parallels between dating and business relationships are hard to ignore. I’m certainly not an expert on dating anymore, but the similarities are there. Both begin with an introduction, followed by a period of getting to know one another. There’s an effort to understand priorities, values, communication styles, and whether the cultures align. At some point, both sides are trying to answer the same question: Is this someone I can trust? 

Trust Is Built Through Consistency

In business, that trust doesn’t come from a pitch deck or a proposal. It comes from showing up consistently, being honest when conversations get difficult, and proving over time that you understand not only the business challenge, but the people behind it. Building client trust means continuing to show up even after the initial conversation or transaction is complete.

And perhaps most importantly, the real test begins after the agreement is signed. 

Too often, service providers focus heavily on winning the business, but far less on strengthening the relationship once the work begins. The strongest partnerships are not built by simply delivering a service and moving on to the next client. They are built through continued engagement, proactive communication, accountability, and a genuine investment in outcomes. A first date can lead to many more, or it can end abruptly. Business relationships are no different. 

Why This Matters More in Executive Search

This is especially true in leadership hiring and executive search today. Organizations are operating in uncharted waters. Technology is evolving rapidly, leadership expectations are shifting, and companies are under enormous pressure to make the right talent decisions. This goes beyond a role. Organizations are really looking for partners who understand the broader business strategy and can help them think ahead. 

That perspective was captured perfectly by Lavina Moss, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Miller Zell, when she shared: 

“From my perspective, a trusted partner brings consistency, candor, distinction, and a genuine understanding of our business and people. They also bring an external perspective that I may not have, opening my eyes to other ways of thinking. It is imperative that the relationship goes beyond transactions to proactive insight, accountability, and a shared commitment to outcomes, not just deliverables.”

Jane Elliot, Chief Human Resources Officer at NCR VOYIX, shared a similar perspective:

“A trusted partner goes beyond executing a request, they understand our business, anticipate needs, and bring forward perspectives we may not yet see. It’s about working toward the right outcome together with consistent insight, thoughtful challenge when it matters, and a shared sense of accountability for success.”

The Difference Between Vendors and Partners

What stands out is the idea that trusted partners do more than execute tasks. They bring perspective, challenge thinking, stay engaged, and help organizations prepare for what is next rather than simply reacting to what is happening now. 

The best executive search partnerships are proactive, not reactive. They are built on ongoing conversations about succession planning, organizational structure, leadership capability, and long-term growth. They involve difficult conversations, honest feedback, and a shared commitment to success. That level of partnership cannot exist without trust. 

At Retained, we believe our responsibility doesn’t end when a candidate signs an offer letter. In many ways, that’s where the real work begins. We are just as invested in the long-term success of the leader as we are in finding them in the first place. A successful placement is not measured simply by filling a position. It’s measured by the long-term impact that leader creates inside the organization months and years later. That’s the difference between a vendor and a partner. Vendors focus on deliverables and complete transactions. Partners stay invested in the relationship and focus on outcomes.