How to Hire the Top 1% of Executives (Part 1)

Episode notes

Executive job searches can throw even the most experienced leaders off balance. In this episode of Mission One: The Executive Edge, hosts Dan Hampton and Gerard Miles kick off a three-part series with Part 1: Prep for the Job Search. They lay out the foundations every senior leader needs: building a target-company ecosystem, researching market cycles, and warming your network before you need it. They also unpack why culture due diligence can save months of wasted effort, how personal brand and reputation play differently at the C-suite level, and the cold reality of skill-role fit, including why startup versus scale transitions are often tougher than they look. Along the way, Dan and Gerard share clear-eyed guidance on risk-averse hiring, the timing of executive markets, and why flexibility around location or structure can expand your options. It’s a practical, strategic, and candid playbook for executives ready to search smarter. Whether you’re proactively eyeing your next role or responding to unexpected change, this first part of the series sets you up with the clarity and tactics to compete at the top level.