The Big-Name-Competitor Trap in Executive Search

The Big-Name-Competitor Trap in Executive Search

They’ve got the right title.
They’ve worked for your biggest competitor.
The resume is impressive.
The Board is excited.

So why are you still unsure?

Because deep down, you know that pedigree doesn’t guarantee performance.

The Trap Isn’t the Candidate — It’s the Process

Big-name competitor candidates often have the right "Phenotype":

• They’ve worked in the right market
• At the right stage
• They bring competitor insight
• And carry experience your team could benefit from

That matters. But the trap is stopping there.

Here's how we evaluate both Phenotype and Genotype to improve hiring decisions.

What You Miss Without Interviewing for “Genotype”

Phenotype tells you where they’ve been.
Genotype explains who they are — and why they succeed (or don’t).

Phenotype is surface-level:
• Job titles
• Company logos
• Sales metrics
• Market experience

Genotype is their DNA:
• Their personality and leadership style
• Their core drivers and instincts under pressure
• How they manage, coach, and build teams
• Whether they’ll fit into your culture
• And whether they’ll succeed in your business model

Two candidates can look identical on paper — but only one will thrive inside your organization.

If you stop at Phenotype, you’re guessing.
When you interview for Genotype, you’re hiring with insight.

How to Interview for Genotype

Interviewing for Genotype means going beyond results — and uncovering how a leader thinks, leads, and adapts.

You’re not just evaluating performance.
You’re evaluating DNA.

Ask questions that reveal:

• What drives them — recognition, ownership, competition, purpose?
• How they lead under pressure — do they take control, delegate, shut down, or thrive?
• How they handle misalignment — with a CEO, Product, Access, or the Board
• What kind of team they build — do they develop leaders, or hire followers?
• What they’ve created — not just what they’ve inherited

And always reference down the org chart. Talk to people who reported to them.
That’s where Genotype shows up most clearly — in how people experienced their leadership day-to-day.

How We Help

At Alder Brooks, we help CEOs and Investors evaluate both sides of the leadership equation:

✅ Phenotype — the visible experience:
• Titles
• Companies
• Markets
• Metrics

✅ Genotype — the invisible DNA:
• Traits
• Leadership style
• Core drivers
• Fit with your culture and business model

You don’t need to avoid big-name competitor talent.
You just need to look beneath the surface.

Because the risk isn’t hiring someone with the wrong background —
It’s hiring someone you never truly understood.

And the cost of a commercial mishire is too steep to leave to chance.

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