Why Structured Evaluation Beats a "Strong Gut Feeling"

Why Structured Evaluation Beats a "Strong Gut Feeling"

Most CEOs trust their instincts.
And when it comes to hiring — especially Sales or Marketing leaders — they believe they’ll “know it when they see it.”

But a great candidate can look perfect on paper, tell a compelling story, and still fail to deliver.

That’s why commercial hiring can’t rely on gut alone.
Especially not in Life Sciences, where one misfire can cost you quarters of lost growth.

Here’s how to make your hiring process more objective — without ignoring your instincts.

When Instinct Isn’t Enough

Even experienced CEOs fall into these traps:

• Overvaluing charisma in interviews
• Confusing product knowledge with leadership potential
• Prioritizing past titles over present capabilities
• Rushing to hire based on resume pedigree

Contingent firms rarely help here.
They’re incentivized to send fast resumes — not evaluate fit or run structured assessments.

What a Structured Evaluation Looks Like

Great hiring decisions start with structure.

It starts by defining what success actually looks like in your environment.

That means:

• Defining a clear Success Profile before the search begins
• Using a candidate scorecard to compare leadership traits and competencies
• Evaluating real-world achievements — not just storytelling
• Testing decision-making through real scenarios
• Checking references down, not just up

This is where retained search firms do their best work.
They don’t just recruit — they guide hiring teams through a decision-making process that improves the odds.

What We’ve Learned

At Alder Brooks, we use structured evaluation tools to help CEOs and Investors go beyond surface-level signals.

Because when you’re hiring a commercial leader to drive growth,
a strong gut feeling isn’t enough.

You need proof they can scale and thrive within your organization.

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