What’s easily overlooked is that a third person, usually invisible at first, is always part of the negotiation. Especially when a move is involved, and even more so with a posting abroad, several people are at the table: the spouse, teenage children and close relatives are all heavily affected by the candidate’s job change. Our advice is to raise this very early, sometimes even at the first approach. If the headhunter builds a relationship of trust with the candidate, the partner’s doubts and the pros and cons can be discussed openly. Candidates like to keep this hidden from potential employers because they don’t want to look indecisive. Or the “third person’s” concerns are drowned out by the lure of the opportunity. At first, both partners’ ideas are still vague, but once things get serious, the other partner’s veto tends to harden. Our advice, from long experience, is to find out early whether there’s a conflict between the candidate’s ambitions and their family situation, by asking follow-up questions and staying close to the candidate’s decision-making if necessary. It’s better not to put candidates with unrealistic ideas about a move on the shortlist. That can be frustrating at first, but it avoids disappointment at the very last minute.
Like a restructuring, only in reverse
The search for the extra leaders this will require has already begun. Over the coming years, Europe will see a
June 25, 2025
