Before mapping anything, define the decision you must make and the evidence you need.
• Decision frame: “Do we hire a Head of X from a scaled competitor, or promote an internal ‘Ready ≤12 months’ leader and backfill?”
• Evidence to collect: outcomes delivered at target scale, span-of-control, tenure cliffs, likely successor paths, compensation bands.
• Artifacts: 1-page Success Profile, Readiness Lens (Ready Now / ≤12m / 12–24m), and a Trigger Catalogue (events that should start outreach).
This prevents “interesting” maps that don’t move a mandate forward.
1. Build the map—then validate it in the wild
Produce competitor org views with reporting lines, plausible successors, and adjacencies (where similar capability lives).
• Add movement signals: hiring sprees, restructures, M&A integration, leadership exits.
• Run discreet validation calls (former employees, partner ecosystems) to confirm titles vs. true scope.
• Normalize to your context: what counted as “large” there may be “medium” here.
Outcome: a living picture of where credible candidates actually sit—and when they’re most approachable.
2. Prioritize longlists with readiness, risk, and diversity lenses
A good longlist is ranked and annotated, not a dump of names.
• Score each profile on outcomes delivered, scale handled, trajectory, and context match; tag risk flags (location, notice, comp deltas).
• Mark diversity of slate opportunities early (don’t bolt it on later).
• Separate directional profiles (for early calibration) from near-finalists (for panel readiness).
Outcome: a curated pipeline where every name exists for a reason—and that reason maps to the decision frame.
3. Time your engagement and sequence your outreach
Intelligence should tell you when to knock and in what order.
• Timing: Reach out before annual grant cliffs, after role expansions, or during restructuring windows.
• Sequencing: Start with warm adjacencies and back-channels that raise reply quality, then go targeted outbound.
• Message: Lead with business outcomes (what they’ll change in 12–18 months), not adjectives; attach a role one-pager.
• Cadence: D1 invite → D3 nudge → D7 close; reply to all responses within 24h.
Outcome: higher qualified reply rates and fewer “curious but not moving” conversations.
4. Turn market signals into offer design—and a clean close
Comp and equity data are offer levers, not trivia.
• Benchmark cash/equity bands by region and stage; model internal parity before you woo.
• Prepare a close plan per finalist: motivations, competing processes, relocation constraints, resignation choreography.
• Design option sets (e.g., higher cash / lower equity vs. lower cash / higher equity) so approvals are fast.
• Keep candidate experience tight: schedule clarity, respectful feedback, and predictable touchpoints.
Outcome: fewer late-stage stalls, faster acceptance, and less renegotiation pain post-approval.
5. Govern it like an ops function—dashboards, cadences, audits
Intelligence earns trust when it’s visible and repeatable.
• Weekly calibration: time-to-slate, stage conversion, source quality, slate equity.
• A single Evidence Grid per role: interviews, work samples, references scored against the success profile.
• Monthly market refresh: org map changes, compensation drift, successor pipeline health.
• Keep an audit trail for governance (especially on confidential or board-level work).
Outcome: stakeholders see progress, risks, and next moves without chasing updates.
Mini case snapshot
regional consumer company needed a VP Supply Chain across three markets.
• Org maps revealed two competitors with near-identical DC complexity and a third with superior planning cadence.
• Longlist prioritized five leaders with proven network redesign; two were approaching grant cliffs.
• Engagement sequenced warm intros first; shortlist in Day 12; offer accepted Day 20.
• 90-day results: on-time shipments +9pp, obsolescence −18%; manager score 4.6/5 vs. success profile.
Conclusion
Org maps don’t hire leaders—operators do, using maps to choose who to call, when to engage, and how to close. Frame the decision, validate the landscape, prioritize with readiness and risk, time your outreach, and engineer the offer. Do that, and your intelligence turns into accepted offers and day-one impact—not just pretty charts.
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