Derisking high-stakes leadership choices.
Executive transitions rarely fail on technical competence. They fail on unspoken boardroom misalignment, misjudged capabilities, and hidden behavioral blindspots. We bring independent clarity to the most critical leadership decisions organizations make.
Interviews let polished candidates sell themselves. Psychometrics can tell you a candidate scores high on conscientiousness—not whether they will survive first contact with an activist investor. We assess what actually predicts performance in the seat.
We do not recruit or place executives. No placement incentive, no candidate inventory, no stake in the outcome beyond getting it right.
Four ways we work with boards, CEOs, CHROs, and investors
CEO Succession & Board Advisory
Succession processes frequently stall because directors evaluate the future through the lens of the past—falling into nostalgia for a successful incumbent, overcorrecting for past flaws, or carrying unstated, competing agendas. Meanwhile, traditional search firms focus on candidate volume rather than resolving boardroom alignment.
We guide boards through an independent, disciplined process to surface unspoken priorities and build alignment on the CEO mandate—followed by rigorous, candidate-neutral evaluation against it, free from placement incentives.
What this looks like:
- Board alignment on the mandate — structured work with directors to surface competing priorities and resolve them before candidates are in the room
- Future CEO scorecard — the specific outcomes, capabilities, and stakeholder conditions the next leader must deliver against
- Candidate-neutral evaluation — finalists assessed against the scorecard, with clear guidance on where each will excel, stall, or require scaffolding
“One of the Board's critical responsibilities is to ensure successful CEO succession planning. Jenner's research has identified the critical factors that lead to success and details how blind spots can be identified and mistakes avoided before it's too late.”
David Benson, former President and Interim CEO, Fannie Mae; Independent Board Director
Executive Assessment for Selection
C-suite candidates are polished presenters, making it difficult for traditional interviews to isolate true individual contribution from market tailwinds or uncover hidden behavioral blindspots. We assess finalists objectively against a rigorous, mandate-specific scorecard—eliminating selection bias and giving decision-makers clarity on where a leader will excel, stall, or require scaffolding.
What this looks like:
- Deep-dive behavioral assessment — multi-hour structured interviews tracing decisions, contribution, and misses across a full career
- Stakeholder triangulation — bosses, peers, direct reports, and former colleagues, surfacing the gap between self-perception and how others experience the leader
- Readiness against the seven blindspots — benchmarking on the dimensions that most reliably separate executives who scale from those who stall
“Nathan brings rigor and insight to evaluating candidates that few boards reach on their own, seeing what others miss and anticipating consequences. Seven Blindspots puts that same discipline on the page. This is essential guidance for boards, CEOs and CHROs making succession decisions.”
Michelle Bottomley, Board Director and CEO
Executive Development & Onboarding
Up to 50% of new C-suite leaders struggle within 18 months—often because the exact strengths that drove past success become blindspots under enterprise scale.
We deliver objective feedback, targeted transition scaffolding, and peer-level executive coaching to accelerate new appointments and prepare high-potential internal contenders for top seats.
What this looks like:
- Transition scaffolding — structured support through the first year, including board and stakeholder relationship dynamics
- Peer-level executive coaching — individual development for leaders in the seat or on a succession path, built on assessment rather than impression
- Succession-cohort development — preparing a group of internal contenders against the capabilities the enterprise will need, not the ones that got them here
“The more senior the role, the harder it becomes to get honest feedback — to be challenged, to be told what you most need to hear. Seven Blindspots names the recurring themes that hold even the most senior leaders back. Refreshing and novel next to the usual articles and advice. Practical and real.”
Liz Cole, former CHRO, Marsh; former CHRO, Cambia Health Solutions
Team & Portfolio Diagnostics
When a corporate division or portfolio company stalls, boards, CEOs, and sponsors often struggle to isolate the root cause—whether it is CEO derailment, executive team friction, or capability gaps in the layer below.
We conduct rapid, deep-dive diagnostic interviews across the C-suite and key operational layers to pinpoint execution bottlenecks, decode structural friction, and deliver actionable intervention plans.
What this looks like:
- Management team assessment — whether the team in place can execute the value creation plan, and where the gaps sit
- Executive team diagnostic — evaluation across goals, roles, processes, and interpersonal dynamics
- Operating system and alignment — decision rights, governance, and accountability structures that remove friction rather than manage it
“Even the most experienced executives have blind spots, and without rigorous assessment and candid feedback, those gaps can quietly erode value. Seven Blindspots helps boards and investors identify those risks early and, just as importantly, understand how to support a leader rather than simply place a bet on one.”
Monique Honaman, Managing Director, Private Equity Portfolio Talent
Ready to bring clarity to your next leadership decision?
To arrange a confidential discussion regarding an upcoming transition, reach out directly or have your office contact us.