In a tight labour market like Singapore’s, where senior leadership talent is in high demand and short supply, decisiveness matters. Yet many organisations – especially at the executive level – find themselves caught in a loop: “We like this candidate, but let’s just see one more.” It sounds harmless. Prudent, even. But drawn-out indecision can come at a significant cost.
At Kerry Consulting, we’ve seen first-hand how hiring paralysis can undermine the very outcomes it seeks to protect. Leadership roles are business-critical. Prolonged vacancies delay decisions, overextend teams, and frustrate top-tier candidates. In a market where the best people often have multiple options, delays don’t mean better choices – they mean missed opportunities.
The Hidden Costs of Hiring Delays
1. Lost Candidates
Top leadership candidates don’t stay available for long. While hiring panels hesitate, competitors move. In many cases, the organisation never gets a second chance – the candidate accepts another offer, often from a firm that appeared more decisive and aligned.
Delays also create poor candidate experiences. Without clear communication or timelines, even interested candidates may disengage. Some withdraw entirely, damaging the employer’s chance of securing a hire not just now, but in future cycles.
2. Strained Internal Teams
While a role remains unfilled, existing team members pick up the slack. Senior leaders may double up on responsibilities, or key initiatives may stall altogether. This creates fatigue, frustration, and in some cases, attrition. The longer the seat stays empty, the more the rest of the business feels it.
Worse still, hiring panels themselves suffer process fatigue. Endless rounds of interviews without a decision wear down momentum and enthusiasm – and risk lowering the eventual quality of decisions simply through exhaustion.
3. Inflated Costs and Strategic Drift
Time-to-hire is not just a metric – it’s a cost centre. Extended search cycles increase internal time investment, stretch fees, and delay productivity.
Beyond the financial cost is the strategic one. Vacant leadership positions often translate into stalled initiatives, slower decision-making, and deferred growth. In fast-moving industries, these delays create real competitive disadvantage.
4. Reputational Harm
Hiring processes are a window into a company’s culture. When a senior candidate is left waiting for weeks – or worse, receives conflicting signals from different stakeholders – it reflects poorly on the organisation. Word spreads quickly in Singapore’s close-knit professional networks. A reputation for slow or indecisive hiring can quietly repel future talent before they even apply.
Why Decision Paralysis Happens
Understanding the root causes helps in tackling the issue. Some of the most common drivers include:
Fear of getting it wrong: A mis-hire at leadership level is expensive and visible. Boards and hiring managers naturally want to be thorough. But this caution can tip into overanalysis and perfectionism, where the ideal becomes the enemy of the good.
Too many decision-makers: The more stakeholders involved – especially without clear roles or aligned criteria – the harder it is to reach consensus. Inputs pile up, but no one feels empowered to close.
The myth of the perfect candidate: Many hiring panels delay in the hope that the next candidate will be better – more strategic, more commercial, more technical. But true 10-out-of-10 profiles are vanishingly rare. Strong candidates are often 80–90% fits who can grow with the role.
Choice overload: The more CVs reviewed or interviews conducted, the harder it becomes to distinguish among candidates. Without a structured evaluation process, panels get stuck comparing details instead of making a clear decision.
The Recruiter’s Role: A Consultative Partner, Not Just a Supplier
This is where working with a consultative executive search partner makes a material difference. At Kerry Consulting, we don’t just source CVs – we support decision-making. Here’s how:
1. Upfront Alignment and Market Insight
As part of our executive search process, we guide clients through the earliest stage of calibration – ensuring that role expectations are realistic, and aligned across all stakeholders. We benchmark these expectations against live market intelligence, helping hiring managers strike the right balance between ambition and feasibility.
2. Structured Shortlisting
Rather than flood clients with options, we present curated shortlists of high-quality candidates who meet the brief.
This structured approach is embedded within our selection methodology, helping clients focus on what matters most and avoid falling into the trap of endless comparisons.
3. Candidate Management and Feedback Loops
While clients deliberate, we actively manage candidate engagement. We provide updates, answer queries, and keep momentum high – without pressure.
We also deliver market feedback in real time. If a strong candidate is being courted by competitors or is starting to disengage, we ensure our clients are aware – allowing them to act while there’s still time.
4. Facilitating Decisiveness
Perhaps most importantly, we help break deadlocks. If a panel is split, we help re-anchor discussions on agreed priorities. If a client is hesitating, we provide perspective – sharing what similar organisations have done, what trade-offs are reasonable, and what delays may cost.
The Competitive Edge of Decisiveness
In today’s hiring climate, fast doesn’t mean rushed – it means prepared. When organisations align early, define their priorities, and trust a structured process, they move faster and hire better.
By contrast, those trapped in endless rounds of “let’s see one more” often end up with less: the best candidates lost, the process fatigued, and the role still vacant.
At Kerry Consulting, we help clients make confident, timely decisions – without compromising on rigour. Because in executive hiring, as in business, decisiveness isn’t a luxury. It’s a competitive advantage.
Is your leadership team hesitating to make a hiring decision — caught in endless rounds of interviews with no outcome?
It doesn’t have to be that way. Speak with one of our experienced consultants for practical, objective guidance on breaking through hiring deadlock.