Our Why
The Science of Picking the Right Leader
Interviews and referrals are among the weakest predictors of executive performance. Lodestone combines personality data, cognitive measurement, and behavioral observation into one prediction: how this person will perform in your specific role.
The Stakes
Getting This Wrong Is Expensive
The data on failed executive hires is uncomfortable. The cost isn't just financial — it's strategic disruption, cultural damage, and lost time in a hold period where time is the constraint.
25–30%
Leadership team quality drives 25–30% of market valuation, according to HBR research. It isn't a soft factor.
3–5×
Average cost of a failed C-suite hire, measured against annual salary — before accounting for strategy disruption and execution delay.
3+
Senior Lodestone assessors review every case. One set of eyes isn't enough when the decision matters this much.
The Methodology
Three Components. One Complete Picture.
No single data source tells the whole story. We triangulate across three distinct methods — because each one surfaces things the others miss.
Component 01
Leadership Style Inventories
Gold-standard personality assessments benchmarked against a worldwide executive database. Measures day-to-day leadership style, motivations, and potential derailers under pressure. We've interpreted thousands of profiles. The patterns between scales — not the individual scores — are where the real information is.
Component 02
Online Business Simulation
An immersive simulation in a fictitious company where the executive makes real strategic and operational decisions in real time. Surfaces how someone actually leads when the situation is demanding. A cognitive assessment is embedded, measuring information processing and decision-making under pressure — not just in a low-stakes survey environment.
Component 03
Behavioral & Business Impact Interview
A 75–90 minute structured interview with a senior Lodestone consultant. We ask about past leadership experiences, decisions made during the simulation, leadership philosophy, and where the executive wants to go. We understand not just what they've done, but how they think — and whether that thinking fits your specific context.
What You Get
Every Assessment Delivers
Clear, actionable findings — not narrative impressions. Every deliverable is designed to inform a decision, not just document an observation.
In Practice
What Rigorous Assessment Looks Like
Right after an acquisition, a team needed to assess executives from both entities against the new organization's business imperatives. Interviews, personality assessments, and business simulations were run for the full leadership team. An exiting executive later said: "This is what happens in business. We all know it. But this process was different — thorough and fair, and it gave me something of value even though I'm not staying." The executive sponsor said he wouldn't assess talent any other way going forward.
Why Lodestone
Science, Not Opinion
Assessment is only as valuable as the rigor behind it. Most executive assessment is impressionistic. Ours is multi-method, multi-assessor, and benchmarked against real data.
| Lodestone |
|---|
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Organizational psychologists trained in workplace science |
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Multi-method assessment, remote-capable |
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Targeted, business-centric reports |
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Senior consultants only — no junior reviewers |
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Full-lifecycle services across the hold period |
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Economical pricing |
| Commonly Used Firms |
|---|
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Clinical psychologists applying therapy models to the workplace |
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Require many hours in person |
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Narrative opinion reports |
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Junior staff supervised by “big names” |
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Focus only on diligence, search, or coaching |
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Substantial fees |
Assessment Is One Part of the Lifecycle
DILIGENCE
Human Capital Due Diligence
Post-Close Bundle
tEamBITDA™
Team Effectiveness
Post-Close Team Alignment
Leadership Development
Individual Executive Development
Group Development
Group Leadership Development
HR Optimization
Human Capital Process Optimization
Culture
Culture & Engagement
Ready to Assess Your Next Leader?
Senior assessors. Multi-method rigor. Turnaround built for PE timelines.