Craig Leach, MBA

Welcome to where transforming companies and careers with precision-tailored executive placements and progressive leadership coaching meets personalized solutions that align with your unique culture and strategic goals. If you're here, you're likely seeking to attract and retain top-tier talent in a competitive market, align leadership teams with corporate strategy and culture, navigate leadership transitions without disrupting operations, and ensure new hires are the right fit for long-term success.

With over 30 years of experience in leading teams, I guide executives from uncertainty and misalignment to building high-performing teams that drive results. Is reducing time spent on recruiting or mis-recruiting on your radar? Do you aspire to increase productivity and performance? If these aspirations resonate, you've found your path.

I blend my diverse skills in negotiation, business planning, operations management, sales, market development, and leadersip with my passion for talent development, crafting strategic solutions that truly represent your organization's needs. This strategy allows you to transform your leadership capital and achieve sustainable success.

My 21st Century technology-influenced approach uses personalized executive search and coaching to create long-term impact that delivers reduced commercial downtime, improved employee retention rates, and reduced overall costs to hire. I empower hiring managers to make confident decisions, so 96% of our placements are still in place after 12 months.

What you can expect:
• Minimized client commercial downtime
• Improved new employee retention rates
• Reduced overall costs to hire

Your outcomes:
• 96% of placements still in place after 12 months
• 94% of placements still in place after 24 months

Embrace a journey that transforms your organization through strategic leadership development and succession planning. Ready to start?

I offer different ways to work with me to suit your budget and needs:
• Retained Search: Exclusive tailored executive search and coaching solutions, best suited for senior leadership positions (C-Suite, VPs, Directors)
• Contingency Search: Exclusive search for technical, sales, and marketing roles
• Executive Coaching: Tailored, one-on-one partnerships to empower leaders and high-potential professionals to maximize performance and achieve personal and organizational goals

Who it's for:
• C-suite executives
• Senior managers
• Emerging leaders
• Professionals transitioning to higher leadership roles

Begin your journey: https://calendly.com/6202205911/30min

President

I Placed the Same Executive Three Times (Here's What His Ex-Bosses Never Understood)

Same guy. Three different companies. Three promotions after I placed him.

His ex-bosses? They all called me asking if I could find them "another Mike."

I couldn't help but laugh.

They had Mike. They lost Mike. And they still didn't understand why.

First placement: VP Operations at a logistics company. Mike turned their worst-performing region into their best in 18 months. Then his boss took credit for the turnaround at the board meeting. Mike called me that night.

Second placement: COO at a manufacturing firm. Mike reduced costs by 31% without cutting a single job. Found inefficiencies everyone else missed. Then they promoted someone's golf buddy over him. Mike called me that afternoon.

Third placement: President of a PE-backed distribution company. The CEO told me during reference checks: "I don't care about his resume. Tell me why he left his last two roles."

So I told him.

That CEO did something Mike's previous bosses never did:

He asked Mike what he needed to succeed.
Then actually delivered it.

Not promised it. Delivered it.

Mike wanted:
• Authority to match his responsibility
• Credit to flow where credit was due
• A boss who'd have his back when things got tough

Revolutionary concepts, apparently.

Two years later, Mike's still there. They've doubled revenue. The PE firm made him CEO last month.

His two previous bosses? Both called me this year.

"We need someone like Mike."
"What made Mike special?"
"Can you find us another Mike?"

I tell them the same thing:

You don't need another Mike. You need to become the leader Mike would stay for.

The brutal truth about executive retention:

Great executives don't leave companies. They leave bosses who take credit, make promises they don't keep, and treat talent like it's replaceable.

Mike wasn't exceptional because of his skills. Every executive at his level has skills.

He was exceptional because he'd learned what most executives learn too late:

When someone shows you who they are as a boss, believe them.

The fastest way to lose your best executive? Make them feel like they're just another employee.

The fastest way to keep them? Remember they have my number in their phone.

And they're one broken promise away from using it.

What's the real reason your best executive left?

I Work with Senior Leaders to Build Teams that Shape the Future | Executive Search | C-Suite | Top Voice 2024

The Reference Who Begged Me Not to Place Their Former Employee

"Please. Don't send him to our competitor."

First time in 200+ placements someone asked me to sabotage a candidate's job search.

I was doing reference checks for a VP Sales candidate. Strong track record. Multiple successful exits. The board was ready to make an offer.

Called his previous CEO for a reference.

"Craig, I'll give you a glowing reference. But I need a favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"Don't place him at "ABC". They're our biggest competitor."

I waited for him to laugh. He didn't.

"You're serious."

"Dead serious. If he goes there with what he knows, we're finished."

Most executives treat departing talent like yesterday's news. Delete their access. Ship their belongings. Move on.

This CEO understood something different.

His former VP wasn't just leaving. He was taking a $50M competitive advantage with him.

The playbook he built.
The client relationships he nurtured.
The team culture he created.
The strategic roadmap he designed.

All walking out the door for a 40% salary bump.

"Why didn't you match their offer?" I asked.

"Board said we couldn't justify it. Now they're asking me to hire three people to replace him."

The math never works that way.

You don't replace one A-player with three B-players.
You replace them with your competitor's new weapon.

Six months later, "ABC" had captured 30% of his former company's enterprise accounts.

The CEO who begged me not to place him? He's now looking for a new job himself.

Board fired him for losing market share.

Here's what 200+ placements taught me about talent:

The cost of losing your best people isn't in the replacement search.

It's in watching them build your competitor's empire with your blueprints.

Companies will spend $2M on a non-compete lawsuit but won't spend $200K to keep the person worth suing over.

Your top performer isn't just an employee.
They're your competitive moat.

And moats don't come with a replacement guarantee.

What's the real cost of the last A-player you lost to a competitor?

I Send Every New CEO This Text on Day 1 (It's Saved 12 Placements)

"Your honeymoon period is a myth. Your team is updating their LinkedIn profiles right now."

Harsh? Maybe. But after 200+ placements, I've watched too many CEOs crash because they believed they had time.

The text continues:

"You have 72 hours to signal who you really are. Not 100 days. Not 90. Three days. After that, every opinion is cement."

Last year, I placed a CEO at a PE-backed manufacturing company. Smart guy. Came from Amazon. Had all the answers.

Day 1: Announced his open-door policy from his closed office.
Day 2: Scheduled "listening tours" for week 8.
Day 3: Sent a 47-slide deck about his vision.

By day 4, his head of sales had called me.

"Craig, got any other opportunities?"

That CEO lasted 11 months.

Compare that to Sarah, who I placed three months later at a similar company.

Day 1: Worked the warehouse floor at 5 AM. No announcement. Just showed up.
Day 2: Had lunch in the break room. Asked about people's kids by name.
Day 3: Fixed the coffee machine everyone complained about for two years.

Her head of sales called me too.

"Craig, where'd you find her?"

Sarah's been there 18 months. Revenue up 34%. Same team that was "unmanageable" under the last guy.

The difference wasn't their resumes. Both stellar.
The difference wasn't their strategies. Both solid.

The difference was those first 72 hours.

The CEOs who survive understand something the failures don't:

Your team doesn't care about your credentials.
They care about your character.

And they're deciding right now while you're still figuring out where the bathroom is. Whether you're worth following.

That text I send? It ends with this:

"You're not being hired. You're being tested. And the test started the second they heard your name."

12 CEOs have gotten that text.
12 are still in their roles.

Coincidence? Probably.

Your first three days aren't your warm-up.
They're your entire game.

What did your CEO do on day one that told you everything?

The Executive Who Failed Every Leadership Test (And Why I Placed Him Anyway)

Last Tuesday, I presented a candidate who bombed his interview.

Forgot the CFO's name. Mixed up the revenue numbers. Stumbled through the strategy questions.

The board was ready to pass. Then I asked them to wait 24 hours.

Here's what they didn't see:

He drove 6 hours after his father's funeral. His assistant had quit that morning. His biggest client was threatening to walk.

And he still showed up.

Most executives would have rescheduled. Blamed circumstances. Made excuses.

He didn't mention any of it. Not once.

I only knew because his reference called me. "Did he tell you what week he's having?"

The Executives Who Fail:

• Perfect interviews, perfect answers, perfect image
• Never let you see them sweat
• Treat vulnerability like weakness
• Hide every crack in the armor

The Executives Who Last:

• Show up when life falls apart
• Let their humanity show through
• Know perfection is a performance
• Build trust through transparency

That "failed" interview revealed more leadership than any polished presentation.

Real leaders don't wait for perfect conditions. They lead through chaos.

18 months later, he's transformed their company. Turned around three underperforming divisions. Built the strongest leadership team they've had in a decade.

The board member who wanted to pass? He told me last week: "Thank God you made us wait."

Here's what 200+ placements taught me:

The executives worth $3.2M aren't the ones who never stumble.

They're the ones who stumble and keep walking.

When's the last time you hired someone despite their worst day?

I Keep a 'Never Again' List of 7 Companies. Here's Why Each One Made the Cut

I've developed a simple rule: Some bridges are meant to burn.

My "Never Again" list isn't about grudges. It's about patterns.

1. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗶𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗲 𝗧𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗲
127 flights with them. System glitch double-charged my card $3,400. Their response? "Dispute it with your bank." Took 4 months to resolve. 

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻: Loyalty without reciprocity is just exploitation.

2. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗠𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲
Paid $12k annually for their CRM. Tried to export my data when switching providers. "That'll be an additional $5,000 for data extraction." My own data. That I entered. That I paid to store.

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻: Always know your exit strategy before you enter.

3. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗠𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗜 𝗘𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱
20-year customer. They froze my business account for "suspicious activity". 6 hours on hold. 7 departments. Had to physically appear at a branch with my birth certificate.

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻: Convenience dies the moment you actually need help.

4. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗺 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗹
Spent two weeks on a detailed search strategy for them. They passed. Three months later, saw my exact framework in their "proprietary methodology" deck. Word for word. Even kept my typo.

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻: If they'll steal from vendors, they'll steal from clients.

5. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Board meeting in Dallas booked three months ahead. Confirmed twice. Arrived at midnight to "We gave your room away at 6 PM." Their solution? A motel 40 minutes away. Full price.

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻: A confirmation that can't be trusted is worse than no confirmation.

6. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
Marketing agency. Disappeared for 3 months. No deliverables. No communication. Then sent a $15k invoice for "strategic planning." The strategy was hoping I'd just pay it.

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻: Silence is acceptance until it's accompanied by an invoice.

7. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗠𝗶𝗱-𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁
Two years into a three-year agreement. They "updated" their terms of service. Suddenly our grandfathered pricing disappeared. New cost? Triple. Their email: "Accept the new terms or lose access in 30 days."

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻: A contract is only as good as your leverage to enforce it.

Companies that disrespect your time will always disrespect your money.

The cost of switching is nothing compared to the cost of staying.

When someone shows you their values through their actions, believe them the first time.

My "Never Again" list isn't about being petty. It's about being profitable.

Every minute not spent fighting broken systems is a minute invested in relationships that matter.

Your standards aren't too high. Their service is too low.

I Now Use This 3-Second Test Before Hitting Send on Any Executive Communication

Last month, I deleted an email that took me 45 minutes to write.

The one I sent instead? Three sentences. No promises. No positioning.

It landed me a $50k search.

Here's what changed:

I stopped selling. Started solving.

Most recruiters lead with their credentials. Their track record. Their "proprietary process." Their AI-powered candidate matching. Their exclusive network.

I used to do the same thing. Pages of capabilities. Impressive client logos. Success metrics.

Then a CEO told me something that flipped my entire approach:

"I don't care how fast you are. I don't care about your network. I care about Tuesday's board meeting where I have to explain why our COO position is still empty after six months."

That's when I created my 3-second test.

Before hitting send, I ask myself: Am I trying to impress them or help them?

The Emails That Get Deleted:
• "We're the fastest growing executive search firm..."
• "Our unique 7-step process ensures..."
• "With years of experience, we..."
• "Let me tell you why we're different..."

The Emails That Get Responses:
• "If there's one problem I could take off your desk, what would it be?"
• "What's keeping you up at night about this role?"
• "What would success look like in 90 days?"
• "How can I be most helpful right now?"

Boring is better.

No promises I can't keep. No claims about being faster or better connected than every other recruiter calling them.

Just one simple question that cuts through the noise.

The irony? When you stop trying to prove you're valuable, you become invaluable.

That $50k search? The CEO's response was seven words: "Can you talk at 3pm today?"

Here's what 200+ placements taught me:

Executives don't want another vendor pitch. They want someone who understands that their problem isn't finding candidates.

It's finding the right one while everything else is on fire.

Your elaborate email is competing with 47 other "urgent" items in their inbox.

Make it easy to say yes by making it about them, not you.

What's the shortest email that's ever changed your business?

The CFO Who Cried During Our Interview (And Why That's Why She Got Hired)

She lost it right there in the boardroom.

Full breakdown. Tissues everywhere.

The other board members were uncomfortable. One started reaching for his phone to "check the time."

I leaned in.

"Tell me more about that."

She'd been describing her biggest failure. A $12M acquisition that tanked. 200 people lost their jobs. Her first time leading due diligence.

"I signed off on projections I knew were aggressive. I wanted to prove I could close deals like the guys. Those families trusted us."

Most CFO candidates give me polished failure stories.

"We learned valuable lessons."
"It was a growth opportunity."
"The market shifted unexpectedly."

She gave me the truth. Raw. Uncomfortable. Real.

The board wanted someone bulletproof. I believed that I saw someone who'd never make that mistake again.

CFOs Who Flame Out:

• Never admit real fault
• Hide behind market conditions
• Treat losses like line items
• Protect their image above all

CFOs Who Build Dynasties:

• Own their catastrophes completely
• Feel the weight of their decisions
• Remember the human cost
• Let their scars show

That breakdown told me everything.

She didn't just understand financial risk. She understood human cost.

Three years later:

She's caught four deals that would have buried the company. Saved 400 jobs by restructuring debt instead of cutting heads. Built the strongest finance team they've had in two decades.

The board member who reached for his phone? Told me last month: "Best hire we ever made. She sees around corners we didn't know existed."

Here's what 200+ placements taught me about tears in interviews:

The ones who never crack under pressure? They're usually the ones who crack when it counts.

The ones who crack in front of you? They've already been broken and rebuilt stronger.

Your next great executive isn't hiding their humanity.

They're leading with it.

When's the last time vulnerability in an interview changed your mind?

The Email That Made Me Fire a $75K Client (Template Inside for Spotting Red Flags)

"Craig, you work for me. Start acting like it."

That's the line that ended a $75K engagement in 17 seconds.

Not because I can't handle direct feedback. I've been in executive search long enough and have heard worse.

But because after 200+ placements, I've learned something most recruiters learn too late:

The way someone treats you when they're paying you tells you exactly how they'll treat the executive you place.

This client hired me to find their new COO. Big budget. Bigger ego.

Week 3: "Why haven't you delivered 10 candidates yet?"
Week 5: "These resumes are garbage. Are you even trying?"
Week 7: That email.

I called him immediately.

"I'm returning your retainer. Find another recruiter."

"You can't do that. We have a contract."

"Read clause 7. I can and I am."

He threatened to sue. To ruin my reputation. 

That was 18 months ago.

The COO they eventually hired? Gone in 6 months.
The one after that? 4 months.
They're on their third search firm now.

Here's my template for spotting client red flags before it costs you:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁:
• Do they ask about your process or just your speed?
• Do they mention their team's growth or just headcount?
• Do they say "we need" or "I want"?

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀:
• Demands without context = future micromanager
• CC'ing unnecessary people = political nightmare
• "ASAP" in every message = unrealistic forever
• Questioning your expertise week 1 = will undermine the hire too

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹:
• Negotiating standard terms aggressively
• "Proving yourself first" before paying
• Changing deal terms mid-engagement
• Using money as a weapon, not a tool

The math is simple:

A $75K client who treats you like dirt will cost you more than $75K in reputation, stress, and failed placements.

A $50K client who respects the process will bring you $500K in referrals.

I keep a list of clients I won't work with.
It's shorter than my client list.
But it's more valuable.

Because every client you fire makes room for one who gets it.

Here's the truth about professional services:

You're not just selling your expertise.
You're choosing who deserves it.

And some money is too expensive.

What red flag made you walk away from easy money?

The Executive Who Saved His Career by Breaking His Own Email Rule

For 15 years, my rule was simple: No long emails. Ever.

Three bullets max. One clear ask. Get to the point or get deleted.

Then I watched a $60k deal die because I followed my own rule.

The client needed context. Background. The why behind the numbers. But I sent my usual three-bullet update.

"We need to pivot the strategy."
"Timeline shifts 6 months."
"ROI still intact."

His response? "This feels rushed. Let's revisit next quarter."

Translation: You just lost $60k because you couldn't explain yourself.

That night, I broke my rule. Wrote a 2-page email. Detailed every assumption. Mapped out three scenarios. Explained why waiting would cost them $15k more.

Took me 3 hours to write. He read it in 10 minutes.

Called me immediately. "Now I get it. Let's move."

Here's what 200+ placements taught me about executive communication:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀:
• Always be brief
• Never over-explain
• Stick to bullet points
• Keep it simple

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺:
• Match the moment, not the rule
• Some decisions need stories, not bullets
• Context beats brevity when stakes are high
• Your communication style is a tool, not an identity

That "too long" email saved the deal. Saved my reputation. Taught me that rigid rules make fragile leaders.

The best executives know when to break their own rules.

Your greatest strength becomes your greatest weakness the moment you stop questioning it.

What rule have you broken that changed everything?

5 Ways to Land Clients

👋 You’re a brilliant engineer. You’ve mastered the code, earned respect, and now… you’ve been promoted. Suddenly, the job isn’t just about solving technical problems - it’s about leading humans.

That’s where many engineers struggle. Delegation feels awkward. Communication breaks down. Imposter syndrome creeps in. What once made you successful - technical mastery - no longer feels like enough.

Meanwhile, if you’re a CEO or CTO, you’ve seen this story before: your rockstar IC gets promoted… and flounders. The team loses momentum. You risk losing both a great engineer and a leadership pipeline.

👉 That’s why I created coded2lead: a coaching program built specifically for engineers making the IC→leader leap.

With 20+ years scaling teams and shipping software at global scale, I’ve lived both sides of this challenge. Now I help:

Engineers: Develop emotional intelligence, leadership confidence, and the skills to multiply team impact.

Executives: Build a leadership bench you can trust, without burning out your best talent.

✨ My approach blends the rigor of engineering with the nuance of human connection - practical tools + emotional intelligence = sustainable leadership growth.

If you or your engineers are navigating this transition, let’s talk.

📅 Book a coaching intro call: coded2lead.com

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The Battle

Craig Leach, MBA

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