Hiring is broken because the best people are not applying. 

They are already doing the job somewhere else, and they are doing it well. That insight from my conversation with Ken Eslick is worth sitting with because too many organizations still believe that a full pipeline means they are recruiting effectively. It doesn’t. 

If you are only looking at the people coming in, you may be missing the very talent you need to get to where you are trying to go next. Ken clearly makes the point that the best people for a role are often passive candidates who are already producing results elsewhere, which means every company needs an outbound strategy and cannot rely solely on inbound recruiting.

What makes that even more important is that hiring is only one part of the story. As Ken explains, many organizations are trying to reach a level they have not been at before, with people who have also never been there. They have the systems, the structure, and the team that got them this far, and then they hit a peak they cannot get over because no one has been there before. That is where this conversation moves beyond recruiting. It becomes a conversation about leadership, development, identity, and what it really takes to grow a business without outgrowing the leadership needed to sustain it.

Why hiring is only part of the problem

What makes this more complex is that even when organizations bring in strong people, growth can still stall. As Ken points out, many companies are trying to reach a level they have not been at before, with people who have also never been there. They have the systems, the structure, and the team that got them where they are today, and then they hit a peak they cannot get over.

That is where this stops being only a recruiting issue and becomes a leadership issue. The question is no longer only who we need to hire. The question becomes whether the business has the leadership capacity, the experience, and the self-awareness to grow into what comes next. Sometimes that means adding new strength to the team. Sometimes it means developing the leaders already there. Most of the time, it means both.

The identity gap that too many leaders ignore

This is where the conversation shifts from the business to the leader. If an organization is trying to grow beyond where it has been before, its leaders have to grow with it. That is where identity becomes critical.

Leaders get promoted. However, their identity does not always come with them. The title changes, the role expands, the expectations rise, and the way they see themselves has not yet caught up.

Ken grounded this in a simple example. He signed up for a 5K, assuming that because he had been an athlete earlier in life, he could simply do it. Then he realized he could not even run one consecutive mile. It was a shock to his ego because his old identity no longer matched his current reality. He then had to decide whether to lower his standards or build toward the person he wanted to become.

That is what happens to leaders, too. They earn the opportunity; however, they are still operating from the identity of the earlier role. It shows in how they communicate, how they make decisions, and how confidently they use their voice.

The shift happens by getting on the plan and executing it. Ken makes the point that his identity changed before he ran the marathon because he was already on track and following through with his training. In leadership, that matters because senior leaders are always evaluating what they see. If they do not see you showing up like the role you want, they are not going to picture you at that next level.

Why development, emotional intelligence, and human connection still win

The other thread running through this conversation is one that every leader needs to hear right now. AI can help. AI can accelerate. AI can expand capacity. However, AI cannot replace the human connection that leadership requires. Ken says it plainly. Recruiting is a hands-on game. Leadership development is a hands-on game. AI may help with sourcing, research, and efficiency. It does not replace relationships.

That point applies far beyond recruiting. We are living in a time when many professionals feel that work has become too transactional. You may be one of them. They want more connection, not less. They want to feel seen and to know there is a real person on the other side. 

Ken notes that recruiting is something most people wish felt more personal, and now AI is making it even less personal in some cases. That should be a warning sign for all of us. Technology should support the work. It should not remove the humanity from it.

This is where emotional intelligence becomes essential. Hard skills are easier to screen for. Experience is easier to map. However, engagement, emotional intelligence, and team fit still require human discernment. Ken talks about how his team assesses existing team dynamics, behavioral patterns, and leadership needs before even starting a search, because sometimes leaders on the team have not yet been developed. That is such an important point. Too many organizations hire without taking the time to understand what they already have.

Development cannot be optional. Team members need to know there is a future for them, or they will find one elsewhere. They need to know what is expected and where they stand. Ken’s advice at the end of our conversation is simple and powerful. 

Everyone who works with you needs to know what is expected and where they stand. 

Without that clarity, team members are left to guess, and when that happens, trust erodes, engagement drops, and performance suffers.

At the same time, we each own our own growth. Leadership should create opportunities, remove obstacles, and give candid feedback. However, no one can hand you your next level if you are not willing to step toward it. You cannot wait for someone else to drive your career. You have to speak up and own your development. And before you leave one place for another, make sure you have addressed what is within your control, or you may find yourself repeating the same patterns in a different setting.

A conversation worth bringing back to your team

What I appreciate most about this conversation with Ken Eslick is that it brings talent, growth, and leadership back to what matters most: people. 

The metrics matter, and so do goals. What leaders remember, however, and what people carry with them, are the relationships, the conversations, the guidance, and the moments where someone took the time to see them. Ken says it well when he reflects on what matters after all these years. You do not remember the KPI. You remember the people.

That is exactly why this conversation matters for leaders, for executive teams, and for organizations trying to scale well. 

• If you are hiring without an outbound strategy, you are likely missing some of the strongest talent in the market.
• If you are promoting leaders without helping them grow into the identity the role now requires, you are setting them up to struggle in ways that may not be obvious at first.
• If you are using AI in ways that make leadership feel less personal, talent will feel that too.
• And if your talent does not know what is expected of them or where they stand, they are left to guess.

None of those are small issues. They shape how people perform, how leaders grow, and how far the business can go. They are the very things that can slow transformation and delivery.

At ExecutiveBound, this is the work we do. We help executive teams in Financial Services and STEM remove the friction and misalignment that slow transformation and delivery through executive coaching, leadership consulting, emotional intelligence development, and the C.A.R.E.S. Leadership Success System™. 

If this reflects the conversations you are already having inside your organization, let’s connect. You can set up a 15-minute Cyber Coffee here: https://cybercoffee.youcanbook.me/. Or you can also reach out directly at info@executivebound.com or schedule a complimentary discovery session here: https://introanddiscoverydrginny.youcanbook.me.

As you think about your team, your business, and your own leadership, here is the reflection I would leave you with: 

Are you still relying on what got you here? 

How are you building the leadership capacity that will take you where you want to go next?

Lead with purpose, live with joy! 

Coach Ginny.

Guest Info

Ken Eslick brings more than 30 years of leadership and talent acquisition experience. His career spans military service, building and scaling entrepreneurial ventures, and rising to National Vice President within a Fortune 500 company. Today, as CEO of The Leaders Lab, Ken partners with founder-led and private equity-backed companies to recruit and develop the leaders they need to scale, strengthen their teams, and prepare for successful exits. To connect with Ken, visit theleaderslab.co, email ken@theleaderslab.co, and follow him on LinkedIn.