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Evidence over instinct
A strong resume says little about whether someone will succeed in your specific environment. That’s why we methodically assess candidates across six dimensions and provide a recommendation aligned with your requirements and culture.
The Art of Informed Executive Appointments
Successful placements are no coincidence
The best hiring decisions are based on more than just experience and instinct. They are the result of a structured selection process that goes far beyond resumes, technical expertise, and first impressions.
The Deininger Six-Pillar Method® ensures a thorough executive search process. Each candidate is assessed across six decsive dimensions of success: Culture, Performance, Leadership Approach, Business Acumen, Transformational Capability, and Collaboration.
This provides greater confidence in the selection process and increases the likelihood of a successful long-term placement.
The Value of a Structured Method
Greater clarity. Reduced risk.
You know what matters before the search begins.
Specific requirements across all six dimensions, rather than alignment only emerging during the process.
A shortlist with substance.
Only candidates who excel across all dimensions are included.
Candidates become genuinely comparable.
Consistent criteria, consistent assessment depth and no decision based on uneven ground.
Potential risks become visible before your final decision.
Not only once the appointment has already been made.
Your decision is clear and defensible to all stakeholders.
Executive management, shareholders and HR base their assessement on the same structured view.
Competence alone does not determine the right placement.
Culture, leadership approach, and organizational context are considered with equal weight.
What we evaluate in every engagement
The Six Pillars
Each pillar adresses a distinct question. Together, they create a comprehensive view.
Evaluation criteria for the culture dimensionAssessment criteria for the cultural dimension
- Observable behavioral patterns in communication and conflict resolution, rather than abstract self-descriptions
- Leadership approach: directive, participative, or delegative, depending on the context
- Approach to feedback, change, and uncertainty
Benefits for your hiring decisions
- No costly realization after six months that an executive may be technically strong but culturally misaligned
- Assessment based on observable behavioral patterns, not on self-reported interview responses
- Clear basis for decision-making: we show where there is a fit and where potential friction may arise
Evaluation criteria for the impact dimension
- Measurable results achieved over 6, 12, and 24-month intervals in previous roles
- Individual contribution to value creation, clearly differentiated from team performance and market effects
- Transferability of proven performance patterns to the context of your organization
Benefits for our ring decision
- No overreliance on brand names in a CV: results count, not prestige
- More transparency on the context and conditions of past successes
- Comparability across multiple candidates based on consistent criteria, not subjective interview impressions
Evaluation criteria for the business dimensionEvaluation criteria for the business dimension
- Understanding of the company's value creation model and management of operating KPIs
- Ability to make decisions with entrepreneurial ownership, rather than merely moderating them
- Navigation of governance structures, stakeholder expectations, and conflicting economic objectives
Benefits for your hiring decision
- An executive who understands your management approach from day one
- Clear visibility into decision-making behavior in comparable business contexts
- Clear assessment of whether the candidate thinks and acts like an entrepreneur, or primarily manages existing structures
Evaluation criteria for the leadership dimensionEvaluation criteria for the leadership dimension
- Leadership effectiveness with teams, boards, peers, and customers
- Behavior in situations involving conflicting objectives, competing interests, and politically charged environments
- Ability to build legitimacy for change and overcome resistance
Benefits for your hiring decisionBenefits for your hiring decision
- Clear visibility into how the executive is likely to respond in critical situations
- Assessment of credibility within boards, teams, and among customers
- Transparency regarding decision-making style and resilience under pressure
Evaluation criteria for the growth dimensionEvaluation criteria for the growth dimension
- Ability to embed structural change in processes, decisions, and behavior
- Personal learning agility: the speed and depth with which the candidate adapts to new contexts
- Competence to lead others through change, rather than merely enduring change yourself
Benefits for your hiring decisionsBenefits for your hiring decision
- A leader who evolves with your organization rather than losing effectiveness after a short time
- Clear differentiation between genuine learning agility and well-presented adaptability claims
- Early identification of leaders with significant transformation potential
Evaluation criteria for the teamwork dimensionEvaluation criteria for the Teamwork dimension
- Expertise to actively manage complex interfaces and align diverse interests
- Navigating conflicts of interest within matrix structures and cross-functional decision-making processes
- Ability to build trust, leverage sustainable networks, and effectively facilitate cross-functional collaboration
Benefits for your hiring decisionBenefits for Your Staffing DecisionBenefits for your staffing decision
- Reduced friction across functional boundaries through effective interface management
- Greater effectiveness in modern, networked organizational structures
- Clear assessment of collaboration style, conflict resolution skills, and informal influence
“The quality of a hiring decision is not revealed in a resume, but through effectiveness within the system.”
Dr. Edgar Kirchmann, Managing Director Executive Search
Key appointments instead of hiring gaps
Five steps from vacancy to contract
This method is not just a checklist at the end of the process. It structures the entire search process, from the initial definition to the final comparison of candidates.
1
Define requirements
Before the search begins, we establish a clear requirements profile across all six dimensions.
2
Structured interviewing
All candidates are assessed against the same questions, with a defined time allocation for each dimension. No candidate benefits from a more favorable interview structure.
3
In-depth analysis
Conversation data is analyzed dimension by dimension. Strengths become visible, as do potential risks.
4
Substantiated recommendation
You receive a decision-ready shortlist, featuring strengths, areas for development, and a direct comparison of the candidates.
Using our Six-Pillar Method® to find the right candidate
Without a structured approachWithout a structured method
- Requirements are clarified only during the process
- Every interview is different
- Candidates are compared based on subjective impression
- Cultural risks become visible too late
- The recommendation is difficult to justify
- Wrong appointments are only noticed months into the role
With a structured methodWith a structured method
- A clear target profile is defined before the first interview
- All interviews are assessed against the same criteria
- Candidates are compared on a consistent basis, not by instinct
- Risks and gaps in fit become visible early
- Your shortlist is supported by clear reasoning
- A better foundation for sustainable decisions