Posts by Allie Pyle

Across the middle market, many leadership teams are heading into 2026 with bigger goals, tighter timelines, and higher expectations for their next critical hire. The challenge is that the hiring landscape has quietly shifted. One issue in particular is showing up in nearly every search we run at Pinnacle Search: experience inflation. Experience inflation occurs…

When leadership needs arise, time is rarely on your side. But moving quickly should not mean cutting corners. The best executive searches strike a balance between speed, precision, and alignment to ensure you land the right leader without losing valuable weeks in the process. At Pinnacle Search, we often see searches stall due to avoidable…

When it comes to building strong executive teams, technical expertise and track record are only part of the equation. Increasingly, companies are realizing that cultural alignment – the way a leader’s values, mindset, and behaviors fit within the organization – is just as important as credentials on a resume. A leader who embraces and reinforces…

Leadership is often framed around what you need to learn: new strategies, tools, or ways to motivate your team. But there’s a quiet skill that sets transformative leaders apart — the ability to unlearn. Unlearning isn’t about forgetting. It’s about letting go of assumptions, habits, and practices that no longer serve you or your organization.…

When businesses bring in a new leader, technical expertise and track record are usually the first things that get measured. But there’s another factor that often determines whether the hire succeeds or fails: culture fit. Culture fit isn’t about finding someone who looks, talks, or thinks exactly like the existing team. It’s about whether the…

In the past, companies often looked for executive leaders who could “get in the weeds” and make things happen. These were hands-on operators — problem solvers who thrived on execution. And in many situations, that kind of leadership still matters. But today, more and more boards, investors, and executive teams are expecting something different. They…

In today’s M&A world, many dealmakers claim that people are their most important asset; yet, too often, talent strategy is left out of the deal process. Recent research shows that talent is not just a supporting factor, but the engine that drives real value creation. 1. From Words to Action: Closing the Say–Do Gap A…

For many years, leadership hiring at middle-market companies often relied on timing and personal connections. When the business hit a growth point or an executive left, someone would reach out to their network. This approach worked well enough for a while, but in today’s competitive talent market, it is no longer sufficient. The middle market…

We see it all the time. A company needs a key executive. The team aligns on the role. The search begins… then slows. Timelines stretch, decision-makers go quiet, priorities shift. Before long, that great candidate you were excited about? They’ve moved on. Delays in executive hiring don’t just cost time. They cost talent, momentum, and…