Senior hires present a counterintuitive risk. On first inspection, an accepted offer appears to be the finish line: the candidate has said yes, the package is agreed, and the start date is set. The gap between an accepted offer and a candidate who actually starts and stays can look negligible from the outside.

Yet experienced search teams know that the period between acceptance and arrival is where many senior hires quietly fail. The motivation that drove a candidate to engage represents a decision that has not yet been fully tested. To treat acceptance as the end of the process is to ignore the counter-offer, the cold feet, and the competing approach that can all surface in the final weeks, plus the disruption of a hire that unwinds at the last moment.

• The risk of a senior candidate withdrawing after acceptance is typically highest in the two to four weeks before the start date
• The cost of a collapsed senior hire includes the lost time, the restarted search, and the signal it sends to the wider market
• The window in which careful management makes the difference between a hire that lands and one that falls through is short, and easily underestimated

The management approach

Managing the final stages of a senior hire requires careful, consistent work, but the methods are well established. Understanding the candidate's true motivation early; surfacing and addressing the likely counter-offer before it arrives; staying close through resignation and notice; and managing the relationship on both sides through to a confirmed start.

• Candidate motivation is explored in depth during assessment, so the counter-offer can be anticipated rather than reacted to
• The likely counter-offer is discussed openly with the candidate before resignation, removing its surprise and much of its power
• Regular contact through the notice period keeps the candidate engaged and surfaces any wobble while there is still time to address it

"The offer is not the finish line. The case for managing the final weeks of a senior hire with real care is now incontestable, and it is where good searches are won or lost."