Apple has a new affordable iPhone option to replace its 2022 iPhone SE: the iPhone 16e.

Apple announced the new 6.1-inch phone on Wednesday in a press release, touting its upgraded features and compatibility with Apple Intelligence, Apple’s suite of AI features that enable users to do a host of tasks, including removing distracting objects from photos, cleaning up writing in emails, and generating custom emojis.

The iPhone 16e provides Apple Intelligence capabilities at the lowest price on the market. So far, only the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max and the iPhone 16 lineup have Apple Intelligence, but these phones range in price from $799 to $1,599, compared to the iPhone 16e’s starting price point of $599.

Related: Apple Is Adding ChatGPT to iPhones This Week. Here’s How It Works.

“We’re so excited for iPhone 16e to complete the [iPhone 16] lineup as a powerful, more affordable option to bring the iPhone experience to even more people,” Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing, stated in the press release.

^{Apple iPhone 16e. Credit: Apple}

The iPhone 16e also corrects one of the biggest weaknesses of the iPhone SE: poor battery life. Compared to the SE, the 16e has 12 more hours of battery life for a total of 26 hours of video playback. Apple says in the press release that the 16e has “the best battery life ever on a 6.1-inch iPhone,” lasting 6 hours longer than the iPhone 11.

The home button and touch ID on the iPhone SE are gone too — the 16e is a more modern-looking iPhone. It also has a bigger display at 6.1 inches, compared to the SE’s 4.7 inches, and comes with the latest A18 chip used by the iPhone 16 instead of the A15 chip used in the SE for faster processing.

Related: Apple Is Reportedly Creating New Foldable iPads and iPhones. Here Are the Details.

All of those upgrades come at a price. The iPhone 16e is still $170 more than the $429 iPhone SE, raising the bar of what it means for a phone to be called “affordable.” Budget AI phones from competitors are sold at lower price points. For example, an unlocked Google Pixel 8a with AI retails for $399.

Preorders for the iPhone 16e start at 5 a.m. PT on February 21. The phone will be generally available on February 28 and comes in black and white with storage options of 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB.

Apple CEO Tim Cook first teased the new iPhone on February 13, writing in a post on X, “Get ready to meet the newest member of the family. Wednesday, February 19.”

Apple discontinued the iPhone SE on Wednesday, as well as the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus.

Apple no longer sells any iPhones with home buttons.

Related: Is an Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 ‘Air’ on the Way? New Rumors Float About a Potential Fall Release.

Barbara Corcoran, known for her role on “Shark Tank” and her remarkable real estate success, has never been shy about breaking from tradition. One piece of conventional wisdom she challenges is the assumption that the wealthy need to fly first-class on commercial airlines. In the business world, many view first-class as the gold standard for business travel; Corcoran’s perspective, however, emphasizes a growing sentiment among corporate leaders: there is often a more strategic, convenient and cost-effective way to travel.

Her stance — eschewing first class in favor of private aviation — may seem counterintuitive at first. Yet, when you factor in time savings, productivity gains and certain cost comparisons, the argument that top executives could be better served on a private jet becomes more difficult to brush off.

The illusion of first-class comfort

Many executives who fly first-class feel like it’s a natural perk of the job. They enjoy spacious seats, streamlined boarding procedures, and a measure of “peace and calm” compared to economy. However, these comforts do not always translate into genuine productivity or control.

A first-class traveler is still bound by the airline’s schedule and faced with the possibility of cancellations, delays and the hustle of major airport terminals. There is also no guarantee of a discreet environment, which is crucial for executives who may need to discuss sensitive matters or review confidential documents. Even the best airline lounges cannot fully eliminate the distractions of a bustling airport.

The average cost of a domestic first-class round-trip ticket on major airlines ranges between $1,800 and $5,500 per person, and it often escalates for last-minute bookings or international routes. While this expense might be considered a necessary luxury for critical personnel, it does not address the fundamental issues of lost time and limited privacy.

Related: Use This 4-Step Framework to Find Leaders Who Truly Fit Your Company Culture

Productivity in the sky

The real value of private aviation becomes clear when you consider how executives can use their travel hours. Instead of lining up at security checkpoints or waiting in crowded airport lounges, executives who fly privately often drive straight onto the tarmac and bypass much of the typical pre-flight shenanigans. This streamlined process can save significant time — an estimated two to three hours per domestic round trip. Those hours are a powerful resource that can mean more meetings, extended negotiation time or focused preparation for major presentations.

A private jet also offers a secure, distraction-free environment. Teams can hold sensitive discussions without risking eavesdroppers, and the atmosphere can be customized for specific business needs. Instead of just enjoying a fancier seat, executives can treat the flight itself like a mobile conference room. This ability to transform flight time into productive work time may be the true hallmark of executive travel efficiency.

The cost conundrum and surprising comparisons

A common myth is that chartered jets are prohibitively expensive for most businesses and environmentally harmful. The image of celebrities or high-net-worth individuals jetting around the globe might make it easy to assume that private travel is out of reach. Yet, for larger executive teams, the math can tell a different story.

Private flights can indeed cost anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000 for a mid-size jet on a domestic round trip, but that total cost can be split among several executives who might otherwise each be purchasing first-class tickets at prices nearing $3,000 — or, in some cases, even exceeding that amount if flights are booked last minute or during peak seasons. When eight to ten executives need to travel, the collective total of first-class tickets can quickly approach or surpass the cost of a private charter.

Beyond direct ticket prices, there is a host of hidden savings to consider. Private charters allow access to smaller airports that might be closer to meeting venues or company sites, which can reduce ground transportation time and costs. They also cut down on hotel stays that might be needed when commercial flight schedules do not align well with your executives’ commitments. Many charter jets are also flying green to ensure they positively contribute to addressing climate change. Some even have carbon matching programs that empower travelers to directly contribute to environmental restoration through tree planting initiatives.

Although it may seem extravagant at a glance, private aviation can represent an overall net gain once all variables — including boosted productivity and environmental impact — are taken into account.

Related: Barbara Corcoran Says You Have One Month Left to Buy a House

A strategic move for modern executives

Barbara Corcoran’s decision not to fly first class reflects a deeper question about how organizations allocate resources and manage high-level travel. In the ever-changing business landscape, time is often the most precious commodity.

There is also a cultural aspect worth considering. Just as ‘the Shark’ sets a tone for her brand by rejecting unnecessary frills, other companies may see a reputational boost when executives demonstrate that “luxury” can align with practicality. Choosing private charters is less about ostentation and more about strategic thinking. When the cost per person becomes comparable to or even cheaper than first-class options, and when the perks include greater control, confidentiality and the potential to work without interruption, it starts to look like a wise operational decision.

Flying private does not need to be a status symbol that invites public scrutiny. Instead, it can be a solution that helps executives guard their most vital resources: time, focus and the capacity to navigate business challenges with minimal friction. Barbara Corcoran may have caused a stir by sharing her preference for skipping first class, but in doing so, she highlights an approach that more business leaders should weigh carefully.

When first-class is viewed through the lens of convenience, productivity and overall expense, it may be a takeaway that a private charter might well be the more sensible choice for an executive team determined to optimize every aspect of their work — both in and out of the office.

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xAI, the startup led by Elon Musk that raised $6 billion in December, has a new AI model that it claims is better than AI created by DeepSeek and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.

In a live-streamed event on X on Monday that has been viewed over six million times at the time of writing, Musk and three xAI engineers revealed Grok 3, the startup’s latest AI model. They claimed Grok 3 had higher scores on math, science, and coding benchmark tests than OpenAI’s GPT-4o, DeepSeek’s V3, and Google’s Gemini AI.

Related: Elon Musk’s xAI Is Reportedly Set to Hire Thousands of ‘AI Tutors’ With Pay Up to $65 an Hour

They also said Grok 3 was a step up in sheer power from xAI’s previous model Grok 2, released in August. The latest version has more than 10 times the computational power of Grok 2, greater accuracy, and a bigger capacity for large datasets.

“The word Grok [means] to fully and profoundly understand something,” Musk said on the livestream, noting that the word came from the 1961 novel “Stranger in a Strange Land” by American author Robert Heinlein. He added later in the livestream that “if you’re using Grok 3, you may notice improvements almost every day because we’re continuously improving the model.”

^{Animated 3D plot of a spacecraft launch from Earth to Mars and back. Credit: xAI}

xAI engineers demonstrated how Grok 3 could be used to create code for an animated 3D plot of a spacecraft launch that started on Earth, landed on Mars, and came back to Earth.

The engineers also asked Grok to combine two games, Tetris and Bejeweled, into one game. The result, which the engineers played on the livestream, was similar to Tetris with shapes inching down the screen but had the rules of Bejeweled with multicolored blocks that disappeared if there were three in a row.

Related: Google’s CEO Praised AI Rival DeepSeek This Week for Its ‘Very Good Work.’ Here’s Why.

Musk said that any AI could find examples of Tetris or Bejeweled online and duplicate them, but Grok 3 took it one step further.

“What’s interesting here is it [Grok 3] achieved a creative solution combining two games that actually works and is a good game,” Musk noted. “We’re seeing the beginnings of creativity.”

^{Tetris-Bejeweled mashup game in the background. Credit: xAI}

The researchers said they only trained Grok 3’s reasoning abilities on math problems and competitive coding problems, but they observed that Grok 3 could apply what it learned to a variety of use cases, including reasoning through making games.

xAI isn’t the only major AI startup to release advanced AI this year. Last month, OpenAI released the o3-mini, its most cost-effective yet powerful model yet, while DeepSeek came out with R1, a disruptive AI model with cutting-edge performance on a less than $6 million budget.

Grok 3 is currently available for Premium+ X subscribers paying $22 a month.

Watch the event, here:

https://t.co/hEfQ31gANQ

— xAI (@xai) February 18, 2025

In an era where most shopping happens with the click of a button, and retail has become increasingly impersonal, Polacheck’s Jewelers stands apart. The Calabasas luxury store is more than a store—it’s a weekend destination. Wealthy customers browse brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Cartier while enjoying food and refreshments and chatting with an expert staff.

“I’ve turned all my clients into friends,” says owner Brent Polacheck. “It’s important for me to know who’s spending money with me because we’re gonna spend hopefully 10, 20, 30 years together.”

The business began 101 years ago when Ben Tipp opened a small diamond store in Seattle. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1949, it became one of America’s premier luxury retailers. Polacheck is the fourth generation to run his family business.

With a bridal case displaying ten-carat diamonds and watches that can cost upwards of $2 million, Polacheck’s isn’t for everyone. But it understands the value of what matters most: building multi-generational relationships and providing a memorable experience. His approach offers valuable lessons for entrepreneurs in any industry.

In a recent appearance on the One Day with Jon Bier podcast, Polacheck shared insights on building a lasting luxury retail business in the age of Amazon.

Create an experience worth returning to

While many luxury retail chains feel identical and impersonal, Polacheck’s has become a community hub. Saturdays transform the store into a social destination, complete with drinks and sushi.

“If you’re gonna go spend your money somewhere, wouldn’t it be in a great environment?” Polacheck asks.

The key is making service personal and memorable – from ensuring staff are experts in their field to creating an atmosphere where customers and their families feel genuinely welcome, not just tolerated.

Build lasting relationships, not transactions

For Polacheck, business means taking lunch with clients, hosting watch collectors’ dinners, and even organizing trips to Geneva for auctions with his most dedicated customers. When a client calls about a gift, his team will text photos and handle gift wrapping, saving them a trip to the store. This personal approach extends beyond single purchases – he actively vets potential customers, focusing on those within a 15-20 mile radius who can become part of the store’s community rather than one-time buyers from out of state. The lesson? In luxury retail, building deep connections with the right customers matters more than maximizing individual sales.

Stay alert to changing markets

Success in luxury retail requires staying vigilant and seizing opportunities before competitors can act. When Polacheck learned another dealer was considering opening in the Topanga area, he moved quickly to secure the location himself. Now he’s building a 3,500-square-foot Rolex boutique there, one of only about 20 in the United States. At the same time, he’s renovating his flagship store and planning a new Patek Philippe location.

Choose your customers wisely

With thousands of orders and limited inventory, Polacheck carefully vets who gets each watch.

“Selling a unit just to sell a unit makes no sense nowadays,” he says.

His team focuses on customers within a 15-20 mile radius who will become long-term clients, rather than out-of-area buyers who might flip watches for quick profits. The approach means turning away some easy sales, particularly from resellers. But finding the right customer, not the right-now customer, is worth its weight in gold.

Today, Polacheck’s is expanding with new locations, including a standalone Rolex boutique opening soon in Topanga. As Polacheck prepares his own children to eventually take over the business – including his daughter who’s gaining experience at another jewelry store in Vermont – he’s seeing his customers’ children becoming the next generation of clients.

“A lot of my customers are having their kids come in—that means we’re doing something right.”

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Technology has had a significant impact on consumer behavior, especially post-pandemic, with the average share of digital customer interactions going from 25% to 65% in just three years (2017-2020). With most customers using several channels when they shop, an omnichannel approach is fast becoming the rule rather than a new approach.

Back-to-school shopping is a season once dominated by brick-and-mortar, but in 2024 ecommerce was expected to grow by 7.4% compared to just 1% growth for actual brick-and-mortar sales. This means if you’re not joining the thousands of businesses out there leaning into an omnichannel approach, you’re missing out. Implementing such a strategy can give your company a good shot at grabbing customers’ attention and keeping it through a sales funnel that can wind through multiple forms of technology.

Related: This Is the Simple Marketing Hack Your Business Needs to Drive Sales All Year Long

The benefits of omnichannel

This approach has proven results. A study done by the Harvard Business Review showed customers who engage through several channels spend more both at brick-and-mortar and online than single-channel customers. But using omnichannel has benefits that go beyond the bottom line.

• Present a cohesive brand identity: A seamless strategy across multiple channels lets you display your brand identity and messaging to customers regardless of how they choose to interact with you.
• Opportunities to increase revenue: A larger number of touchpoints means the ability to interact with more prospects, and consequently, more opportunities to turn them into customers. For example, as part of my marketing consulting with startups, I’ve helped make ad retargeting a part of their strategies. It reduced cart abandonment because it showed ads through a different channel after a user abandoned their shopping cart. Research has actually shown that 26% of users return to a website if retargeted.
• Data that drives decision-making: Instead of statistics from siloed, single-channel, one-off campaigns, omnichannel data helps you better target consumers on the platforms where they will both receive and respond to your messaging.

How omnichannel strategies improve lifetime value

The customer shopping experience is very different from back in the day. Today’s technology-driven consumer is researching products on their phone, reading about other customer experiences on social media and then either ordering online or visiting a store.

While print media, billboards, and commercial media buys are still part of the landscape, customers want to be reached on any and all digital platforms and want the option of using those platforms to make purchases. Let’s look at how omnichannel can help you create returning customers.

Personalized communications

Businesses can use data from across channels to create targeted communications based on customer preferences. Examples of this include loyalty programs that let customers get rewards across channels, such as Starbucks rewards. Other examples include in-store purchases that lead to online discounts or cross-channel communications where one channel leads to customer interaction somewhere else. Examples could be an email reminder about an abandoned shopping cart or a printed card handed out at an event with a QR code that leads to a website or social media page.

Cross-selling and upselling

A holistic view of your customers’ behavior across multiple channels creates opportunities to increase awareness about and sell both complementary and premium products.

Improved customer experience

Ever had a cashier order something for you online that wasn’t in the store right from their register or tablet? I had a customer service rep do that for me in a store recently. It’s a simple example of an omnichannel experience that solves a customer problem. Omnichannel can also help customers before they even enter the store using local inventory ads. Office Depot uses mobile ads to target customers with relevant products that the customer can be assured are in stock when they visit the store.

Related: How to Build a Go-to-Market Strategy That Prevents Risk

How to tell if omnichannel is working for you

Instead of siloed data, an omnichannel marketing strategy provides data from different channels that needs to be interpreted together in order to make meaningful decisions about the direction of your customer outreach. With that in mind, below are some key metrics you should be gathering from your marketing data.

• Conversion rate: Conversion rate is the ratio of total visitors or leads to those that engage in a desired action like completing a purchase, attending an event or filling out a form for a newsletter or savings program.
• Customer lifetime value: This is the total revenue for an individual customer for the entire length of their relationship with your business. It’s basically a ratio of time to revenue, so two customers who have been with your brand for a year could have different customer lifetime values based on how much they purchased.
• Retention rate: The percentage of customers who continue to make purchases over a specified time frame. While lifetime value and retention rate are both metrics of customer loyalty, retention rate measures the percentage of customers a company keeps rather than a calculation of revenue.
• Average order value: The average spend per transaction across various channels. This metric can be broken out by channel so that you can see which channels are generating the highest value orders.

Examples of effective omnichannel strategy

The following are examples of field-tested omnichannel strategies I’ve seen firsthand.

Amazon and Whole Foods

Amazon has combined with Whole Foods to create a seamless omnichannel retail experience. Amazon One is a biometric payment system that registers a customer’s palm print, allowing them to pay for groceries by showing their hand to a scanner. Dash Wand is an affordable device that combines Alexa with a barcode scanner that is small enough to carry, allowing customers to get product information while they shop. These combined with Amazon’s easy online grocery ordering and mobile app create a true omnichannel experience.

Pharmaceuticals

As a journalist covering Salesforce in the past, I learned about this omnichannel strategy. It involves marketing to healthcare providers by having physicians and nurses opt-in to communications at one of the many company-sponsored events they attend. The names, email addresses and phone numbers are then fed into Salesforce which has a campaign set up to send them targeted, personalized communication via email or text message which drives them to engage with the company website.

Further communications are based on whether doctors and nurses click the links in emails and text messages. If they click they get messages encouraging them to attend future events. If not, they might get communication that encourages them to engage via social media.

Related: Keep This Important Marketing Principle in Mind During Economic Volatility

Leave no channel unchecked

An omnichannel strategy lets your business engage with as many customers as possible while staying agile enough to adapt to their changing preferences. The seamless incorporation of multiple channels gives you an advantageous position in the shifting landscape that is digital commerce.

Hi, I’m Dima, the founder of PitchBob.io — an AI co-pilot for corporate entrepreneurs. Our product focuses on fostering intrapreneurship within corporations by driving employee engagement and entrepreneurial behavior. However, companies first need individuals with entrepreneurial mindsets on their teams to engage employees in entrepreneurial initiatives. This article explores how and why corporations should hire entrepreneurs.

So, how and why should corporations hire entrepreneurs? At first glance, the answer might seem obvious: They shouldn’t. Entrepreneurs are seen as individuals who build startups and take risks, while corporate employees are expected to manage processes within predefined business models. However, the reality is far more complex.

In many innovation-driven ecosystems, entrepreneurs — particularly tech entrepreneurs — are viewed as modern-day icons. They inspire admiration from both ambitious teenagers and accomplished corporate professionals. While many aspire to emulate entrepreneurs, only a small fraction ever take the leap. Even fewer persevere after their first failure. Most people are drawn to the stability that traditional employment provides, a quality that seems irreconcilable with the risks and uncertainty inherent to entrepreneurship.

But among those who try and fail, some don’t give up. These are the individuals who refine their approach, try again and eventually succeed. For corporations, this tenacity makes entrepreneurs seem like ideal candidates. Entrepreneurs bring leadership skills, experience, a network of connections and expertise — qualities that corporations crave. Yet, entrepreneurs are also seen as unpredictable, overly self-reliant and difficult to integrate into rigid hierarchical structures.

This duality makes hiring entrepreneurs both an enticing and a daunting prospect for corporations. While their potential value is undeniable, their independence and unconventional approach to work often clash with traditional corporate environments.

Related: Question The Status Quo: The Value Of Having Entrepreneurial Employees In Your Organization

The corporate dilemma

Corporations have long experimented with ways to engage entrepreneurial talent. Acquiring startups to gain access to their teams, offering above-market salaries to lure entrepreneurs into corporate roles and running accelerator programs are just a few of the strategies employed. Yet, these approaches often fail to produce lasting results.

Entrepreneurs hired after accelerators or corporate-sponsored events rarely bring the expected impact. Many aren’t true entrepreneurs but rather individuals seeking stable employment. Startup teams acquired through M&A deals frequently fulfill their contractual obligations and leave to launch new ventures. Even those who stay often lose their entrepreneurial edge, becoming indistinguishable from the corporation’s existing workforce.

What corporations need to know about entrepreneurs

To successfully collaborate with entrepreneurs, corporations must learn to understand their mindset. Entrepreneurs value freedom and independence above all else. They thrive in environments where they can make decisions about what to do, how to do it and when to act. Attempts to impose excessive control or rigid structures will alienate them.

Entrepreneurs are also naturally action-oriented. They focus on execution rather than prolonged planning. They see risks as opportunities and have an inherent urgency to seize market possibilities before they vanish. This decisiveness often contrasts with the slower, consensus-driven nature of corporate decision-making.

Additionally, entrepreneurs are accustomed to shouldering responsibility. They don’t need — and often won’t tolerate — micromanagement. Instead, they expect the freedom to experiment, fail and iterate without fear of punitive consequences.

The Entrepreneur-in-Residence model

The most effective way for corporations to engage entrepreneurial talent is through an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) model. This approach allows entrepreneurs to operate in an environment that aligns with their strengths without disrupting the corporation’s existing structures. In essence, the EIR model provides entrepreneurs with a “sandbox” to innovate, experiment and develop new ideas, while the corporation benefits from their energy and expertise.

In this role, entrepreneurs can contribute to generating new ideas, exploring alternative business models and reviving dormant projects. Their fresh perspective often leads to solutions that others within the organization might overlook. By creating a dedicated space for entrepreneurial work, corporations can harness the innovative potential of these individuals without stifling their creativity.

Related: The Best of Both Worlds: How Supporting Entrepreneurial Thinkers Leads to Growth for Employers

The value of entrepreneurs in corporations

Hiring entrepreneurs under the right conditions can transform a corporation’s innovation ecosystem. Entrepreneurs bring a unique combination of traits that drive progress. Their ability to challenge the status quo often uncovers opportunities for growth that others miss. They are not constrained by internal politics or traditional workflows, allowing them to approach problems with fresh eyes.

Beyond generating ideas, entrepreneurs excel at execution. Their hands-on approach can breathe new life into stalled R&D projects or neglected ideas. Additionally, their willingness to experiment and take calculated risks often accelerates the development of new products, services or business models.

Perhaps most importantly, the presence of entrepreneurs within a corporation can inspire others. Their entrepreneurial spirit is contagious, encouraging employees to think more creatively and embrace innovation in their own roles. Over time, this can foster a cultural shift, creating a more dynamic and forward-thinking organization.

Creating the right environment

For corporations to fully leverage the potential of entrepreneurial talent, they must offer the right incentives and working conditions. Financial motivation is crucial, as entrepreneurs often prioritize long-term gains over immediate rewards. Providing equity-based compensation, such as options tied to the success of specific projects, can align their interests with those of the corporation.

Equally important is the need for autonomy. Entrepreneurs thrive in environments where they have the freedom to make decisions and act on their ideas. Bureaucratic processes and excessive oversight will only drive them away. Instead, corporations should focus on creating flexible structures that allow for experimentation and risk-taking.

Understanding the type of entrepreneur being hired is also critical. Some entrepreneurs are “sprinters” who excel at launching new ventures but lose interest once the initial excitement fades. Others are “marathoners” who are willing to stick with a project through its scaling and growth phases. Tailoring roles and incentives to these profiles ensures a better fit and higher chances of success.

Related: What Happens When a Serial Entrepreneur Goes Corporate?

Hiring entrepreneurs isn’t about turning them into traditional employees — it’s about creating an environment where their unique skills and mindset can thrive. With the right approach, corporations can unlock the full potential of entrepreneurial talent, driving innovation, solving complex problems and staying competitive in a rapidly changing world.

By adopting models like Entrepreneur-in-Residence and fostering a culture that values creativity, risk-taking and independence, companies can achieve the best of both worlds: the stability of a corporate structure and the disruptive energy of entrepreneurial thinking. The future of innovation lies in bridging these two worlds, and the question remains — how will your company embrace it?

You’ve probably seen it before — companies boasting about kombucha on tap and bean bags in the office as if these were the true markers of a thriving culture. But when it comes to finding the right leadership fit, relying on these superficial perks can lead to costly mistakes. Despite many companies focusing on superficial perks, leadership quality remains a significant challenge. Only 40% of leaders rate their organization’s leadership quality as “very good” or “excellent” — a decrease of eight percentage points since the pandemic.

This decline in perceived leadership quality highlights the need for a more substantive approach to hiring and developing leaders. As someone who has spent years working in executive leadership recruitment, I’ve seen firsthand how crucial it is to hire leaders who align with a company’s core values. Without this deeper connection, even the most impressive candidates can struggle to drive long-term success.

Related: Every Hire Has Been a Good One Since This CEO Started Hiring for Values

Rethinking the meaning of cultural fit

True culture fit means finding a leader who aligns with the company’s core values and mission. For example, if a company emphasizes transparency, the right leader will demonstrate clear and open communication, not just within their team but across the entire organization.

Leaders who resonate with these deeper values help prevent the kinds of disruptions that occur when there’s a misalignment between leadership and company culture. I’ve seen organizations bring in highly qualified leaders who failed because their values didn’t align with the company’s goals. These leaders might have succeeded elsewhere, but without that alignment, they couldn’t generate the energy, collaboration or engagement necessary for success in their new roles.

What is the impact of misaligned leadership?

When a leader doesn’t align with a company’s core values, the consequences can be severe. I’ve watched as organizations that hire misaligned leaders experience rapid declines in employee morale, decision-making and collaboration. In many cases, this results in higher turnover and lost productivity.

One standout example is a tech company that hired a CEO from a different industry. This individual had an impressive track record of turning around struggling businesses, but their leadership style clashed with the collaborative, innovative culture of the company. The CEO’s misalignment led to tensions within teams, slowed innovation and eventually caused several key leaders to leave. In just two years, the company missed major market opportunities, and the CEO was quietly replaced.

This is a common pitfall I’ve seen many companies fall into — prioritizing qualifications over leadership fit. The result? Lost opportunities and a significant drop in engagement across the board.

A four-step framework for identifying leadership fit

From my experience, I’ve found a framework that helps companies avoid these mistakes and ensure they’re hiring leaders who meet the technical requirements of the role while also aligning with the company’s values. This value-based hiring approach focuses on both qualifications and cultural alignment. Here’s how I recommend structuring it:

Related: A Healthy Approach to Hiring That Actually Works

1. Clarify core values

Before you begin the hiring process, you need to define the company’s core values and make sure your selection committee understands these values from the inside out. These should be non-negotiable. For instance, if collaboration is a core value, you need to collectively evaluate how well each candidate fosters teamwork and cooperation across different departments.

2. Use a diverse selection panel

I always advise involving a diverse group of decision-makers in the hiring process. Relying on a narrow group can lead to biased decisions and “groupthink.” A diverse panel helps ensure that the candidate is evaluated from multiple perspectives, which leads to a more objective assessment of their potential fit.

Many companies try to cut costs by conducting leadership searches internally or relying on their own networks, but I’ve seen how this can backfire. While this approach might save money upfront, it often leads to costly mistakes in the long run.

For a non-biased approach, consider utilizing executive search firms. These agencies provide an objective perspective and access to a broader talent pool, leading to faster, more effective hiring results. By partnering with an executive search firm, you can avoid the pitfalls of relying solely on internal candidates and ensure that you’re hiring the right leadership fit.

3. Ask probing questions

It’s essential to ask the right questions during interviews. Don’t just focus on accomplishments or leadership style in general terms. Instead, ask candidates about specific situations where they had to navigate challenges that reflect the values important to your company. For example, if resilience is a key value, ask about a time when they had to overcome significant obstacles to achieve a goal.

4. Evaluate beyond the first impression

First impressions can be deceiving, and I’ve seen too many companies make quick decisions based on superficial traits. It’s crucial to dig deeper and evaluate how well a candidate truly aligns with both the company’s values and the specific requirements of the role. This helps you avoid falling into the trap of hiring based on comfort or familiarity.

Additionally, take time to establish a balance between technical qualifications, cultural expectations and leadership alignment. It’s important to establish consistent criteria for each leadership role. For example, if the Chief Financial Officer requires ten years of experience, the Chief People Officer should have the same level of experience. Consistency helps ensure fairness and avoids bias in the hiring process.

Related: I Hire a New Employee Every Week. Here’s What This Practice Has Taught Me About Hiring and Recruiting

The quest for the perfect candidate involves far more than a stellar resume or an easy rapport with the existing team. Through my years of experience in leadership recruitment, I’ve seen how focusing on value-based hiring ensures a deeper alignment between a leader’s values and the company’s mission. This alignment creates a leadership team that can drive long-term success, innovation and employee engagement. When you hire for true leadership fit, you’ll find that the rewards far outweigh the superficial perks of bean bags and kombucha.

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