Craig Leach, MBA

I help CEOs, CHROs, and private owners build senior leadership teams that actually stay and perform. With 30+ years of leading and hiring teams myself, I run executive searches where 96% of placements are still in the role at 12 months and 94% at 24 months.​Who I work with:CEOs, CHROs, and PE/owner‑operators who need C‑Suite, VP, and Director‑level leaders.Organizations in agribusiness, finance, food &amp; beverage, and pet that are navigating growth, transformation, or succession.Senior leaders who can’t afford a mis‑hire in a key role.The problems I solveCritical executive roles sitting open for months and dragging on performance.Costly mis‑hires that damage culture, credibility, and momentum.Leadership transitions where the wrong hire can set the business back years.How I workExecutive search with a defined, transparent process from intake through onboarding.Deep discovery around business model, culture, and success profile before we ever go to market.Direct outreach to targeted leaders, not just posting and praying.Structured interviews and rigorous vetting so you see a tight shortlist of high‑probability finalists.What you can expect96% of placements still in role at 12 months; 94% at 24 months.​Reduced “commercial downtime” from open leadership roles.Fewer mis‑hires, stronger succession benches, and better retention at the top of the house.Ways to work with meRetained executive search for C‑Suite, VP, and Director roles.Contingency search for key commercial, technical, and leadership contributors.Executive coaching for senior leaders and high‑potential successors.When to call meYou’re planning a leadership change in the next 6–24 months.You’ve outgrown your current leadership team and need a different caliber of talent.You want a search partner who understands P&amp;L, operations, and markets—not just résumés.Ready to talk about your senior leadership hiring roadmap?Book time with me here: https://calendly.com/6202205911/30min

President

Craig Leach

I met a Director-level leader 24 months ago.

No clear path to the C-suite. Just potential waiting to be unlocked.

Here's what the journey looked like:

• Month 3: Identified leadership gaps and blind spots
• Month 12: Placed in VP role, first C-suite step
• Month 24: Appointed CEO of a growing firm

Today, they're leading a full organization with confidence and clarity.

By next year, they'll be scaling a team and driving enterprise-level growth.

The reason it worked: mindset shifted before the title ever did.

To move from Director to CEO

To stop being overlooked for the top seat

To lead with authority, not just competence

Over 24 months, I helped them:

• Build a C-suite personal brand
• Master executive presence and influence
• Navigate high-stakes career decisions

They mastered the transition from functional expert to enterprise leader.

And recently, they sent me a message I won't forget.

My executive coaching and search process can help you:

• Identify your fastest path to the C-suite
• Close the gaps holding you back
• Land the role you've been building toward

The seat at the top doesn't find you. You build toward it.

DM me if you're ready to start.

Executive Search for C‑Suite & VPs | I Help CEOs & CHROs Build Senior Leadership Teams That Stay | 96% 12‑Month, 94% 24‑Month Retention | 2x Top Voice

The CEO who hired his replacement—and didn't know it.

I placed a VP of Operations for a mid-sized manufacturing company three years ago.

The CEO called me personally. "Craig, I need someone who can eventually run this place. Someone better than me at the stuff I'm not good at."

Rare self-awareness. I found him exactly that.

The VP came in and delivered. Streamlined operations. Built relationships with the board. Earned trust across every department.

By year two, something shifted.

The CEO started cc'ing me on emails. "Just checking in." Asking if I'd heard any "rumblings." Wanting to grab coffee more often.

He never said it directly. But I knew.

He was watching his replacement outgrow him in real time.

Here's what I've seen in 200+ placements:

The CEOs who struggle with this moment share a pattern:
• They hired for capability but expected a ceiling
• They wanted transformation but not succession
• They said "run this place" but meant "run it for me"

The CEOs who handle it well? They do something counterintuitive.

They accelerate the transition.

That manufacturing CEO? He called me six months ago. Not to complain. To tell me he'd recommended his VP to the board as his successor.

"I hired him to be better than me. Turns out he is."

He's now chairman. The former VP is CEO. Revenue is up 23%.

Most executives won't admit this:

The hardest part of hiring great talent isn't finding them.

It's being secure enough to let them surpass you.

Have you ever hired someone who outgrew you?

The question that predicts your next 5 years...

"Should I take the bigger title or the better boss?"

I hear this constantly. Executives sitting on two offers. One has the title. The other has the leader.

Here's what I tell them:

In 200+ placements, I've tracked what happens next. The pattern is brutal.

The executives who chase titles? They win on LinkedIn for six months. Then they spend the next four years recovering from a boss who didn't develop them, didn't protect them, and didn't care.

One VP I had previously placed chose the Chief title over the better leader.

Eighteen months later, he called me. His CEO took credit for every win. Threw him under the bus to the board. Blocked his access to key decisions.

He left with a damaged reputation and two years of his career he'll never get back.

The executives who choose the better boss? Different story.

They get:
• Air cover when things go wrong
• Access to rooms they wouldn't be in otherwise
• Honest feedback that actually makes them better
• A reference that opens doors for decades

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲:

"Will this person make you better or just make you busier?"

Titles are negotiable. You can earn them anywhere.

A great boss? That's rare. That's the accelerator.

The best executives I know didn't climb the fastest ladder. They climbed the right one.

Who's the boss that shaped your career most?

A CEO told me last week he's terrified of AI.

Not because it's moving too fast.

Because his leadership team refuses to touch it.

He's 58 years old. Built his company from scratch. Runs a $400M manufacturing business.

And he's learning AI faster than his 40-year-old executives.

He showed me his workflow. Uses Claude for strategic analysis. Built custom GPTs for competitive intelligence. Spends an hour every morning experimenting.

His C-suite? They've delegated AI to IT. Call it "a tech thing." Haven't opened ChatGPT since the hype died down.

Last month, he asked his CFO a simple question: "How could AI change our forecasting process?"

The CFO's answer: "I'll have someone look into it."

That's when he called me.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗜'𝗺 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴:

The executives who dismiss AI aren't just behind on technology.

They're signaling something deeper: resistance to change, comfort with the status quo, unwillingness to feel like a beginner again.

That's a leadership problem, not a skills gap.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝗺:

"Do you want to coach them into the future, or recruit people who are already there?"

He sat with that for a long time.

Then he said: "I've given them two years. They've had every resource. Every opportunity. They just don't care."

Some gaps can be closed with training.

Some gaps reveal who's willing to evolve and who isn't.

200+ placements taught me this: The executives who thrive aren't the ones with the best credentials.

They're the ones who stay curious when it's uncomfortable.

When's the last time your leadership team learned something that made them feel like beginners?

Performance reviews are corporate theater.

I've coached executives through hundreds of them—on both sides of the table.

Here's what I've learned: The words don't mean what you think they mean.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲:

"You're doing great work."
→ Nothing's changing this cycle. No raise. No promotion. Same seat.

"There's room for growth."
→ You're not getting promoted. Maybe not this year. Maybe not ever here.

"Let's revisit this next quarter."
→ I'm hoping you forget. And if you don't, I'll push it again.

"We value your contributions."
→ You're not a priority, but we don't want you to leave yet.

"You're a key part of the team."
→ Key enough to keep. Not key enough to invest in.

"Keep doing what you're doing."
→ I have no feedback for you because I haven't been paying attention.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗜 𝗦𝗲𝗲:

The executives who get blindsided by layoffs, passed over for promotions, or stuck in the same role for years?

They believed the words.

The ones who advance?

They read between the lines. They ask the uncomfortable follow-up: "What would need to change for me to be promoted in the next 12 months?"

If your manager can't answer that clearly, you have your answer.

Performance reviews don't tell you where you stand.

They tell you what the company wants you to believe.

What's the most misleading feedback you've ever received?

The questions that save CEOs from $500K mistakes

After 200+ placements, I've watched executives make the same costly errors.

Not because they lacked intelligence. Because they asked the wrong questions.

The CEOs who avoid expensive mistakes share a pattern. They slow down when everyone else speeds up.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸:

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴:
"What will this person need to succeed that we're not currently providing?"

Most CEOs ask if the candidate can do the job. The best ones ask if they can support them once they're in it.

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴:
"Who will I lose that I can't afford to lose?"

Reorgs look clean on paper. The collateral damage shows up six months later.

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗲𝘀:
"What am I not seeing because I want this to work?"

The deals that blow up always had warning signs. Someone just chose not to look.

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴:
"Am I handing off responsibility or just accountability?"

One creates leaders. The other creates scapegoats.

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴:
"What question am I hoping no one asks?"

That's the one you need to answer first.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗜 𝗦𝗲𝗲:

The $500K mistakes rarely come from bad decisions.

They come from good decisions made without the right questions.

The executives who avoid them aren't smarter. They're more willing to slow down when the pressure says speed up.

What question do you wish you'd asked before a costly mistake?

I Help Professionals Put Their Passions to Work | Leveraging Leadership Capacity | Connections with a Purpose | SDVOSB | USMC VET

Some leaders talk about growth. I’ve built it, again and again. From turning dirt lots into multimillion-dollar fabrication and manufacturing operations to standing up a chemical manufacturing plant that achieved both ISO 9001 and OSHA SHARP initiative recognition, my path has never been theory, it’s been proof.

That proof began long before titles. I grew up working in my family’s grocery stores, butcher shops, and restaurants, where I learned that culture isn’t a slide in a deck, it’s forged through shared effort. The Marine Corps honed that foundation with discipline, accountability, and servant leadership, teaching me that execution is the purest form of belief.

My philosophy reflects James 2:22—faith and works completing each other. In business, faith is strategy: the belief that a company can reach beyond its current reality. Works are the systems, processes, KPIs, and accountability that give that belief evidence. My role is to bring those two together so vision and velocity become one.

Areas of Expertise:
★ Concept to Commercialization | ★ M&A Strategy & Integration | ★ ERP & KPI System Integration
★ Business Growth & Scaling | ★ Supply Chain Optimization | ★ Strategic Partnerships
★ ISO 9001 Implementation | ★ Facility Development | ★ Regulatory Compliance
★ P&L Management | ★ Culture Development | ★ Process Improvement | ★ Constraint Focused

Bravis Brown, MBA

A year ago, this month (I think this day), Patrick Stuhr gave me this book, Leadership Promises for Everyday by John Maxwell.  Thank you, Pat!

When we speak of empowerment and giving power and authority to your team, we are often talking about a company, but it’s much broader than that!

Have a blessed day!

Veteran Executive | Fractional COO | Driving Scalable Growth for Manufacturing & Industrial Companies Through Systems, Automation & Servant Leadership

Most change doesn’t fail because the idea is bad.

It fails because leaders misread how people meet change.

John Maxwell breaks it down into 5 groups:
	•	Innovators (originate the ideas)
	•	Early Adopters (know a good idea when they see it)
	•	Middle Adopters (the majority—watch others first)
	•	Late Adopters (resist, criticize, rarely “buy in” out loud)
	•	Laggards (committed to the past—often create division)

And it reminds me of Numbers 13:
Caleb says, “Let us go up at once… we are well able.”
Others respond, “We are not able…”

Here’s the leadership lesson (especially in manufacturing):
Don’t try to “win” the laggards first. You’ll waste time and lose momentum.

Lead change in this order:
	1.	Start with Innovators + Early Adopters
	2.	Give them a clear win (pilot, proof, metric)
	3.	Let the Middle Adopters follow the evidence
	4.	Manage the Late Adopters with standards + accountability
	5.	Don’t hand the mic to the Laggards

Change sticks when it’s framed as a refinement of “how we do it” and backed by results.

If you’re trying to install new systems, processes, or automation and it’s stalling, let’s discuss it.

Chalk this up to communication; mission, vision, strategy and so on.  One of the most difficult tasks, alignment via clear communications.  Clarity on where we are going and how, can be amazing!

Operational Excellence | Business Transformation | Change Management

Why Do Smart People in the Same Company Fight Each Other?
Sales wants shorter lead times.
Production wants longer lead times.
 
Marketing wants more product variety.
Operations wants standardization.
 
Finance wants lower inventory.
Customer service wants higher inventory.
 
Same company. Same goal. Conflicting priorities.
Why?
 
One of the foundational TOC beliefs is that "There are no conflicts in reality."
 
If everyone truly works toward the same company goal, their priorities should naturally align.
 
When priorities don't align, we should ask this question: What assumptions are we not examining?
 
Sales assumes shorter lead times automatically increase sales.
Production assumes longer lead times improve reliability.
 
Marketing assumes variety drives revenue.
Operations assumes standardization reduces costs.
 
Finance assumes inventory hurts cash flow.
Customer service assumes inventory improves service.
 
These departmental conflicts are really assumption problems.
Challenge the assumptions. Find the win-win.
 
What conflicts in your organization exist because no one has challenged the underlying assumptions?
 
www.goldrattflow.com
 
#TheoryOfConstraints #TOC #Assumptions #Leadership #Alignment #FOCUS #striveforexcellence #dilber

Most improvement “dies” after the workshop.

Not because people don’t care, because nobody owns the installs long enough for them to stick.

That’s what the Fractional COO Execution Retainer is for:
Install the operating system and sustain it until the team runs it without heroics. 

What it includes:

weekly execution cadence (leadership + shop floor)
role clarity + decision rights + delegation plan
KPI dashboard installed + run weekly
training + standard work + accountability follow-through 

If you want to explore whether a sprint (focus on a single constraint) or retainer is right, comment AUDIT.

Timaree Humphrey, SPHR is #hiring. Know anyone who might be interested?

Posting for reach!

I'm looking forward to connecting with those that are focused on advancing innovation in manufacturing!

Strengthening Texas’ Defense Aerospace Manufacturing Base | Advancing Innovation, Workforce Development & Supply Chain Readiness

🚀 Calling all Texas manufacturing leaders!🚀

The Texas Defense Aerospace Manufacturing Community (TDAMC) is gearing up for our upcoming TDAMC Summit in Houston on March 17th and 18th, and we’re inviting industry and community partners to help facilitate and host sessions that advance Texas’s leadership in defense and aerospace manufacturing.

We’re proud to collaborate with incredible organizations including Lockheed Martin, CyManII | Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), MxD Learn, IACMI – The Composites Institute, Olympus Controls, CyberCompass, iFortress, and TMAC — all dedicated to strengthening the state’s manufacturing ecosystem through innovation, workforce development, and collaboration.

📢 We’re hosting a Call-to-Action Partner Meeting on January 27th to connect with potential partners and explore ways to get involved in the Summit.

If you or someone in your network would be a great fit, I’d love to connect — or feel free to tag them below.

REGISTER HERE🔗 https://lnkd.in/gmqxuftD

#TDAMC #TexasAerospace #DefenseInnovation #ManufacturingExcellence #WorkforceDevelopment #Collaboration

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Bravis Brown, MBA

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The Battle

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Bravis Brown, MBA

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