17/09/2026
Most of us aren't looking for another job. Until suddenly, we are.
What actually makes an experienced leader move?
I've been thinking about this because recruiters spend an extraordinary amount of time approaching people who weren't planning to go anywhere. No half-written application. No “Open to Work” switched on. Perfectly happy.
Then something changes.
A new CEO arrives. The commute becomes intolerable. A restructure shifts the role. A parent needs care. The kids leave home and suddenly relocation becomes possible. Or a recruiter calls with an opportunity that creates that tiny, dangerous thought: “Actually… I'd be curious to hear more.”
That curiosity fascinates me.
Because when we’re recruiting experienced executives into aged care, mental health and social care, our job isn't simply to find people who are looking. It's to uncover the circumstances under which a good person might consider change.
And that is a very different search. It means understanding people's motivations before trying to sell them anything. What matters now? What might matter in three years? What would they move towards? What would they never compromise on again?
There is a lesson here for organisations too. If your executive recruitment strategy is built around advertising to people who have already decided to leave somewhere else, you're searching a very small part of the market.
Some of the most interesting candidates are quite happily getting on with their lives, until somebody gives them a compelling reason to imagine a different one.
So perhaps the question isn't: “Who’s looking?”
Perhaps it's: “Who would be worth making curious?”
