Tom Verboven: How Can Selecting the Right Leaders Transform Your Organization?

The stakes for leadership selection are sky-high—whether it’s a giant like Boeing or a fledgling startup, the right leader can spark success for individuals, teams, organizations, and society, while the wrong one can derail everything. In a recent podcast, Tom Verboven, a leadership expert with a unique blend of corporate and athletic experience, shared why picking the right leaders matters and how to do it effectively. Once a semi-professional basketball player for Belgium’s national team and now a leadership assessor at Mercer Talent Enterprise, Verboven offers insights honed on the court and in the boardroom.

The core message? Leadership isn’t a roll of the dice—it’s both science and art. With a smart approach, organizations can beat the “flip of a coin” odds that see one in two CEOs exit within 18 months. Through vivid stories and actionable advice, Verboven shows how intentional leadership selection and development benefit all stakeholders.

The High Cost of a Wrong Choice

Picture a basketball team with a coach who misreads the players—losses pile up, morale sinks, and the season collapses. Scale that to a corporation, and you get Boeing’s cautionary tale. Years back, they chose a CEO from outside their engineering core, favoring short-term savings over their safety-first culture. The result? “They had, even in 2024, I think they had 21 billion losses,” Verboven recalls, tying this to a cultural shift that cost trust and lives. “I’m not saying that’s the fault of the CEO, but he changed the culture and they were losing that quality excellence focus.”

This drives home a key point: a mismatched leader doesn’t just hit profits—they can fracture an organization’s foundation. For startups, a co-founder spat over leadership roles or vision can stall momentum early. The takeaway? It’s about fit, vision, and cultural alignment—not just credentials.

What Makes a Leader Thrive?

From his basketball days, Verboven learned what fuels success. “I won championships with maybe not the strongest individual players, but the strongest team ever,” he says. “With coaches who challenged each other, who went through fire for each other.” This shapes his work now, decoding what ignites that “winning spirit” in teams.

It hinges on clarity. In a startup, co-founders must align on goals—does “customer satisfaction” mean AI efficiency or personal service? Misalignment breeds chaos. The right leader unites the team, building trust and healthy competition. For bigger firms, it’s about matching the leader to the moment—agility for a startup, structure for a scale-up.

A Holistic Approach to Leadership Selection

How do you improve the 50% failure rate? Verboven suggests three steps: pre-analysis, assessment, and post-development. Start with hard questions: What’s success? Is the strategy on track? “You almost have to go back to your strategy,” he advises, stressing co-creation with clients who know their world best. This defines a “success profile” tied to culture and goals.

Then, assess—test strategic thinking with cases or exercises. Post-hire, onboarding and coaching ensure success. “If you can move from 50 to 70% [success odds], it’s a huge difference,” he notes, “and it’s going to impact big time on your bottom line.” It’s not perfect, but it shifts the odds.

Culture: The Invisible Glue

Culture shapes leadership fit. Boeing’s drift from safety-first values warns of the risks, but it’s also a chance to evolve. A startup’s risk-taking vibe might need structure to scale. Leaders must balance what works awith what’s next, a process spanning pre-analysis to post-development.

The New Leadership Paradigm

Leaders today face AI disruption, global crises, and burnout—7 in 10 CEOs are overwhelmed, per World Economic Forum research cited by Verboven. His fix? A “corporate athlete” mindset—well-being plus a paradoxical balance of digital and human, strategy and execution. Behavioral skills like influence and creativity are key as AI takes over technical tasks.

Key Takeaways and Your Next Step

Leadership selection isn’t chance—it’s deliberate, with big rewards. From Boeing’s losses to basketball wins, Verboven shows fit and development drive success. A three-step process—pre-analysis, assessment, follow-through—lifts engagement and profits. Culture and paradox-savvy leaders thrive in complexity.

Ready to act? Define your leadership needs—what’s your success profile? Check Harvard Business Review’s leadership insights or consult an expert. The right leader elevates everyone.