How we find roles

Proprietary signal detection, clear validation, and a trust boundary.

We built a proprietary system that separates meaningful role signals from market noise across thousands of companies. It uses public information, then validates the pattern before anything is surfaced as a likely opportunity. The goal is earlier context and better timing without exposing the scoring system behind it.

It reflects a founder who builds systems that turn noisy information into decisive action, informed by running a senior search and seeing how much of the process was still broken.

What we analyze

Executive moves, funding events, filings, press releases, company announcements, and adjacent public changes that often precede a mandate.

How we validate

No single signal is enough. We look for patterns across multiple sources and only elevate directionally strong matches.

What stays private

We disclose the evidence categories and reliability standards, but not the exact weighting, trigger logic, or ranking model.

Why this matters: you get enough transparency to trust the signal, without making it easier for competitors to copy the engine.

Why transition signals appear weeks before market convergence

Early Role Signals

Executive transitions move through predictable phases: private uncertainty, subtle positioning, formal announcement, public search. Each phase has its own signals. Starting Monday uses a proprietary system to separate meaningful role signals from market noise, then validates the pattern before anything is surfaced. The leaders who win move during the early phases, when options are still forming and access is still warm.

The difference between finding a role during weak-signal phase vs. posted-job phase is not just timing- it's decision quality. Early in a transition, decision-makers are still gathering context, building the shortlist in their heads, and forming perceptions. That's when an executive with clear value and strong prior relationships can shape how the role itself is defined. We disclose the evidence categories and validation standards, but not the exact weighting or trigger logic. That keeps the signal useful without giving away the engine. Starting Monday is built to turn noisy public information into decisive action, so leaders can move earlier with better context.

Market microstructure creates signal drift before formal announcements

Peer-reviewed

Spence, M.

Job market signaling - The Quarterly Journal of Economics - 1973

Key finding: Signals reduce information asymmetry in hiring markets; asymmetry is profitable for those with early information

Peer-reviewed

Akerlof, G.A.

The market for "lemons": Quality uncertainty and the market mechanism - The Quarterly Journal of Economics - 1970

Key finding: Asymmetric information distorts market outcomes; when information is private, early movers have structural advantage

Why this matters for you: Executives who detect signals before broad-market convergence have time to position, gather context, and build relationships before the search becomes crowded.

Stock-price and governance moves precede CEO turnover announcements

Peer-reviewed

Warner, J.B., Watts, R.L., & Wruck, K.H.

Stock prices and top management changes - Journal of Financial Economics - 1988

Key finding: Equity markets react around (and before) management change events, indicating information is partially incorporated early

Peer-reviewed

Huson, M.R., Parrino, R., & Starks, L.T.

Internal monitoring mechanisms and CEO turnover: A long-term perspective - The Journal of Finance - 2001

Key finding: Internal governance/monitoring structures significantly shape turnover probability; early signals appear in board and control-system changes

Why this matters for you: Performance stress, governance changes, and board actions are leading indicators for executive transitions. These signals surface weeks or months before formal announcements.

Board context and firm performance shape transition probability in measurable ways

Peer-reviewed

Parrino, R.

CEO turnover and outside succession: A cross-sectional analysis - Journal of Financial Economics - 1997

Key finding: Poor firm performance and governance context are strongly associated with turnover and outsider succession

Peer-reviewed

Jenter, D., & Kanaan, F.

CEO turnover and relative performance evaluation - The Journal of Finance - 2015

Key finding: Boards respond to both firm-specific and peer-relative performance; transitions are predictable from comparative benchmarks

Why this matters for you: Transitions aren't random events. They follow measurable conditions: underperformance, governance change, new strategic direction. Executives who monitor these conditions can detect probability shifts before others.

Weak signals matter because they surface directional change before formal confirmation

Internal

How we estimate early role signals - Starting Monday blog

Key finding: Starting Monday detects role-shaping signals 1-3 weeks before broad-market channels; weak signal detection is the primary value

Why this matters for you: The window between when insiders know a transition is coming and when it becomes public is narrow but valuable. Leaders who move during that window get better outcomes.

Why coaching works and when it doesn't

Executive Coaching & Performance

Executive coaching is one of the few high-leverage interventions available during major transitions. But not all coaching is equal. The research shows what drives coaching ROI: clarity of mechanism, explicit context between sessions, accountability, and behavior follow-through.

A new executive role is high-stress, high-visibility, and unforgiving. The first 90 days set trajectories that are hard to reset. Research on executive coaching shows it can meaningfully improve outcomes - but only when it's structured around actual behavior change, not just advice or emotional support.

Coaching produces measurable improvements in performance, wellbeing, and coping

Peer-reviewed

Theeboom, T., Beersma, B., & van Vianen, A.E.M.

Does coaching work? A meta-analysis on the effects of coaching on individual-level outcomes in an organizational context - The Journal of Positive Psychology - 2014

Key finding: Meta-analysis across multiple studies shows positive effects of coaching across performance, wellbeing, and coping outcomes

Peer-reviewed

Jones, R.J., Woods, S.A., & Guillaume, Y.R.F.

The effectiveness of workplace coaching: A meta-analysis of learning and performance outcomes from coaching - Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology - 2016

Key finding: Workplace coaching is associated with improvements in skills and work performance; effect sizes are medium to large

Why this matters for you: Coaching works. The question is not whether to use it, but how to structure it for maximum ROI during a transition.

Coaching outcomes depend on relationship quality, self-efficacy, and explicit mechanisms

Peer-reviewed

de Haan, E., Duckworth, A., Birch, D., & Jones, C.

Executive coaching outcome research: The contribution of common factors such as relationship, personality match, and self-efficacy - Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research - 2013

Key finding: Coaching relationship quality and self-efficacy are major outcome drivers; explicit mechanism clarity matters

Internal

Coaching outcomes improve when the mechanism and context between sessions are made explicit - Starting Monday method materials

Key finding: When coaching is grounded in explicit goals, observed behavior patterns, and clear next actions, outcomes improve materially

Why this matters for you: The best coaching doesn't just provide advice. It makes the mechanism explicit, builds on observed behavior, and ensures follow-through between sessions.

Coaching linked to sustained improvement in multisource feedback and peer perception

Peer-reviewed

Smither, J.W., London, M., Flautt, R., Vargas, Y., & Kucine, I.

Can working with an executive coach improve multisource feedback ratings over time? A quasi-experimental field study - Personnel Psychology - 2003

Key finding: Coaching linked to greater improvement in multisource ratings over time; effect is sustained at follow-up

Why this matters for you: Coaching's impact isn't just internal - it changes how peers and direct reports perceive an executive. That's crucial for new-role credibility.

What coaches actually do for you: improve decision quality, accelerate insight, build accountability

Industry

Coutu, D., & Kauffman, C.

What Can Coaches Do for You? - Harvard Business Review - 2009

Key finding: High-value coaching focuses on decision quality under uncertainty, not on being liked or feeling supported

Why this matters for you: Coaching isn't counseling. It's a structured process for improving decision quality when stakes are high and time is scarce.

What the research says about what coaches and job seekers actually need

Coaching for Career Transitions

Career transition coaching lives or dies between sessions. The client needs execution infrastructure, not just strategic conversation. The coach needs to see what actually happened, not just hear a verbal status update.

The research is clear: between-session tracking predicts outcomes more strongly than session quality alone. Implementation plans, structured accountability, and external visibility produce follow-through materially higher than intention alone. For executives in active search, that gap is measured in weeks.

Between-session homework and tracking are the strongest predictors of coaching outcome quality

Peer-reviewed

Jones, R.J., Woods, S.A., & Guillaume, Y.R.F.

The effectiveness of workplace coaching: A meta-analysis of learning and performance outcomes from coaching - Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology - 2016

Key finding: Goal-setting and homework assignments were the most significant predictors of coaching outcome quality in 57-study meta-analysis. Effect on performance: d=0.55.

Peer-reviewed

Bozer, G. & Jones, R.J.

Understanding the factors that determine workplace coaching effectiveness: A systematic literature review - European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology - 2018

Key finding: Structured check-ins between sessions and explicit performance feedback are the most consistent moderators of coaching effectiveness across literature.

Why this matters for you: Coaches who have visibility into client execution between sessions - not just a verbal update - can give more precise feedback. That precision is what drives outcome improvement.

Specific plans with if-then structure produce 3x higher follow-through than intentions alone

Peer-reviewed

Gollwitzer, P.M.

Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans - American Psychologist - 1999

Key finding: If-then implementation intentions ("When situation X occurs, I will do Y") dramatically increase follow-through - approximately 3x stronger than simple goal intention alone.

Peer-reviewed

Locke, E.A. & Latham, G.P.

Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation - American Psychologist - 2002

Key finding: Specific, challenging goals with feedback loops produce significantly higher performance than "do your best" goals. Feedback is required - without it, goal effects decay.

Why this matters for you: Weekly prep briefs and commitment tracking are not administrative overhead. They are the mechanism by which intention becomes action. Removing them reduces campaign consistency.

Weak ties - not closest contacts - produce the most executive job leads

Peer-reviewed

Rajkumar, K., Saint-Jacques, G., Bojinov, I., Brynjolfsson, E., & Aral, S.

A causal test of the strength of weak ties - Science - 2022

Key finding: Randomized experiment on 20M+ LinkedIn users: moderately weak ties produced highest job mobility. Weakest ties by interaction intensity had greatest impact. Strong ties had least impact on job transmission.

Peer-reviewed

Granovetter, M.S.

The strength of weak ties - American Journal of Sociology - 1973

Key finding: Weak social ties carry non-redundant information from different social clusters, making them more effective for job information transmission than close-network connections.

Why this matters for you: Coaching clients who only activate inner-circle contacts are working the least productive part of their network. Signal monitoring and structured outreach to moderate ties systematically outperforms intensive inner-circle work.

Strategic network quality - not functional depth - predicts senior transition success

Industry

Ibarra, H. & Hunter, M.L.

How leaders create and use networks - Harvard Business Review - 2007

Key finding: Senior leaders need three network types: personal (mentors), operational (current role), and strategic (next role). Strategic network quality is the differentiator during leadership transitions - and the most underdeveloped.

Why this matters for you: Most executives are overinvested in operational networks and underinvested in strategic ones. The coaching value here is helping clients consciously build the strategic tier before a search begins.

ICF data: career coaching is a top-3 coaching niche; clients increasingly expect credentials

Industry

International Coaching Federation / PricewaterhouseCoopers

Global Coaching Study Executive Summary 2023 - International Coaching Federation - 2023

Key finding: Based on 14,591 coaches globally. Career-related coaching is in top 3 coaching niches. 73% of clients expect a coaching credential. Global industry revenue reached $4.56B in 2022, up 60% since 2019.

Industry

International Coaching Federation / PricewaterhouseCoopers

Global Coaching Study 2025 Key Findings - International Coaching Federation - 2025

Key finding: 122,974 active coaches globally (record). Revenue estimated at $5.34B. 60% of coaches now offer training; 57% offer consulting. Most expect growth through client volume, signaling demand for coach delivery infrastructure.

Why this matters for you: The market for executive career coaching is large and growing. Clients are increasingly credentialed-expectant and result-oriented. Coaches who can demonstrate outcomes - not just process - will grow faster.

Pre-launch visibility in executive search produces 2.5x shortlist rate vs. post-launch response

Industry

Spencer Stuart

Board Monitor US: What Boards Look For in Executive Candidates - Spencer Stuart - 2023

Key finding: Most C-suite appointments are made through relationship referrals before public posting. Candidates visible in targeted networks before a search launches appear on shortlists at 2.5x the rate of those who respond after posting.

Industry

Heidrick & Struggles

Route to the Top: A Longitudinal Study of Chief Executive Officers - Heidrick & Struggles - 2022

Key finding: 73% of new CEO appointments come from internal succession or known external candidates. External winners had built sustained relationships with board members and search advisors well before any formal opening.

Why this matters for you: Coaching clients who wait for a job posting to launch outreach are entering a search that is already 6-12 months old. The entire pre-launch window is where coaching infrastructure - signal monitoring, relationship activation - produces compounding returns.

Why the first 90 days shape long-term outcomes

Executive Onboarding & Transition

A new executive role starts in a cone of uncertainty: unclear expectations, incomplete context, competing stakeholder needs, and high visibility. How an executive navigates that cone predicts whether the transition succeeds or stalls.

The research on executive transitions is clear: the first 90 days are disproportionately important. Outcomes set during this period are difficult to change later. Executives who structure their early days around role clarity, stakeholder alignment, and quick wins outperform those who wing it.

Role clarity, social acceptance, and learning are the strongest predictors of successful adjustment

Peer-reviewed

Bauer, T.N., Bodner, T., Erdogan, B., Truxillo, D.M., & Tucker, J.S.

Newcomer adjustment during organizational socialization: A meta-analytic review of antecedents, outcomes, and methods - Journal of Applied Psychology - 2007

Key finding: Role clarity, social acceptance, and learning strongly predict successful adjustment; these can be deliberately engineered

Why this matters for you: Successful transitions aren't luck. They result from deliberate focus on understanding the role, building relationships, and learning the context quickly.

Structured socialization resources materially improve newcomer outcomes

Peer-reviewed

Saks, A.M., & Gruman, J.A.

Getting Newcomers On Board: A Review of Socialization Practices and Introduction to Socialization Resources Theory - The Oxford Handbook of Organizational Socialization - 2012

Key finding: Structured onboarding resources (mentors, guides, check-ins) significantly improve newcomer adjustment and productivity

Why this matters for you: Leaving onboarding to chance is a common mistake. Executives who design their first 90 days deliberately outperform those who react to what comes.

Successor type and post-succession team changes shape performance outcomes

Peer-reviewed

Shen, W., & Cannella, A.A.

Revisiting the performance consequences of CEO succession - Academy of Management Journal - 2002

Key finding: Successor type, insider vs. outsider dynamics, and team changes significantly predict post-succession performance

Why this matters for you: Your early team moves, trust-building patterns, and stakeholder relationships are not separate from performance - they are performance.

Five common pitfalls derail new executives in the first 24 months

Industry

5 Pitfalls That Derail CEOs in the First 24 Months - Spencer Stuart

Key finding: Common first-year pitfalls include moving too fast, misreading stakeholder positions, and underestimating internal complexity

Why this matters for you: Most executive failures are predictable. They follow recognizable patterns. Awareness + planning can prevent them.

Why intention is cheap and consistency is rare

Behavior Change & Implementation

The gap between intention and action is universal. Executives intend to build relationships, follow up on opportunities, and prepare thoroughly. But most don't. The research on behavior change shows why - and how to close that gap.

A new executive role requires dozens of small, consistent actions: preparation before meetings, follow-ups after conversations, relationship check-ins, continuous learning. Executives who excel aren't necessarily smarter - they're better at converting intention into consistent action. The research shows how to do this: implementation plans, explicit goals, progress monitoring, and accountability.

If-then implementation plans substantially increase goal enactment under uncertainty

Peer-reviewed

Gollwitzer, P.M.

Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans - American Psychologist - 1999

Key finding: If-then plans ("If I have coffee with the CEO, then I will ask X") dramatically increase the likelihood of intended behavior

Peer-reviewed

Gollwitzer, P.M., & Sheeran, P.

Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes - Advances in Experimental Social Psychology - 2006

Key finding: Implementation intentions produce reliable medium-to-large effects across diverse contexts; effect strengthens under stress and complexity

Internal

Concrete implementation plans outperform vague intent when behavior must happen under uncertainty - Starting Monday method materials

Key finding: When executives move from intention ("I should reach out") to implementation plan ("I will email X by Wednesday with Y message"), completion rates increase 2-3x

Why this matters for you: Micro-commitments and specific action triggers are not overkill - they're the difference between intention and outcome.

Specific, difficult goals improve performance when commitment and feedback exist

Peer-reviewed

Locke, E.A., & Latham, G.P.

Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey - American Psychologist - 2002

Key finding: Specific, moderately difficult goals with commitment and regular feedback produce 20-40% performance improvements

Why this matters for you: Vague goals ("Have good relationships") don't work. Specific goals with feedback ("Complete 3 relationship check-ins this week") do.

Progress monitoring improves goal attainment; effects strengthen with public recording

Peer-reviewed

Harkin, B., Webb, T.L., Chang, B.P.I., et al.

Does monitoring goal progress promote goal attainment? A meta-analysis of experimental evidence - Psychological Bulletin - 2016

Key finding: Progress monitoring improves goal attainment; effects are largest when monitoring is frequent, visible, and shared

Why this matters for you: Weekly dashboards and visible progress tracking aren't administrative overhead - they're levers for better outcomes.

Feedback effectiveness depends on framing and attention focus

Peer-reviewed

Kluger, A.N., & DeNisi, A.

The effects of feedback interventions on performance: A historical review, a meta-analysis, and a preliminary feedback intervention theory - Psychological Bulletin - 1996

Key finding: Feedback improves performance on average, but poorly designed feedback can hurt; framing and focus matter greatly

Why this matters for you: Not all feedback helps. Feedback that focuses on task vs. self, and that includes actionable next steps, works best.

Why network position shapes leadership effectiveness

Organizational Visibility & Influence

Leadership effectiveness is not isolated. It's embedded in how an executive is positioned within organizational networks, how they communicate strategic context, and how they navigate stakeholder relationships.

An executive who is technically strong but organizationally isolated will struggle. One who has invested in strategic relationships, clear communication, and key stakeholder alignment will outperform. This isn't politics - it's how organizations actually work.

Political skill is measurable and linked to leadership influence and team effectiveness

Peer-reviewed

Ferris, G.R., Treadway, D.C., Kolodinsky, R.W., et al.

Development and validation of the Political Skill Inventory - Journal of Management - 2005

Key finding: Political skill is a measurable competency that predicts leadership influence, team performance, and stakeholder relationships

Peer-reviewed

Ahearn, K.K., Ferris, G.R., Hochwarter, W.A., Douglas, C., & Ammeter, A.P.

Leader political skill and team performance - Journal of Management - 2004

Key finding: Leader political skill predicts stronger team performance through improved stakeholder engagement and influence

Why this matters for you: Organizational navigation isn't optional. It's central to leadership effectiveness.

Leadership effectiveness is embedded in network position and relationship quality

Peer-reviewed

Balkundi, P., & Kilduff, M.

The ties that lead: A social network approach to leadership - The Leadership Quarterly - 2006

Key finding: Leadership effectiveness is embedded in network structure; central network positions predict influence and outcomes

Why this matters for you: Who you know and how you're positioned matters as much as what you know.

Strategic communication quality links to organizational outcomes and stakeholder alignment

Peer-reviewed

Men, L.R.

Strategic internal communication: Transformational leadership, communication channels, and employee satisfaction - Management Communication Quarterly - 2014

Key finding: Strategic communication quality links to stronger organizational outcomes, employee engagement, and stakeholder trust

Peer-reviewed

Men, L.R.

Why leadership matters to internal communication: Linking transformational leadership, symmetrical communication, and employee outcomes - Journal of Public Relations Research - 2014

Key finding: Leadership communication style influences trust and engagement outcomes; clarity and consistency matter more than frequency

Why this matters for you: How you communicate about the role, strategy, and organizational direction shapes how people perceive you and respond to your leadership.

From evidence to execution

The Evidence Hub explains why and what we believe. Explore the broader positioning and operating context next.

All sources

Complete source index

All sources are organized by category below. Each entry includes the original source URL or DOI so you can verify and explore the research yourself.

Peer-reviewed research

Spence, M. - Job market signaling - The Quarterly Journal of Economics (1973)

https://doi.org/10.2307/1882010

Akerlof, G.A. - The market for "lemons": Quality uncertainty and the market mechanism - The Quarterly Journal of Economics (1970)

https://doi.org/10.2307/1879431

Warner, J.B., Watts, R.L., & Wruck, K.H. - Stock prices and top management changes - Journal of Financial Economics (1988)

https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(88)90054-2

Parrino, R. - CEO turnover and outside succession: A cross-sectional analysis - Journal of Financial Economics (1997)

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(97)00028-7

Huson, M.R., Parrino, R., & Starks, L.T. - Internal monitoring mechanisms and CEO turnover: A long-term perspective - The Journal of Finance (2001)

https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-1082.00405

Jenter, D., & Kanaan, F. - CEO turnover and relative performance evaluation - The Journal of Finance (2015)

https://doi.org/10.1111/jofi.12282

Theeboom, T., Beersma, B., & van Vianen, A.E.M. - Does coaching work? A meta-analysis on the effects of coaching on individual-level outcomes in an organizational context - The Journal of Positive Psychology (2014)

https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2013.837499

Jones, R.J., Woods, S.A., & Guillaume, Y.R.F. - The effectiveness of workplace coaching: A meta-analysis of learning and performance outcomes from coaching - Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology (2016)

https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12119

de Haan, E., Duckworth, A., Birch, D., & Jones, C. - Executive coaching outcome research: The contribution of common factors such as relationship, personality match, and self-efficacy - Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research (2013)

https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031635

Smither, J.W., London, M., Flautt, R., Vargas, Y., & Kucine, I. - Can working with an executive coach improve multisource feedback ratings over time? A quasi-experimental field study - Personnel Psychology (2003)

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2003.tb00142.x

Bauer, T.N., Bodner, T., Erdogan, B., Truxillo, D.M., & Tucker, J.S. - Newcomer adjustment during organizational socialization: A meta-analytic review of antecedents, outcomes, and methods - Journal of Applied Psychology (2007)

https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.707

Saks, A.M., & Gruman, J.A. - Getting Newcomers On Board: A Review of Socialization Practices and Introduction to Socialization Resources Theory - The Oxford Handbook of Organizational Socialization (2012)

https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199763672.013.0003

Shen, W., & Cannella, A.A. - Revisiting the performance consequences of CEO succession - Academy of Management Journal (2002)

https://doi.org/10.2307/3069306

Gollwitzer, P.M. - Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans - American Psychologist (1999)

https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.54.7.493

Gollwitzer, P.M., & Sheeran, P. - Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes - Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (2006)

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1

Locke, E.A., & Latham, G.P. - Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey - American Psychologist (2002)

https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705

Harkin, B., Webb, T.L., Chang, B.P.I., et al. - Does monitoring goal progress promote goal attainment? A meta-analysis of experimental evidence - Psychological Bulletin (2016)

https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000025

Kluger, A.N., & DeNisi, A. - The effects of feedback interventions on performance: A historical review, a meta-analysis, and a preliminary feedback intervention theory - Psychological Bulletin (1996)

https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.119.2.254

Ferris, G.R., Treadway, D.C., Kolodinsky, R.W., et al. - Development and validation of the Political Skill Inventory - Journal of Management (2005)

https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206304271386

Ahearn, K.K., Ferris, G.R., Hochwarter, W.A., Douglas, C., & Ammeter, A.P. - Leader political skill and team performance - Journal of Management (2004)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jm.2003.01.004

Balkundi, P., & Kilduff, M. - The ties that lead: A social network approach to leadership - The Leadership Quarterly (2006)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2006.01.001

Men, L.R. - Strategic internal communication: Transformational leadership, communication channels, and employee satisfaction - Management Communication Quarterly (2014)

https://doi.org/10.1177/0893318914524536

Men, L.R. - Why leadership matters to internal communication: Linking transformational leadership, symmetrical communication, and employee outcomes - Journal of Public Relations Research (2014)

https://doi.org/10.1080/1062726X.2014.908719

Industry publications & research

Internal evidence & pilot data

Ready to apply this research?

Starting Monday takes the frameworks and evidence above and translates them into a practical operating system for your executive transition. See how other executives are using research-based approaches to move faster, prepare better, and reach opportunities earlier.