Why leadership is not built in straight lines
Familiarity feels safest when uncertainty is highest, and right now it seems that this instinct is quietly reshaping how organisations are hiring. There’s always been a natural pull towards candidates who’ve done it before – be that in the same sector, or simply in organisations that feel reassuringly familiar. It’s hard to get away from the fact that when the stakes are high, the cookie-cutter approach can feel like the safest choice.
Not so long ago, the market showed a greater appetite for backing leaders who brought something different often because they had followed a less conventional path. In today’s climate, however, the dial has shifted and caution is winning out. Individuals are taking a more considered approach to opportunities, hiring decisions are more conservative, and we are finding that non-linear careers are harder to back.
I’m not advocating ‘different’ for the sake of it: context always matters and sometimes a more proven profile is exactly what is needed. But it is the balance between ‘safe’ and more unorthodox choices that ultimately strengthens organisations — creating the conditions for growth and challenge.
Many leaders best equipped to navigate uncertainty have not followed a straight path, often building experience across different sectors and organisations: from corporates to non-profits to the public sector. Moving between different environments forces people to adapt to new constraints, new expectations, new stakeholders, new definitions of success. It also exposes them to different organisational cultures – how decisions are made, how risk is viewed, and how success is measured. It strengthens their ability to navigate and influence organisational dynamics. Over time that creates something more valuable than experience alone; it builds the resilience and adaptability that organisations consistently say they need.
At Taylor Birchwood, this is exactly the kind of thinking we continue to challenge — both amongst ourselves and with our clients. Time and again, we see that less conventional profiles often bring broader perspective, stronger judgement and a greater capacity to adapt when circumstances change. The irony is hard to ignore: in a world defined by disruption, organisations are hiring for certainty when what they really need is adaptability. And in doing so, it risks overlooking the very people best equipped to lead through change.
Author: Annabel Prideaux, Associate Partner
Annabel leads TB3, Taylor Birchwood’s non-profit practice, where she partners with charities, foundations and purpose-led organisations to build the leadership teams that carry their missions forward.
Published: June 2026