About this episode

Peter Gray discusses recruitment challenges and strategies for jobseekers and employers.

Peter Gray (linkedin.com/in/graypeter/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/graypeter/], petergraysearch.com [https://www.petergraysearch.com/]), a social impact executive recruiter and founder of Peter Gray Executive Search, joins host Dan Freehling (contempusleadership.com [https://contempusleadership.com]). Peter shares lessons from placing more than 40 CEOs and over 200 strategic hires, offering practical guidance on leadership succession, building diverse candidate slates, and avoiding the "unicorn" myth in executive hiring. He breaks down what effective recruitment actually looks like today, from standout job postings to the real way LinkedIn is used by recruiters. The conversation also explores hiring biases, including what Peter calls the "round peg bias," and makes the case for more flexible, opportunistic hiring. Peter also weighs in on trends affecting the social impact job market, including uncertainty around federal funding, and offers candid advice for both jobseekers and employers. Recommended reading: "Liar's Poker" and "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis and "When Genius Failed" by Roger Lowenstein. Show notes at forwardlookingleadership.com…

People in this episode

Host: Dan Freehling

Guest: Peter Gray

Topics covered

• recruitment
• hiring biases
• leadership succession
• diversity in hiring
• jobseeker advice
• social impact job market

Keywords

• executive search
• job postings
• hiring trends
• candidate slates
• round peg bias
• flexible hiring
• social impact

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Peter Gray Executive Search, LinkedIn, Contempus Leadership

Books & works: Liar's Poker, The Big Short, When Genius Failed

More episodes of Forward-Looking Leadership

• Eirik Gislason on Hard-Won Negotiation Lessons from NYC Real Estate, Outmaneuvering Hard Bargainers, and Getting Paid What You Deserve · April 21, 2026 · 1h 9m
• Jermaine Ee on Scaling an AI-Powered Startup, Designing for the 70%, and Not Getting to Choose Your Founder Story · April 7, 2026 · 37 min
• Ang Richard on Coaching Gen Z, Becoming a LinkedIn Top Voice, and Reimagining the Campus-to-Career Playbook · December 16, 2025 · 57 min
• Roger Kastner on Next-Level OD, IFS-Informed Coaching, and Uncovering Your Superpower · December 9, 2025 · 55 min
• Amnesty CIO Paul Smith on AI Adoption Beyond the Hype and Developing Talent Others Overlook · October 7, 2025 · 47 min
• Rokhaya Mané on What Recruiters Really Look For and the Leadership Skill That Future-Proofs Careers · August 5, 2025 · 51 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Forward-Looking Leadership podcast page.