How a Bad CEO Hire at Boeing Led to 300 Deaths

How a Bad CEO Hire at Boeing Led to 300 Deaths. In this interview, Tom Verboven, a senior director who assesses executive talent for Fortune 500 companies, uses the tragic case of Boeing to illustrate the life-or-death stakes of leadership selection. He explains how hiring a CEO who didn't embrace the company's "safety first" culture resulted in catastrophic quality issues, hundreds of deaths, and a collapse in share price. Tom also reveals why hiring a new CEO is statistically a "50/50 gamble," like flipping a coin. We discuss the hidden forces of "bias" and "noise"—like whether an interviewer is hungry, hot, or if their favorite sports team lost—that unconsciously impact critical hiring decisions. Finally, we explore the dangers of using AI in hiring and why, without proper oversight, it will likely reinforce biases to only select "white male, 45 plus" candidates. Check out the company: https://thetalententerprise.com

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🕒 CHAPTERS

00:00 - My Accidental Career Assessing Leaders

03:31 - Why Most Companies Use the Wrong "Success Profile"

07:11 - How Do You Assess Creativity and Innovation?

10:41 - Why Hiring a New CEO is a 50/50 Gamble

14:44 - The Boeing Example: A Bad Hire, 300 Deaths

18:30 - "Noise": How Hunger, Heat & Sports Bias Your Decisions

22:16 - The Unseen Dangers of AI in Hiring

29:49 - Why AI Will Only Hire White Men

33:33 - My Job Will Be Replaced By an Algorithm

40:53 - The Most Important Trait in Any Leader

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