OM-WISER™ is a diagnostic framework that de-risks leadership transformation. It defines the conditions, mandate, and metrics required for Data, AI, and Technology leaders to deliver measurable value.
It is how we distil Data, AI and Technology Leadership hiring down to a science.
What it measures: How your organisation is structured, governed, and matured in its use of Data, AI, and Technology. Including decision rights, ownership, and operating model.
Why it matters: If accountability and influence are unclear, even the best leader will struggle to create impact or drive change.
What it measures: The financial reality of the role. Things like compensation, budget authority, transformation investment, and expected return.
Why it matters: Leaders cannot deliver value without clear funding, credible ROI expectations, and the authority to deploy resources effectively.
What it measures: The true purpose of the hire and will usually be centred around a business problem to solve or opportunity to unlock.
Why it matters: Without a clearly defined “why,” leadership roles become reactive, misaligned, and difficult to measure.
What it measures: The readiness of your data, AI, and technology foundations, such as platforms, architecture, data quality, scalability, and constraints.
Why it matters: Strategy and ambition fail when the underlying infrastructure cannot support them, regardless of leadership capability.
What it measures: Alignment between business strategy and Data, AI, and Technology priorities across the short, medium, and long term.
Why it matters: When strategy is unclear or fragmented, leaders execute disconnected initiatives that don’t move the business forward.
What it measures: The cultural, political, and behavioural context the leader will operate within. Including stakeholders, influence, and change tolerance.
Why it matters: A strong leader placed into the wrong environment will fail, no matter how capable they are.
What it measures: The clarity and credibility of the role itself. Scope, the nitty-gritty details, authority, KPIs, and success metrics, etc.
Why it matters: It takes everything we’ve measured so far and integrates it into a clearly defined brief and role that accelerates impact, reduces friction, and ensure leaders are set up to succeed from day one.
This process produces a report that turns leadership hiring into a strategic act of organisational design. This methodology, including quantitative research methods, optimises the search process for any Data, AI, or Technology leader, regardless of the role’s specific complexity.
I’m giving away the basics of my methodology so more companies can hire strategically.
To avoid overwhelming you, I’ve broken it down into 7 daily emails.
*OM-WISER is a trademark of Talos Executive Search. All rights reserved.*