At Longtail, we believe in the power of evidence-based leadership. Bart Dietz, co-founder of Longtail and Assistant Professor at the Rotterdam School of Management, regularly conducts research on performance and leadership. Here, we share insights from our own research, practical recommendations, and scientifically-based strategies. Discover how data and proven methods contribute to success and the development of exceptional leadership.
17 October 2026
Corporates place considerable emphasis on growth potential when hiring for leadership positions. Yet when a board-level role becomes vacant, there is not always a successor ready to step up. One important reason lies in the type of candidate being selected.
27 May 2026
With the World Cup approaching, we gladly look at valuable insights from elite sports. At Longtail Search & Interim, everything revolves around recognizing top talent. How do you select the future standouts before their great successes become visible? Recent scientific research into the methodology of football scouting reveals a surprising number of parallels to the business world.
24 May 2026
AS Watson asked Longtail to search for interim managers for positions in finance and supply chain. With our Development Driven Search® approach, we went beyond CVs and availability and found motivated professionals who were the right fit.
27 April 2026
Organizations often look for well-rounded leaders. Research shows that performance primarily comes from distinctive strengths, not from average profiles.
23 November 2025
New research by Sunny Lee (University College London) and Bart Dietz (Erasmus University & Advisory Partner at Longtail Search & Interim) shows that traditional assumptions about what attracts talent do not always hold true.
18 August 2025
Many organizations focus their talent management efforts solely on finding and developing so-called “A-players”: top performers with high potential. Logical, you might think, but that’s only half the story. According to Huselid, Beatty and Becker (2005), it’s not about who you hire, but where you deploy them.
24 July 2025
What distinguishes a company that remains stuck in mediocrity for months from one that quickly sets direction and delivers results? The answer lies in the quality of leadership during times of change — and in these moments, A-players serving as interim managers or fractional executives play a pivotal role.