Momentum Matters: Recruitment Lessons from the Fire Horse
Business rarely moves in straight lines.
It moves in cycles; expansion and restraint, confidence and caution, acceleration and pause. Leadership is less about predicting those cycles and more about recognising when one phase is giving way to another.
February 17th 2026 marks an important arrival: The Year of the Fire Horse. Whether or not you follow astrology is largely irrelevant. What’s interesting is the symbolism according to the Chinese Zodiac.
The Horse represents action, independence and forward motion. The element of Fire intensifies that energy urgency, visibility and decisive movement.
Stripped of mysticism, what remains is a useful business metaphor: 'Momentum after hesitation'
And in recruitment, hesitation has certainly defined much of the last 18–24 months.
The Cost of Standing Still
Over the past year, I’ve seen more delayed hiring decisions than at any comparable point in my career.
Not because businesses lack ambition
Not because talent isn’t available
But because uncertainty narrows appetite for risk.
Roles are opened, then paused. Processes extend. Internal alignment takes longer than expected. Caution has been understandable and in many cases, absolutely necessary!
But prolonged stillness carries consequence.
Capability gaps stretch teams
Senior leaders absorb additional pressure
Opportunities shift elsewhere.
The market doesn’t pause simply because we hesitate within it.
Speed Versus Impulse
Much of the commentary around the Fire Horse focuses on pace and bold action. But there is also a clear warning: energy without control becomes volatility.
That distinction mirrors recruitment precisely.
Speed matters | Impulse is expensive.
The strongest hiring decisions I’ve witnessed over two decades have not been rushed, but they have been decisive. There is a huge difference.
Decisiveness comes from clarity:
A clear understanding of why the role exists.
Alignment at leadership level before entering the market.
Confidence in what “good” genuinely looks like.
A willingness to act when the right person appears.
Without that clarity, organisations often default to delay, mistaking prolonged analysis for prudence.
In reality, indecision is itself a strategic risk.
Sustainable Momentum
One of the more interesting interpretations of “Horse energy” is that it is not about sprinting, it is about sustained forward movement.
Not bursts of urgency followed by recovery. But consistent, purposeful action.
In recruitment terms, this means avoiding both extremes: Over-hiring during optimism | Under-hiring during caution.
Strategic recruitment sits between those poles, aligned to long-term ambition rather than short-term sentiment.
At ReQuire, this balance has always been central to how we operate. We work at pace when required, particularly when clients find themselves needing to move quickly but pace without strategy rarely delivers long-term value.
Equally, strategy without momentum simply delays outcomes.
Our role is often to create controlled movement: ensuring that when a business decides to act, delivery is focused, aligned and on point regardless of the size or complexity of the assignment.
Leadership at Senior Level
This balance becomes even more critical at executive level.
Through ReQuire Executive, we support organisations navigating transformational change or director-led growth, where senior appointments carry significant cultural and commercial impact.
At that level, hesitation can be costly, but so can haste.
Executive hiring demands both urgency and judgement. Momentum, but measured.
The ability to move fluidly, at pace, while maintaining strategic discipline is what separates transactional recruitment from true partnership.
Because recruitment isn’t about filling roles. It’s about shaping direction.
A Useful Reflection
If the previous cycle required recalibration, refining structure, strengthening resilience, reassessing direction, perhaps this next phase requires something different.
Not recklessness. Not over-expansion. But movement.
Deliberate. Aligned. Confident.
In recruitment, as in business more broadly, standing still is rarely neutral. Momentum matters.
After all, measured momentum builds businesses.
Liam McConnell | Managing Director | ReQuire | 07969912761