As Global Head of Research & Leadership Advisory at JRG Partners, I want to lay out what actually works here, because the gap between common practice and best practice on this topic is wide. Reference checking is treated as a formality, a final call to references the candidate chose, who say nice things. That version is nearly worthless. The reference that reveals the most is the one to a former direct report, which almost nobody does, because how someone leads is visible from below in ways it never is from above or beside.
Key Takeaways
- Standard reference checks, to candidate-chosen references, are near-worthless formalities.
- The most revealing reference is often a former direct report, rarely consulted.
- How someone leads shows from below in ways invisible from above or beside.
- Direct reports reveal a candidate’s true leadership, not just their upward impression.
- Combining direct-report, peer, and back-channel references gives the fullest picture.
Why Standard Reference Checks Fail
The typical reference check, calling the references a candidate provided, is nearly useless: candidates choose references who will praise them, and the calls confirm what everyone expects. This formality provides false reassurance without real information. The candidates’ curated references reflect the favorable view they want presented, and a check limited to them tells you little you did not already assume. Real reference checking must go beyond the chosen, favorable references to sources that reveal the candidate as they actually are.
The View From Below
Leadership is experienced most fully by those led. A candidate’s former direct reports know how they actually lead, whether they develop or diminish people, how they behave under pressure, whether their upward-facing polish matches their downward-facing reality, in ways superiors and peers cannot see. The view from below reveals the leadership that matters most, and it is precisely the view that standard reference checking never captures. Talking to former direct reports is the reference check that reveals the truth.
What Direct Reports Reveal
Former direct reports can speak to the questions that most predict leadership success: Did this person develop their people or exploit them? Were they fair and honest, or political and self-serving? Did they lead with integrity when no superior was watching? Was the impressive exterior matched by substance? These are the questions that determine whether a leader is genuinely good, and they are answered most truthfully by those who worked under the candidate, not those who worked above or beside them.
Sourcing Direct-Report References
Direct-report references usually will not come from the candidate, so they must be sourced independently, through the network, with appropriate discretion, much like back-channel references. This requires effort and care, identifying former reports and reaching them thoughtfully, but it is precisely this effort that yields the reference nobody else does and the information everyone else misses. A search partner’s network is often essential to sourcing these references well and discreetly.
Building the Full Reference Picture
The direct-report reference is most powerful combined with others: peers (how the candidate collaborates), former superiors (how they were led and performed upward), and back-channel sources (the unfiltered view). Together, this 360 picture, with the crucial and usually-missing view from below, reveals the candidate as they actually are across relationships. Employers who build this full picture, rather than settling for the candidate’s chosen references, make leadership hires with genuine insight into how the person actually leads.
What This Looks Like in Practice
In practice, the reference check that reveals the most involves independently sourcing and thoughtfully approaching former direct reports, asking how the candidate actually led: whether they developed people, behaved with integrity unwatched, and matched their polished exterior with substance. This is combined with peer and back-channel references to build a full 360 picture. The effort of reaching beyond the candidate’s chosen references, especially to the view from below, is what turns reference checking from a formality into a genuine window on how the candidate leads.
The Mistake Employers Keep Making
The mistake is treating reference checking as a final formality, calling the candidate’s chosen references, hearing praise, and checking the box, while never accessing the view from below that reveals how the candidate actually leads. This provides false reassurance and misses the most predictive information available. The fix is to source references independently, especially former direct reports, and build a full 360 picture rather than settling for the curated, favorable view.
The Bottom Line
The most revealing reference is the former direct report, which almost nobody does, because how someone leads is visible from below in ways it never is from above, and combining that view with peer and back-channel references turns reference checking from a formality into genuine insight. The employers who internalize this consistently out-hire their competitors, not because they spend more, but because they think more clearly about what they are actually doing.
Related Reading
For employers going deeper, see What Is a 360 Reference Check for Executive Candidates, How to Interview for Integrity, Reading Between the Lines of an Executive Résumé.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Why are standard reference checks nearly worthless?
- A: Because they call the candidate’s chosen references, who praise them, providing false reassurance without real information.
- Q: Why is a former direct report the most revealing reference?
- A: Because how someone leads is experienced most fully from below, revealing their true leadership in ways superiors and peers cannot see.
- Q: What do direct reports reveal about a candidate?
- A: Whether they developed or diminished people, behaved with integrity unwatched, and matched their polished exterior with substance.
- Q: How do you get direct-report references?
- A: By sourcing them independently through the network with discretion, since candidates will not provide them, often with a search partner’s help.
- Q: How do you build a full reference picture?
- A: By combining direct-report, peer, former-superior, and back-channel references into a 360 view that reveals the candidate as they actually are.
![](https://www.jrgpartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/tanya-gallardo.jpeg")
Tanya Gallardo
Managing Director, Executive Search & AI Talent Strategy
Tanya Gallardo is the Managing Director of Executive Search & AI Talent Strategy at JRG Partners, leading C-suite and Board engagements across key growth sectors including Technology, Financial Services, and Manufacturing.
With over 18 years of experience specializing in disruptive technology leadership, Tanya is recognized as a leading authority on talent architecture for future-focused executive roles, such as the Chief AI Officer (CAIO) and Chief Digital Officer (CDO). Her expertise lies in accurately assessing the cultural fit and technical depth required to ensure a high return on investment (ROI) for critical leadership appointments.
Prior to her role at JRG Partners, Tanya held senior roles directing global talent acquisition strategies at a major publicly-traded technology firm, advising on organizational design and succession planning for emerging executive functions. She is a recognized speaker and contributor to industry events, sharing data-driven insights on executive compensation, leadership development, and the measurable business impact of C-suite talent.
