Companies are increasingly relying on backchanneling to evaluate executive candidates, often before they’ve even had a proper discussion. This practice can lead to significant mistakes, as many competent leaders don’t have universal appeal. Executives who make tough decisions usually frustrate some people. Relying too heavily on early feedback can filter out candidates who are effective but may not be seen as “low friction.” The author shares insights from Stripe, where the hiring of executives from other companies didn’t always yield successful outcomes. The problem often lay not in their talent but in the unique demands of Stripe’s operating model. Leaders who thrived at other firms sometimes struggled because the expectations and organizational culture were markedly different. Labels like “too intense” or “hard to work with” don’t capture the complexities of these situations; they oversimplify and misrepresent the challenges of the role. Backchanneling can rob the hiring process of nuance when done prematurely. The key questions should focus on the specific problems a candidate was hired to address and the reactions their decisions evoked. This approach helps differentiate between genuine concerns and necessary friction. Companies looking for executives who can drive change need to engage more deeply in the hiring process, understanding the role and its demands first before deferring to external opinions.