HR: I’m sorry. The candidate just accepted an offer from another firm.
HM: What?! You told us she loved us, that she wanted to work for us.
HR: She did.
HM: We’re #1 in our space, you said she liked that.
HR: She did.
HM: You said she liked the team, that she thought she would fit in here.
HR: She did.
HM: I don’t understand, we are thinking of presenting her a hiring offer.

Yes. And while we were THINKING our competition was ACTING. While we waited three weeks to get that last hiring recommendation approval to be completed … Our competition flew her in to meet the key players and had her do a video call with the business partners who weren’t available. While we sat on the knowledge…… she was interviewing elsewhere… Our competition made things happen and sped up the process. While we waited a month to get a few more people into the mix for "comparison"... Our competition recognized top talent and made the call. While I debated with HR over salary requirements and asked her for her employment history and verified referrals … They put out an offer at the top end of their range to ensure the deal was done.

If you want the top talent, you need to be thoughtful, yes. But you need to be decisive. I promise you, your competition is.