Atlanta, GA, April 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Private equity firms hold portfolio companies to a standard where every major decision, including key hires, is tied to measurable outcomes and performance indicators. A new book argues that rigor belongs in every organization’s talent process, not just in ones backed by institutional capital.
Available May 5, 2026 on Amazon
Cipher®: A Proven Framework to Hire the Best People, published by Third Act Publishers, is the first book by Craig della Penna, a talent strategy advisor with 25 years of experience working inside Fortune 100 companies, PE-backed portfolio businesses, and founder-led organizations.
During his extensive career, della Penna found many hiring managers spend a significant amount of time evaluating candidates without first defining what the successful candidate needs to deliver in the role. As a result, the hiring process defaults to impression management rather than being a true predictor of job performance.
Cipher addresses that gap. Managers and companies use the framework to define clear, measurable benchmarks for a role before any candidate is evaluated. Interviews and assessments then look at potential hires through the lens of aligned criteria using a common rubric.
The stakes are significant. Roughly 46% of new hires fail within 18 months, according to a recent study. For growth-stage companies, where leadership bandwidth is limited and each hire is mission critical, that failure rate carries significant consequences.
Cipher is available on Amazon beginning May 5, 2026.
Craig della Penna
About Third Act Publishers
About Third Act Publishers: Founded by Melissa Thomas-Dubois, an award-winning writer, entrepreneur, and marketer with 30 years helping leaders and companies cut through the noise, the company helps people turn their wisdom into books worth reading. As proud members of PEN American and the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), they uphold the principle that every voice deserves to be heard.
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