I learned this the hard way running Xen Accounting, during a rough stretch of turnover where every departure piled more weight onto my shoulders.
Every single time, I rushed the next hire, and almost every time, it came back to bite me.
In this episode, I’m sharing why the busiest moments in your firm are exactly when you shouldn’t be rushing a decision, and what to do instead.
Listen below.
0:40 Simple question, uncomfortable answer: when are you most likely to make a bad hire? When you’re slammed. Backwards, right?
2:06 Every resume looks fine on paper, but sometimes nobody in the chair gives you that confident yes feeling. Hire anyway, and three months later, you could be letting them go, further behind than when you started.
3:35 Your busiest stretch is exactly when you shouldn’t rush a hire. That’s when standards need to hold firmest, not slip because exhaustion makes it tempting.
4:59 With the right attitude, technical skills are much easier to teach, software, processes, execution. Attitude itself is a different story.
6:01 Lead with attitude instead of skill. Look for humility, coachability, and problem solving under pressure, non-negotiables in every hire I make, no matter how talented someone looks on paper.
8:26 Feeling the pull to fill a seat with anyone just to ease the pressure? Slow down instead. A few extra weeks for the right person beats settling for merely available.
9:42 A rule set in a calm moment is much harder to talk yourself out of than a decision made while you’re already drowning.
