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Hiring Rockstars & Culture Carriers

People are your most important asset, tool, and lever. Learn from my mistakes hiring hundreds of employees, contractors, and vendors across my career.

Building Great Teams

Built, Not Bought

Great teams are built, not bought (not to be confused with being paid well based on performance).

Own Your Hiring Process

Skip the recruiters (except for senior execs) and own your hiring process.

Cost of Bad Hires

Bad hires cost more than empty seats, and every hire either raises or lowers your bar.

Step 1: Figure Out What the Role Requires

1

Study Your Best People

Look at your top 3 performers in similar roles. What traits do they share? What behaviors lead to their success? How do they approach problems? What makes them different from average performers?

2

Review Role Focus

Review what the role will focus on, along with what success looks like 1, 3, and 6 months out. Define what would indicate a low score for a particular trait vs. a high score.

3

Map Traits to Interview Questions

Map traits to interview questions. Be sure to drill down several layers to get a sense of how the candidate thinks and how deep their contributions really were.

Example: Mapping Traits to Questions

Additional Traits to Test

Complex stakeholder management

Trait to Test: Diplomatic leadership

How to Test It: "Tell me about a time you had to get buy-in from multiple departments with competing priorities."

Data-driven decision making

Trait to Test: Analytical thinking

How to Test It: Present messy data set and ask for insights and action plan

Team development

Trait to Test: Coaching ability

How to Test It: "Walk me through how you've developed your direct reports."

Crisis management

Trait to Test: Grace under pressure

How to Test It: "Tell me about your biggest professional crisis. Walk me through each decision."

Step 2: How to Interview

1

Initial Screen (30 mins)

Start with: "Tell me about your most significant accomplishment."

Deep Dive Questions:

  • What was the real problem?
  • How did you influence others?
  • What would you do differently?
  • Where did you take initiative?
  • How did you measure success?
2

Deep Dive (60 mins)

Performance Review (30 mins): Track record of impact

  • Proudest achievement?
  • Biggest challenge?
  • Worst failure?

Problem Solving (30 mins): Real-time thinking

Present current business problem and observe:

  • Question quality
  • Thinking structure
  • Implementation focus

Team Round or Presentation (45 mins)

Present Passion Topic

Purpose: Communication skills

What to Watch For: Teaching ability, engagement

Solve Team Problem

Purpose: Collaboration style

What to Watch For: How they work with others

Q&A with Team

Purpose: Cultural fit

What to Watch For: Energy impact, curiosity

Values Alignment

Here's an example using Yes If's dominant value: Do The Work Others Won't

Interview Question

"Tell me about a time when everyone else took the easy path, but you chose the harder, better way. Walk me through your decision."

What to Look For

  • Takes on unglamorous tasks
  • Puts in extra effort for better results
  • Doesn't wait for others to solve problems

Red Flags

  • Complains about "not my job"
  • Only does the minimum required
  • Looks for shortcuts that compromise quality

Strong vs Weak Answers

Strong Answer Includes

  • Specific example of extra effort
  • Clear results from extra work
  • Pride in doing tough jobs

Weak Answer Includes

  • Vague references to "working hard"
  • No measurable impact
  • Resentment about workload

Remember: Look for patterns across all values. One perfect score doesn't overcome multiple red flags.

Interview Notes Template

Step 3: Making An Offer

Reference Check Questions

1

"Would you hire them again?"

2

"What type of role would they excel in?"

3

"How do they handle pressure?"

4

"What support do they need?"

5

"Where do they need to grow?"

Decision Making Criteria

Clear Yes Signs

  • Evidence backs claims
  • Team is excited
  • Questions show depth
  • Already thinking impact
  • Strong references

Clear No Signs

  • More talk than proof
  • Waits for instructions
  • Blames others
  • Vague examples
  • Low curiosity

Remember: Every hire is a culture carrier. Make sure they carry the right culture.