Hiring the right person is equivalent to selling a multimillion-dollar deal! If you look at how organizations try to close a deal, they use all kinds of resources, teams and strategies. However, when it comes to the hiring process, these tools are not always utilized. After only one or two conversations, people are ready to hire. This happens when people don’t understand the importance of hiring the right person and the value that it can add to the company. I want you to think about hiring as if it’s the biggest deal you’ve ever sold because that’s the impact it could have.
The same way that hiring the right person could benefit your company, hiring the wrong person could hurt it. If you are hiring the wrong person, it’s like losing that multimillion-dollar deal. On top of them not doing the work that you hired them to do, it also negatively impacts others. Turnover, starting over from scratch, and other factors of hiring the wrong person will create friction in your growth and culture.
Nobody you hire will be perfect. I like using the NFL draft as an analogy because they don’t always get it right even after spending inordinate amounts of time, energy, and millions of dollars. You’ll never be perfect, so don’t try to be. I always say be intentional, this is essential when hiring. Be intentional with the strategies you’re using, the time you’re spending and the importance of the process.
Anybody can hire someone and put a butt in a seat. But that’s not what it’s about. You win when you hire the right person for your team, your culture and your environment. Not only is this a win for you, but it’s also a win for the candidate; they don’t want to be in the wrong position or at the wrong organization.
I encourage leaders to take their time and fully vet it out on both sides. Once you both feel like it’s the right fit, then make your move. If you’re wrong, you can correct it, but don’t make an unintentional or frivolous decision. Put in the work, time and intention, and watch how it pays off!
