A 5-Minute Masterclass for Managers Committed To Hiring An A-Player Team

Read Time: 5 minutes.

In case you missed it, Starbucks made a high-profile hire this week.

It was an overnight, 30 billion-dollar reminder that hiring the right person is the most important decision a leader makes.

And yet, most leaders:

• Post a sanitized job description on LinkedIn

• Use keywords to select 10 decent candidates

• Spend 3 hours interviewing each of them

• Make an offer to the best one

But this approach is the opposite of what actually works:

If you want to recruit like the best leaders in the world, avoid these mistakes.

Trust me. I made them all.

Hired Too Fast

Solution: Don't hire. First, do the work with your existing team.

Worst case: You develop a deep understanding and will manage it better.
Best case: Automate, streamline, or maybe even ignore it.

You'll be shocked by how often you don't need a new hire.

This new hire will:

• Not add real value for 6 months

• Add a small tax via new interactions

• Have a large recruiting expense, both in dollars & distraction

Add that all up. That's the value hurdle they must clear for you to break even.

Hired From Desperation

Solution: Grow your community. Today's network leads to tomorrow's hires.

• Build a pipeline with intention

• Run your hiring process with urgency

• Make your selection with patience

Find who you need well before you need them.

Hired for Today

Solution: Hire for a year from now. Try to predict the team you're likely to need at year-end. Overlay:

• budget reality

• your current org

• forecasted demand

• efficiency improvement

Strive for richness in your vision, not precision in numbers.

Stress the map:

• Look for gaps in abilities, experiences, & diversity.  

• Probability weight attrition for each person.  

Even if you need to adjust to unforeseen detours, you'll be better prepared with the GPS coordinates plugged in.

Outsourced to My Recruiter

Solution: Own it like it's your job because it is.

The best managers are always recruiting. Yes, recruiters can bring their expertise and network in partnership. But the candidates will work for you, not them.  

Delegate hiring at your own peril.

Hired For a Fuzzy Role

Solution: Be as clear as you can be with what you need

• Rank needs vs. wants

• Name the archetypes that work

• Clearly define success for this role

Tip: No unicorns. Does this role exist in the world?
Now, stress your role with actual humans.

Part 1: Name the 5 people in the world who are your dream candidates

• What would it take to get them?

• Worried you don't know?

Ask recruiters for their best examples.  
Shortcut: Look to recently passed-over lieutenants and protégés.

Part 2: Name the 3-5 best internal bets

• Compare the effort to close the gap vs. getting and onboarding those dream candidates

• Run a test on the best internal candidate early in the search

Careful: Don't criticize the known (employees) & romanticize the unknown (candidates).

Accepted Applications

Solution: Craft a proactive sourcing strategy.

Post an ad on LinkedIn, and expect to get thousands of unqualified responses. Terrible leverage.

Two better options for your strategy:

Attract - you're throwing a party. You need:

• Strong vibe (culture, mission, role, people)

• Awareness (not exactly invites, but signals)

You're only limited by your own creativity.

Downside: Unwanted guests.

Search - you're on a hunting expedition. You need:

• Expert navigators (recruiters who know your market)

• A keen eye (know where to look as crowded markets are no fun)

• You're only limited by your choice of recruiter.

Downside: Expert guides know their value & aren't cheap

Speaking of...

Recruited Solo

Solution: Be Gary Kasparov.

You have a goal, and you need to use all the pieces available to you:

• Recruiters

• Your team

• Managers  

• The CEO & Board

• Alumni

Don't assume you're always the right person at each step.

Examples:

• Senior Hire -> Insist your board makes first contact

• Top Developer -> Invite them to give a talk to your company

• Conflicting Assessments -> Tap a high empathy manager for a read

• Closing -> Bring a colleague with the closest experience to dinner

Over Indexed for Experience

Solution: Hire humble & hungry.

The problem with people who've "been there, done that" is they're often overconfident and undermotivated.

Instead:

• Aim high, but be realistic

• When in doubt, stretch vs shrink

• Look for alignment, ambition & agility

Relied on Useless Data

Solution: Real work.

Projects >> Portfolios >> Interviews >> Resumes >> School

• Craft a way to work with them (internship, projects, freelance).

• Have them present their most relevant work.

The signal quickly fades further from real work.

Lame Interviews

Solution: Manufacture magical moments.  

On interview day, defy expectations:

• Thoughtful, unbiased, sharp questions

• Curated tour of your business for them

• Operationally efficient & respectful of their time

Want amazing candidates to say yes? Details matter.

This list of questions checks both boxes:

• Help you get a clear read if you use them consistently

• Inspires the right candidates by not being boring retreads

Made a Middling Offer

Solution: Do your homework.

Offers & negotiation don't have to be awkward:

• Triangulate the offer w/ market research

• Address their objections in the offer

• Expect negotiation

As the manager, the real offer is you. That's what they're buying.

Skipped References

Solution: Make references relevant.

• Use trusted resources to find backdoor references.

• Learn how to optimize your new hires first 90 days.

• You're also likely talking to another good candidate.

• Use Amanda's questions:

Before I let you know, here are a couple more nuggets I learned the hard way:

Insider Tips

• Intangible "sparkle" is dangerous, a breeding ground for bias. But it is also a source of genius. Don't strive for consensus, assess thoughtfully.  

• Clear writers tend to be clear thinkers. The outreach email or cover letter often holds more clues than the resume.

Cautionary Tales

• Few things are more destructive than an ambitious person with nothing to do. You'd rather be lean than fat. 

• You haven't hired them until they show up on Day 1. Bridge the gap by treating them like part of the team immediately.

Free Workshop - September 10 @ 1 PM ET

What You Missed

Here’s what you missed from me on LinkedIn:

• 10 Visuals to 10x Your Impact As A Leader

• 5 Types of Leaders People Will Follow

• Clear Expectations: Prevent 95% of Problems Before They Happen

Here’s what you missed from me on X/Twitter (and thank you to the now 100K leaders who have been part of that journey):

• The Team Demotivation Diagnostic

• Do You Get Furious or Curious?

• Manage Up Like A Boss
  

I’d also love to know what playbooks would be most helpful to you. Hit reply and tell me your biggest management challenge.

You’ll always remain anonymous unless you tell me otherwise.

Thank you for reading. Appreciate you!

Dave