Insights on Hiring, Leadership, and Organizational Growth

This is my next installment in how to do better at hiring. Earlier this year, I put out a post about how Ai has affected the hiring landscape. In that article I pointed out that with ATS systems (Ai) being used to sift through job candidates and Ai resume builders being used to tailor a person's resume and skills so as to get through the ATS barrier, the information to be gathered from reading resumes is far less reliable. That immediately places a lot more weight on the outc

When I first thought about starting this company. It was to help solve a problem that I saw companies running into. The across the boards effect on companies, big and small, of hiring people that end up being a detriment to their success. For years, I would see small struggling companies with great products or services who obviously needed to grow. A great percentage of the time, the reason they weren't, was the owner's fears around hiring and delegation. Pulling the string r

As technology has changed the landscape around work, the skills requirement has changed with it, however, there are certain "soft skills" that have only gotten more important. There are eight skills areas that have always been important; but today they can be reputational game changers. 1. Emotional Intelligence: The Foundation of Trust Reputation is built on how people feel after interacting with your team. Emotional intelligence (EQ) shapes those experiences. High‑EQ employ

This probably won't be my most popular blog post, but it's probably my most sincere. When looking for new people to add to our team, we spend time looking into the virtues each candidate will bring to the organization. That's important. You know what's even more important? The virtues of the people already there. Now I'm not trying to come across as some holier than thou expert who's never made a mistake. I'm sincerely trying to give you a hard-won lesson learned from someone

I'm late getting this blog out as I was busy working on my nonprofit. I want to use this as an example of sorts. One, because I think it's a good example and two, because I'm so darn proud of it. When I add members to any team I build, the KEY ingredient I look for, and push is a common purpose. The non-profit I help create and run is for a multicultural festival in my local area. Pulling it off means getting coordinated effort from lots of people and groups. It's one thing w

Every time I turn on a device these days, I either run into an offer to have Ai take over an operation or I run into someone extolling the brilliance of an Ai solution, so I was worried that my 50 plus years of actual human experience in building successful teams might not be as beneficial as I hope it is. Over the years I've observed and participated in many different models for hiring and developing team members and think I've come up with a model that gives both the organi

If you ask a great many employers, "What are you looking for in employee candidates?" At the top of the list would probably be "Skills". It only makes sense to know that the person you are going to offer a job to can "actually do the job." This is why certificates are looked for, years of experience are sought after, and skills tests are developed. But what about alignment? Over the years I've witnessed many examples where just because a person had ALL the needed skills, it d

Five Things You Should Know about the person in front of you. When I was helping to raise our kids, I fell victim to this game a lot and it use to drive me crazy. You know the one I'm talking about: Where your son or daughter wants permission to do something, you've just arrived home and don't know what's going on and all of a sudden, you're asked to make a decision. You need accurate information and FAST! Making hiring decisions can be like that. You've identified a position

The viewpoint one holds toward hiring has a lot of influence on their success. I find it's good to start any conversation with an agreement on what is being talked about. When I'm talking about hiring, I'm actually talking about Team Building. Afterall, isn't that why we are hiring; to add members to our team, whatever that team is? If our objective is team members, what are we saying when we say TEAM? Per Wikipedia, "A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) work

Whether managing sales in a small business, working outside in harsh conditions, or making corporate policy decisions, your colleagues greatly impact your success.

Small and growing businesses often face unique challenges when it comes to hiring. Without structured processes in place, hiring decisions can become reactive—driven by urgency rather than strategy. One of the most common mistakes is hiring too quickly. When a role needs to be filled urgently, leaders may prioritize speed over thorough evaluation, increasing the risk of a poor fit. Another frequent issue is unclear role definition. Without clearly defined responsibilities and

Leadership style plays a critical role in shaping how teams function, collaborate, and perform. Even highly skilled teams can struggle under ineffective leadership, while strong leadership can elevate average teams into high-performing ones. One of the most important ways leadership style influences performance is through clarity. Leaders who communicate expectations clearly and align their teams around shared goals create an environment where people can focus and perform eff

Interviews are one of the most widely used tools in hiring—but they are also one of the most misunderstood. While interviews provide valuable insights, relying on them as the primary basis for hiring decisions can lead to inconsistent and often inaccurate outcomes. Interviews tend to favor strong communicators rather than the most capable candidates. A candidate who presents well may not necessarily perform well in the role. Conversely, highly capable individuals may not alwa

Hiring the wrong person is rarely just a temporary inconvenience—it is a costly mistake that can impact an organization far beyond the initial decision. Most leaders recognize the direct financial cost of a bad hire: recruitment expenses, onboarding time, salary, and potential severance. However, the true cost runs much deeper. A poor hiring decision often leads to decreased team productivity. When the wrong individual joins a team, others are forced to compensate—taking on a