Hire Right the First Time—Here’s How

Hiring may be the most overlooked leadership skill, but it’s essential for building lasting success.

As Zig Ziglar said, “You don’t build a business. You build people, and people build the business.”

The potential of your organization rests on the strength of those you hire.

2 Principles for Higher Hiring

Here’s the bottom line: We don’t just need to hire better—we need to hire higher. 

Jim Collins puts it this way: “People are not your most important asset. The right people are.”

Higher hiring means bringing the right people into your vision, then helping them grow and lead.

Let’s look at two principles for higher hiring that can transform your organization’s future. 

Begin With the End in Mind

It may seem obvious, but leaders need to be thinking about more than just filling a role.

Ask yourself:

• What do I want this person to oversee?
• What results should they consistently deliver?

In the job description, don’t list duties alone. Include oversight, values, and desired outcomes.

This isn’t nitpicking. It’s setting clear expectations for the kind of leader you want to bring on board.

And the clearer you are now, the easier it will be to spot the right candidate later.

Remember: You’re hiring for the future, not just for the present.

Hire for the Future

Hiring for the future means seeing a person’s capacity to grow beyond today’s circumstances.

• In three years, will they still be a strong fit for the position?
• If we double in size, do they have the flexibility and resilience to grow as well?
• If the role changes, can this leader adapt and still thrive?

They need to fill the role today and have the capacity to excel tomorrow.

Be Ruthlessly Selective

The best time to fire is before you hire. Let me say it again: The best time to fire is before you hire.

No hire is always better than a bad hire. Why? Because bad hires don’t just cost you money. They cost you time, energy, and sometimes even your culture.

For business owners just starting out, a wrong hire hurts your ability to hire the right people later.

Here’s the truth: The right people won’t want to join a culture that tolerates weak or divisive players. And those weak players will cost you far more than the “expensive” hire you hesitated to make.

That’s why the best leaders refuse to hire out of desperation. 

Every hire shapes your culture and the future of your organization. Don’t waste your time on the wrong people. Be ruthlessly selective.

What’s Next?

Here’s my challenge to you:

• List your core values. What do you stand for and what will you refuse to tolerate?
• List your top behavioral values. Look at the top performers around you and identify which behaviors they have in common.

To help you build your values lists, check out Part 1 and Part 2 of my series on creating a value-driven culture. 

Now, it’s up to you. Your mission is worth it, so make every hire the right hire.