The Best Hire You'll Ever Make Starts Before the Job Posting

Most leaders write a job description the same way every time. They list the tasks, add a few years of experience, note the software, and post it. Then they're surprised when the person who shows up doesn't fit.

Here's what I've learned. The best hire you'll ever make is decided before the posting ever goes live. It's decided the moment you get honest about exactly what you want, and exactly what you don't.

Get Clear on Both Sides

I worked with a client recently who needed to fill a key position. Instead of jumping straight to a description, we slowed down and did the real work first.

We mapped out precisely what this role needed to be great. Then we did the part most leaders skip. We named what they did not want.

The traits that had quietly caused friction before. The gaps their current team already had covered. The things that looked good on paper but always seemed to create problems down the road.

That clarity changed everything. Once we knew both sides, the job description almost wrote itself. The posting stopped describing a generic employee and started describing their person, the one who would actually thrive in their culture and fill the exact gap they had.

The result? They filled their empty seat, and found amazing talent. The kind of hire that raises the whole team instead of just adding to the headcount.

That's the difference between hiring to fill a hole and hiring to build something.

Measure What Actually Matters

Clarity gets you the right candidates. But once they're in the room, you need a way to know if they're the right fit. That's where I lean on a simple framework: the 3 C's for Successful Teams.

Committed. Are they bought into the mission, not just the paycheck? Commitment is what carries a person through the hard weeks. Skills can be taught. A lack of commitment shows up the first time things get difficult.

Capable. Can they actually do the work, or grow into it quickly? Capability matters. But notice it's only one of the three, not the whole list. Too many leaders hire on capability alone and wonder why the fit falls apart later.

Coachable. This is the one leaders undervalue most. A capable person who won't take feedback will cap out fast. A coachable person keeps getting better long after they're hired. Give me someone committed and coachable, and we can build capability together.

When you measure a candidate against all three, you stop being fooled by a great résumé or a good interview. You start seeing the whole person, and whether they'll truly grow with your team.

Slow Down to Speed Up

Hiring feels urgent. There's a seat empty, work piling up, and pressure to fill it fast. So leaders rush the front end and pay for it on the back end, with a hire who never quite fits.

The leaders who get this right do the opposite. They slow down long enough to get clear on what they want, name what they don't, and measure against the 3 C's. That small investment up front saves them months of frustration later.

If you've got a key role to fill and you want to get it right the first time, let's talk. I'll help you get crystal clear on exactly who you're looking for, and build the process to find them.

Reach out and let's find your next great hire.

Lead Boldly,
~ Michael