Ep 36 - Avoid These Top 5 Common Hiring Mistakes Every CEO Should Know

Let's talk all things hiring. Are you tired of hiring headaches? Perhaps you've hired before and it just didn't work as well as you planned. Join me on this episode as I deep dive into the 5 most common hiring mistakes that could be sabotaging your business success. From falling into the one and done mentality to overlooking red flags we'll uncover the pitfalls and provide practical strategies for building a winning team. Tune in to learn how to avoid these common missteps and revolutionize your hiring process. Don't miss out. Let's do this. Are you that driven entrepreneur who believes that working harder holds the key to your dreams? Are you drowning in the day to day task wishing you had more time to strategize and cast the vision for your business growth? Hi.

I'm Donna Dube, your guide on this entrepreneurial journey. I've walked in your worn out shoes, burning the midnight oil, convinced that sheer hard work was the secret to success. Just one more email, one more task, until I found myself on a one way track to burnout. But here's the twist in the scale, I discovered that success isn't just about working harder, it's about working smarter. It's about being intentional with our time. It's about steering our ship with focus because no team, system, or automation can outperform a lack of direction. In this podcast, I'm sharing with you all the strategies for business growth that it took me years to learn. If you're ready to step out of the daily overwhelm, so you can amplify your profits, then I'm ready to teach you.

I believe the only limit to your business growth is the one you set for yourself. Go grab a notebook, warm up that cup of tea, and let's do this. Welcome back CEO. I'm glad you're tuning in. As this recording is airing, we are almost finishing Q1 of 2024 and I wanted to bring up this topic of hiring because for many of you listening, hiring might be part of your game plan, your sustainable business blueprint plan that you have for your business this year and so if it is, I want you to tune in because we're gonna be going over the 5 most common mistakes that happen when we are hiring and if you're listening today and you're like, oh I'm nowhere near ready to hire anyone. I'm just getting my feet off the ground then certainly save this episode. Put it in your toolbox so that when you are ready to hire you can avoid these most common mistakes. Because these are mistakes that I've seen other entrepreneurs make, I've seen my clients make and to be truthful, I myself have even made when it comes to the hiring process.

These are challenges that probably will resonate with many of you and definitely worth addressing because let's face it, hiring is a tricky business. There's no one size fits all formula for perfection when it comes to hiring, but I do firmly believe that we can get better at it. It's a learned skill and each time we do it, we'll get better and better. So hiring is definitely a delicate profit, right? Plan art and a science and I don't believe there's just one right way to do it. Of course, there are best practices and there are certain things we should be following but what worked perfectly for 1 person may not work perfectly for you because after all, people are different, right? We're not all the same. Our businesses are not all the scale. But, there's certainly some common mistakes that we've all made when we've been hiring and so I want to walk through those with you today and help you avoid them. Whenever we can learn from the experiences of others we become better equipped and more empowered. I saw a quote the other day that said learn from your own mistakes is smart learning from others mistakes is smarter and I thought that really resonated with today's topic so I wanted to share that with you. Alright, let's dive in. The 5 hiring mistakes that I want you to avoid as business leader and CEO.

Mistake number 1, the one and done mentality. We often fall into this trap of thinking I should only have to do this once, right? I hire someone, they fit the operations, and I'm done, but here's the growth. As long as you're leading and firing. Embracing this ongoing cycle is key to avoiding resentment about hiring and accepting that it's just part of the role. It's just part of the role of being business leader and CEO. I know there's this belief that many of us hold that once we make a hire, we shouldn't have to go through the process again, right? It's it's a kind of false hope that we can find the perfect fit and be done with it but that's not the reality. The business world is dynamic. Your team's needs are going to change over time. Your business needs are going to change over time and again, as long as you're leading and growing your business, there will always be a need to bring in new talent. Your business isn't static, right? Think of it as an ever evolving organism. You've got new projects on the go, you've got new challenges that have to be sorted through, you've got new opportunities that arise and each of these is going to require different skill sets and different expertise.

You know, I'll come, you commonly hear me saying when I'm working with my clients. Do we have the right people in the right seats? And what I'm referring to there is that for the people that we have on our team, are they doing the right jobs? Are they in their zone of genius? And for where we want our company to go in the next 3 years, Do we have the right people on our team right now? So I want you to rather than resist the idea of hiring on a continuous business, I want you to embrace it. I want you to recognize that hiring is a fundamental part of your role and the sooner you do, the better you'll become at it. Think of hiring as a constant rhythm in your business like the waves, you know, slashing on the rocks on the beach it just continuously rolls and rolls and rolls not thinking of hiring as a frustrating and a one time task because that's where we lead to this resentment and an attitude where we don't want to do it at all.

All right, mistake number 2, taking hiring personally. I know for myself I have certainly done this in the past and you may too have fallen into this trap and it's really about taking poor hiring decisions personally, right? Because it's easy to take the hiring decisions that worked out personally but what about the ones that didn't work out so well? I want you to remember that your business is its own entity and while you as business leader and CEO certainly have a significant impact on it, your business is not an extension of you. It's not an extra arm, an extra thumb, an extra leg. It's its own entity and when things don't work out with an employee or a contractor, sure it's okay to feel disappointed but it should not be about you. Your business needs you to be a custodian, not its therapist. And I know as entrepreneurs we pour our hearts and souls into our businesses, and when someone we've hired hired doesn't meet our operations, it can feel like a personal failure.

I know, I've been there, but I want you to remember that your business is separate from you and hiring decisions are about finding the right fit for your team and for your business goals, not about you. So when a hiring decision doesn't work out, it's not a reflection of your worth or of your leadership skills. It's actually an opportunity to learn and to improve. Right? Don't dwell on those personal feelings or get offensive or hurt. To focus on the objectiveness, assessing what went wrong, because there could be something on our end as business leaders that we need to improve or fix for the next go around. So ask yourself things like was the job description clear? Did the candidate truly align with my vision and values? Use each hiring experience as a chance to refine your process and your understanding of the type of people who really thrive in your organization.

All right, mistake number 3, missing red flags. We often overlook red flags during the interview process. Why? Well, because as entrepreneurs, we're pretty good at selling, right? Because that's for many of us part of our marketing is that we speak to prospects and close the deal and we can unintentionally slip into sales mode during interviews and what this means is that we forget that we should be evaluating the candidates not just trying to convince them that our business is the best place to work. So the skills that help us attract new clients aren't necessarily the ones we want to bring up when we are hiring, and this is a critical one because those red flags, if we miss them plan turn into major headaches down the line. So when we're in hiring mode, I know it's easy to get excited about a potential candidate, right? We look at Sally Sue's application and she's filled out great things the way she answered the operations, just sounds like she fits, she's in the right budget, she's in the right time zone, she aligns with our values, we're excited. We want them to join our team but that enthusiasm can sometimes cloud our judgment and we may overlook warning signs in the candidate's behavior or in their qualifications during the interview process because we're too busy trying to sell our company. So the key here really is balance. Yep, good old balance like so many other areas of our life, right? We want to present our organization in a positive light, of course, but you also need to remember that the interview process is a two way street. You're not just trying to convince them to work for you but rather you're evaluating whether they are the right fit for your team. So I want you to stay vigilant during the interviews.

Pay attention to how candidates present themselves, right? Are they punctual? Are they on time? Are they prepared? And critically evaluate their responses to your questions because the truth is red flags are often hiding in plain sight and it's crucial that we don't dismiss them. I always encourage my clients and I always do this myself is to record every interview you have with potential candidates. 1, you want to go back and watch that recording for how you behaved. Were you selling too much? Did you ask the right questions? Were you paying attention to the candidate's body language and their answers? And, then, it also gives you a chance to review the candidate as well. Did they show up in a professional manner? How were they answering the questions? All of those things that you may have missed the first time when when you are interviewing them. So take a recording and make sure to take the time to review and reflect on that. Remember that the candidate is gonna show up at the best version of themselves during the interview, right? They are showing up their best. So if you have questions about what you see or what you hear, take time to reflect and evaluate. Don't make any rush decisions here.

Alright, mistake number 4, Infrequent interviews. Now, this is a big one and I know for many of us we don't interview regularly. We hire someone and then we try to avoid thinking about hiring again because, let's be honest, most of us don't like hiring. But what happens when someone leaves or isn't performing as we expect? We need to fill that gap, but without an ongoing interview process, you're left scrambling to find replacements. I want you to think of hiring and the hiring process like money. You need a pipeline of candidates for your business just like you need a pipeline of revenue for your business and while I know many of us dread the hiring process and we want to try and void it altogether whenever possible. You might think, well, I hired someone I should be good for a while, but this can lead to major problems in the long run If you are actively interviewing and nurturing potential candidates, then you have somewhere to turn when you're in a situation when you need to replace someone And hiring under pressure can lead to rush decisions and increased chances of making a poor You definitely don't want to be hiring in a pressure cooker environment.

So the solution is to always be interviewing. Now friends, it's not about hiring everyone you meet and everyone you speak to. It's about having that pipeline of potential candidates who align with your business values and goals. So keep that spreadsheet of the candidates that were potentials the last time you posted this position. Reach out to some of those top candidates ask them if they still have an interest in what you're doing and would they like to discuss this opportunity further? This proactive approach ensures that you're prepared when the situation changes and you need to hire someone. You have options. Remember, it's a lot easier to select the right fit when you're not in a hurry.

All right, 5th and final mistake for today is viewing onboarding as a waste of time. So, if you hire someone new and they didn't work out, how many of you have gone back and thought, oh, all that time I spent onboarding and getting that person up to speed? What a waste of time. But I want to challenge you that it's the exact opposite. When you hire someone and they don't fit within the 1st few weeks, consider it a blessing. It's a chance to learn more about your process, more about the candidate, and your onboarding process should quickly reveal whether someone aligns with your vision, your values, and your operations. Right? So, as part of onboarding, you need to have something in place for them to be able to review what's the vision? What are the values? What is this business all about? Where is this business going? And then, what are the expectations of me in this role? I like to call them 30, 60, 90 success goals. 30, 60, 90 day success goals where there are clear expectations of what that role should be meeting at 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, and we purposely have a check-in meeting at 30 days 60 days 90 days. Both candidate and business leader get to have a discussion. How are things? Am I meeting my targets? Am I not? If I'm not, where are we falling short? What can be done to help improve? And if it's a situation where they're not meeting operations candidate.

Say and that everyone is aware of them first. So effective onboarding is more than just a formality. It's really a crucial step in integrating that new team member into your business's culture and ensuring that they understand their role. When a new hire doesn't meet those expectations early on, it's it's a fortunate revelation really because it shows that they may not align with your company's values or your vision or that they may be lacking the necessary skills that you're looking for. So don't consider onboarding a waste of time. Think of it as an investment in your organization's future. Every time you put someone through your onboarding process you learn valuable lessons, right? You gain insights into how well they assimilate into your team and whether they're capable of fulfilling the expectations of their role. Embrace this opportunity to refine your profit, make it more effective and more efficient for future hires.

Alrighty. So as a recap, let's go through these 5 common mistakes that happen as we are hiring and going through the hiring process. Mistake number 1, the one and done mentality. Hiring is a process and needs to keep happening. Mistake number 2, taking hiring personally. It's not about you. Mistake number 3, missing red flags. Really pay attention and evaluate. Try not to sell on the interview. Mistake number 4, frequent interviews. Have a pipeline of potential candidates open and ready, so you can tap into it when you need to and mistake number 5, CEO seeing onboarding as a waste of time. Embrace the onboarding process and find ways to make improvements and efficiency. Alright, remember leaders that hiring is a fundamental skill for any of you and the best investment you can make in improving your ability to be able to read people and to make correct hiring decisions is to practice, right? The more we hire, the easier it becomes to read people, to ask insightful questions, and really to trust our instincts during our interviews, and when you become more proficient at this, no assessment or test can replace your judgment. Alright visionary CEO keep shining and leading your businesses to success. Until next time.

Thank you for joining me on this episode of CEO Amplify. I appreciate you being part of our thriving community of ambitious business owners. If you enjoyed today's episode, I kindly ask you to share this podcast with a friend and take a hot minute to rate and leave a review. It would mean the world to me. Your feedback helps me reach more people and continue providing valuable content. Thanks so much for your support. Keep shining, and we'll catch you on the next episode.