MEASURE TWICE, HIRE ONCE

Businesses across the country are seeing surges of demand. America is increasingly open for business, and businesses are hiring.

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Today’s tight labor market means that many businesses are looking for whatever help they can get, because every week that goes by with an unfilled vacancy has a high cost in productivity.

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I encourage caution for many companies that hire important roles too quickly. Few things impact future success as much as having the right fit so your team will work well together. As expensive as it can be to let a job sit vacant for weeks and months, hiring the wrong person for a job can be even more expensive.

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A wrong candidate might still have all the skills you need right now. But a truly great candidate, with a great mindset, will continue to grow and drive value for years to come. The gap between an adequate employee and a great one is massive.

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Particularly when a role demands a lot of collaboration or creativity, it’s important to make sure a new hire meshes well with the current team. Interpersonal friction or a low-motivation team member can cost a company in ways that are hard to quantify, but well understood.

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If you’re a business leader looking to hire new talent in today’s market, I advise you to take care. Don’t rush your process. Somebody with the right skills, openness, humility, and growth mindset to be a fantastic member of your team is out there.

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It might take patience and persistence to find that person, but it’s usually worth the extra effort. And the more truly great people you hire, the easier it becomes to attract the next one.

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