Building a team is one of the most challenging parts of running a business. It’s about more than just finding people with the right skills; it's about creating an environment where people can thrive. This requires a thoughtful approach to entrepreneurial management, where every hiring and firing decision is a deliberate step toward building a better organizational culture. Our process is built on a series of checks and balances designed to find not just qualified candidates, but the right people who fit our team for the long haul.

Looking Beyond the Resume

We use a twelve-part framework to evaluate candidates, but no single component is ever a deal-breaker. We’re looking for a pattern. If half the components go poorly, it’s a clear no. But one single weak spot rarely rules someone out.

The goal is to build a team with a healthy mix of personalities. In my own leadership team, the top three leaders and I each fall into a different personality quadrant. This diversity ensures our group decisions are well-rounded, as we’d miss critical elements if we all thought the same way.

However, some personalities just aren’t right for certain roles. You wouldn’t want a people-person who dislikes details managing your accounting. So we first ask how a candidate’s personality fits the specific job. Next, we consider their fit with the existing team’s chemistry. A rule-loving, by-the-book person might struggle in a high-energy, artistic group. It’s not an automatic disqualifier, but it’s a dynamic that needs to be discussed.

Finally, we look at how they’ll mesh with their direct leader. A conflict-averse individual working for a blunt, task-oriented manager is a recipe for daily tears. I’m a direct, "high D" personality, and my assistant of many years is a detail-oriented "C" with some supportive "S" traits. She complements me perfectly. It’s crucial to remember that laziness or a lack of initiative isn't a personality style—it's a character flaw. We’ve had people quit, blaming a personality mismatch, when the real issue was a refusal to meet our work ethic standards.

The Simple, Human Questions

Beyond formal assessments, a few gut checks are essential. The first is surprisingly simple: do you actually like the person? You’re going to spend a lot of time with them, so don’t force yourself to work with someone you don't enjoy being around.

I once interviewed a highly qualified candidate for a personal assistant role. She had an impeccable resume from a Fortune 100 company. But when she mentioned my financial advice would be sorely needed now that "that clown George W." was elected, the interview was basically over. I’m a big fan of W., and while my team members don’t have to agree with me on everything, a personal assistant works too closely with me for such a fundamental disconnect. It’s also just common sense to research the CEO you’re about to meet. I’d rather spend my time and money with people I genuinely like.

Another key indicator is passion. When you talk about the position, do they light up? Or are they just looking for a job and a paycheck? We hired a young woman for our youth resources team who had a background working with troubled teens. When she talks about helping kids with money, she’s so fired up you leave the conversation energized. She would do this work for free because she’s passionate about it. That’s the kind of person you want—someone who connects with both the business opportunity and the philosophical mission of what you do.

The Unconventional Vetting Process

We’ve learned the hard way that an employee’s personal stability directly impacts their performance at work. This has led to two of our most important, and perhaps unconventional, hiring steps.

First, we look at their business financial health on a personal level. If someone is buried in financial problems, they can't focus. Early in my business, I hired a woman from my church who was incredibly sweet until she started working. She became mean and snapped at everyone. When I finally asked her what was wrong, she broke down. It turned out she had taken a $14,000 pay cut to work for us because she believed in our mission, but she couldn’t pay her bills. No wonder she was stressed. We laughed about it, and I helped her find a job that paid what she was worth. Since that day, I’ve never hired another person without reviewing their budget to ensure they can live on what we’re offering. A leader’s job is to serve the team, and that includes making sure they can care for their families.

Second, the final interview is always a casual dinner with the candidate, their spouse, their direct leader, and their leader’s spouse. A new hire is a huge decision, and a spouse’s input is invaluable. We’ve had spouses point out that the job isn’t a good fit, saving us a ton of trouble. It also helps us see our story and company through their eyes. Most importantly, it helps you discover if your potential hire is "married to crazy." I once had a candidate’s wife call me, screaming and cussing, because she was furious about having to be involved. I told her that was exactly why we do the interview: to find people like her. You can't have a productive team member who is constantly doing maintenance on a chaotic home life.

When Things Don't Work Out

Even with a rigorous hiring process, sometimes you need to part ways. We see team members fail for one of three reasons, and it's a leader's job to identify the root cause as part of their leadership development.

1. Leadership Failure: At least half the time, underperformance is our fault. Did we hire the wrong person? Did we fail to provide clear Key Results Areas (KRAs) so they knew what winning looked like? Was there proper training and mentorship? Were they given the tools to win? Unresolved conflict is another leadership breakdown that can paralyze a team member.
2. Personal Problems: When a team member is struggling personally, first assess the scale of the problem. A new mom dealing with her baby’s first flu is different from a parent whose child has leukemia. Treat your team like family, and they’ll act like family. We offer grace and support, like covering their work and providing meals. However, we must see incremental progress. If someone is wallowing months after a crisis, a frank conversation is needed to get them back on track.
3. Incompetence: If it’s not a leadership or personal issue, it’s usually incompetence. This isn't evil; we're all incompetent at something. Sometimes training can fix it. Other times, it's a character issue like laziness or a lack of integrity, which requires immediate release. The most frustrating type is the person who does the work but never achieves excellence. For these cases, I use Jim Collins's question from Good to Great: "If you hadn't hired them yet, would you hire them again?" If the answer is a quick no, it’s time to make a change.

Treating people with dignity is non-negotiable, even during a release. You're setting them free to find a place where they truly belong. Have the courage to do the right thing, the right way, because strong leadership development is about making tough but necessary decisions for the health of the entire organizational culture.