To avoid the trap of hiring 'good enough' people, make the interview panel explicitly state which current employee the candidate surpasses. This forces a concrete comparison and ensures every new hire actively raises the company's overall talent level, preventing a slow, imperceptible decline in quality.

To improve hiring decisions, founders should proactively meet top performers in roles they anticipate needing in 2-3 quarters. This isn't for immediate hiring but to build a mental model of excellence for that specific function and stage, which sharpens intuition when you do start recruiting.

Stop asking "how" to solve a problem and start asking "who" is the right person to solve it. Shifting your mindset to hiring A+ players who can take ownership of outcomes is the key to unlocking the next level of growth and freeing up your own time.

The most promising hires are often high-agency individuals constrained by their current environment—'caged animals' who need to be unleashed. Look for candidates who could achieve significantly more if not for their team or organization's limitations. This is a powerful signal of untapped potential and resourcefulness.

Many leaders hire defensively, trying to avoid a costly mistake. This fear-based mindset leads to negative assumptions and misinterpretations of candidate signals. Shifting to an abundance mindset—believing the right person is out there—fosters curiosity and leads to better evaluation and hiring outcomes.

When deciding who to hire next, the most effective strategy is to identify the biggest pain point. Specifically, hire someone to take over the task that you, as the leader, are spending the most time on that you don't want to be doing. This is the key to unlocking your own productivity.

To clarify difficult talent decisions, ask yourself: "Would I enthusiastically rehire this person for this same role today?" This binary question, used at Stripe, bypasses emotional ambiguity and provides a clear signal. A "no" doesn't mean immediate termination, but it mandates that some corrective action must be taken.

Hiring managers often dismiss strong candidates by making snap judgments based on a resume. Focusing on the person behind the paper—their drive, skills, and potential—frequently reveals that the initially overlooked individual is the perfect fit for the role, according to executive search partner Mitch McDermott.

Your internal monologue during hiring reveals if you're making the right choice. If you think, "I really need to fill this role," you're on the path to settling. The right candidate sparks the feeling of, "I don't even care if I have a role for this person, I have to get them in."