Hire Tough, Manage Easy: The Hiring Process Matters
I’m not sure why I was so blessed to learn this lesson early in my career, but I was. Maybe it was my athletic background and the constant reminder that the makeup of your team matters. How much focus our coaches put on team member selection. Or perhaps it was because one of the first leadership books I read was Monday Morning Leadership, where I first encountered the phrase “Hire Tough, Manage Easy.” Either way, it’s proven true time and time again in my leadership journey.
One of the biggest surprises for me has been how many leaders have zero process when it comes to hiring. These are people who love systems and data for finances, strategy, marketing…yet, when it’s time to hire, they rely on “gut feelings” or a few seat-of-the-pants interview questions. They’ll tell you, “I’m excellent at reading people,” but then later admit their hires haven’t panned out the way they expected, more times than not.
A single bad hire can be incredibly costly. Some estimates suggest that replacing a salaried employee can cost up to two times that employee’s annual salary when you factor in:
Recruiting expenses
Time spent interviewing and onboarding
Lost productivity for the team and the manager
The potential negative impact on customer relationships
On top of the hard dollar expenses, there’s the distraction, drain on morale, and the extra load on everyone else who must cover the gaps left by someone who wasn’t the right fit. In other words, a bad hire doesn’t just cost money it costs energy and momentum.
Behavior-Based Interviewing: The Game Changer
About 12 or 15 years ago, I was introduced to Behavior-Based Interviewing (BBI). Which teaches a structured model for asking questions that focus on past behaviors rather than hypothetical situations. The core philosophy is Past behavior is one of the best predictors of future performance.
Instead of asking, “What would you do if…” you ask, “Tell me about a time when…” You then drill down with follow up questions like:
Situation: What was happening? What was your goal or responsibility?
Behavior/Action: What specific steps did you take?
Result/Outcome: What was the outcome? What did you learn?
This approach uncovers actual examples of how a candidate thinks and operates, rather than letting them sail through on polished interview responses. Often, you can quickly tell if someone is simply a great “interview performer” rather than an actual high performer. You get better evidence, more clarity, and a fuller view of how they’ll show up on the job.
When you have multiple strong candidates, BBI helps you compare apples to apples. You can see how each person behaves in similar situations, making it easier to decide which candidate will be the best fit.
Adding the “5 C’s” to the Mix
In addition to BBI, I also rely on what I call the 5 C’s to guide final hiring decisions, which I learned from my pastor at a leadership conference years ago:
Character
Competence
Chemistry
Commitment
Capacity (sometimes referred to as “Capacity for Growth”)
These criteria have helped me consistently identify solid hires who not only perform well from day one but also keep adding value over time.
Bringing It All Together
Using a structured Behavior-Based Interviewing process combined with a clear framework like the 5 C’s ensures you’re covering your bases:
Ask questions that reveal real life behaviors and experiences.
Filter candidates against Character, Competence, Chemistry, Commitment, and Capacity.
Take a systematic approach to evaluating each candidate’s responses rather than winging it. Meaning take notes and meet as a team after the interview with others to discuss, in real time.
Yes, it’s true that “hiring tough” can take more time and effort upfront. But managing easy is the payoff. When you hire people who fit your team, show integrity, demonstrate competence, and commit to growing with you, everything else about managing becomes infinitely simpler.
What has been your experience with Behavior-Based Interviewing or other structured hiring methods? Have you found a certain set of questions or an approach that consistently helps you uncover whether someone is the right fit? I’d love to hear your tips, or any other tools you’ve used to bring the right people onto your team.