In this first episode of the Hire Smarter Mini-Series, hosted by Paula Maidens, the focus is on equipping CEOs with the knowledge and strategies needed to make great hiring decisions, ultimately leading to profitable scaling for service-based businesses. 

Paula dives into the reasons most people hire wrong (and how to avoid that for good) and shares the inherent challenges of the hiring process, its potential for stress and overwhelm, especially when you as the CEO are already juggling multiple responsibilities. 

The episode begins by addressing the common but not often talked about mistake of having an external focus when hiring, and explains how to shift your perspective to consider who you need to BE to attract the right person. The importance of adopting a solid, objective hiring process is highlighted, emphasizing your role as CEO to setting up scaffolding as your foundation for success.

Paula discusses avoiding emotional hiring decisions, which often lead to suboptimal choices including such as hiring friends or making decisions based on initial impressions. Paula shares her own personal experiences to underscore the significance of learning from (or better still avoiding!) emotional hiring mistakes. 

The episode concludes by exploring the pitfalls of hiring from a place of uncertainty, stressing the need for absolute clarity on the type of person required and the role they'll play in the business. Paula draws parallels with intentional dating, emphasising that hiring without clarity is akin to a trial-and-error approach.

Highlights of this episode:

• Challenges of the hiring process and the need for preparation.
• Mistake 1: External focus – Shifting perspective to who you as the CEO need to be.
• Importance of a solid, objective hiring process for support and success.
• Mistake 2: Emotional hiring decisions – Avoiding choices influenced by emotions and how to make sure you stay objective.
• Learning from personal hiring mistakes and the impact on business momentum.
• Pitfalls of hiring from uncertainty and the necessity of clarity for success.
• Encouragement to believe in the possibility of finding the right hire.
• Preview of upcoming episodes on qualities to look for and onboarding strategies.

This episode of the Hire Smarter Mini-Series, Paula Maidens guides CEOs through the intricacies of avoiding the common mistakes that most people make when hiring to ensure you make effective hiring decisions so that you can profitably scale your service-based businesses. Paula addresses the challenges of hiring, emphasising the importance of preparation and the need for you as the business owner to shift into ‘CEO mode’ to focus on your powerful role in the hiring process, so that you can support yourself to success.

Part 2 of the Hire Smarter Mini Series will be released next week with a topic of How to Decide Your Top 5 Qualities To Only Hire Rockstars.