Hire Power Radio Show Rick Girard

Being a startup entrepreneur is a struggle. 
As some of you know, I recently joined the ranks of a startup founder. In November we launched Intertru and boy, my world has moved to light speed to a totally new dimension. It has become ridiculously exciting!
But there is one huge challenge… maintaining operational discipline. 
My struggle comes from the need to put out fires and execute critical projects outside of my expertise. Making it difficult to stay disciplined in a workflow cadence that produces results.  
Today we are going to key in on 10 Disciplines that you can implement today in your life to produce consistent results to the benefit of your company growth!
Guest Bio:
Gino Wickman is the Author of Traction & founder of EOS Worldwide, an organization that helps tens of thousands of businesses implement EOS with the aid of an international team of almost 600 professional and certified EOS Implementers and online support. There are over 180,000 companies using the EOS tools worldwide.
Today Gino focuses on helping entrepreneurs and leaders maximize their freedom, creativity, and Impact through his books:
Entrepreneurial Leap, Rocket Fuel, The EOS Life, and The 10 Disciplines for Managing And Maximizing Your Energy.
TODAY WE DISCUSS:
What are the 10 disciplines 
Discuss the most relevant to startup entrepreneurs
PROBLEM: 
Discipline
We are all balls of energy – some burn bright, some don’t
You are racehorses (entrepreneurs/leaders) – harness energy
Don’t have to motivate/teach basics – eat, sleep, exercise, work ethic
Each stands on its own, fully customizable
Fast, simple and powerful

Challenge?
10-year thinking
Take time off
Know thyself
Be still
Know your 100%
Say no…often
Don’t do $25 an hour work
Prepare every night
Put everything in one place
10. Be humble
How do we solve the problem? 
10-year thinking
Shift your mind from short-term thinking, to thinking in 10-year timeframes
Every decision is a 10-year decision/thinking, not a goal
Sam Cupp – 10-year business cycle
When you do – time slows, a peace comes over you, make better decisions and
get there faster
Quote “Overestimate one year…”
Les Brown “Good Decade”
Shifts energy
Action – write date 10 years from now, write age, write goalOther things are ok
Now think about everything you are doing today
See it every night

Say no…often
Say no to everything that doesn’t fit in the first 5 disciplines
Warren Buffett quote/”No! No!”
“…physical discomfort/guilt…” – Essentialism, Greg McKeown
Eat a worm?
If it doesn’t fit with the first 5 disciplines – say no
Turn to person – say “No!”
Action – say no to something in the next 7 days/cancel an appointment
Prepare every night:
Before your head hits the pillow every night, document the next day’s plan
Go to bed knowing exactly tomorrow
Sleep better
Spontaneous – BS, come one, if you’re running a company, you don’t have the luxury
Subconscious does the work
Wake up with ideas/solutions
Get more done
As opposed to waking up and figuring it out
Use any technology – I use a legal pad
Action – do it tonight
Put everything in one place
Pick the one place you will capture every idea, commitment, thought, action item and promise
Let people down/chaos/sticky notes
The legal pad
Throughout the day write down your commitments, promises, ideas, to-do’s
Compartmentalize all at the end of the day
Action – pick your “one place” and do it tomorrow
Guest Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginowickman/
Website: https://ginowickman.com/
Download a free copy of the 10 Disciplines eBook
Visit the10disciplines.com to learn more
Read a 10 Disciplines article written by Gino
Contact Gino:
gino@eosworldwide.com
(248) 672-1192
Host Links: 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-girard-07722/
Company: https://www.stridesearch.com/
Podcast: https://www.hirepowerradio.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeEJm9RoCfu8y7AJpaxkx

We all understand the concept of right person, right seat. But as the company grows the demands of each seat change. What is required from zero to $5 Million will most likely shift on your journey to $10 million in revenue. 
So hiring ahead of that curve becomes the biggest challenge. 
It is important that, in the earliest stages of the company, everyone in the organization identifies as a “builder”. Builders are the people who have a deep desire to problem-solve issues that have not even become identified and create systems from scratch. 
As the business grows, the need for “improvers” becomes critical as they are the people who can scale to each milestone and beyond.
Guest Bio:
Dean Stoecker is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of the Board. Dean founded Alteryx in 1997 and led the company as CEO through October 2020, achieving solid organic growth, and a successful IPO in March 2017.
Dean’s leadership and motivational skills, along with his ability to create, communicate, and realize a vision, were a driving force behind the company’s 20+ year success. 
Dean serves as advisor to entrepreneurs, is an active philanthropist, and is passionate about humanizing the world of data science and analytics, which is evident in the company’s culture, extensive resources for continued education, and efforts to influence social change.
TODAY WE DISCUSS
Right person, right seat, right stage
How to ensure you have the right person at every growth stage
PROBLEM:
Preparation for changing out key employees at different levels@ $10mil, $25mil, 
Get great alignment with the teams
Strategically & tactically- align strategy with tactics
Don't be afraid to switch your teams

Challenge?
Alignment between strategy & tactics
People have different ideas about what we need to do as a company
Knockdown, drag-outs about who we wanted to be when we grow upKPI’s for each department
People knowing why they were building things

Why is this important to the company?
People need to be rowing in the same direction
First hires need to be 9’s
9’s will never work for 6’s 
Rick’s Nuggets:
All about Positioning
Value alignment, builder, passion for the mission

SOLUTION:
How do we solve the problem? 
Predicated on growth rates
Team of 5 did a million in the first year
 Understanding if they are willing to accept tasks that they never signed up for
Focus on the next milestone

Build teams that can get you there
Keep your 9’s
Risk/Reward profile needs to match yours
Play any position then go deep

Legacy of promoting 
Leadership is about how many leaders you create
Invest in training
Who has the best skills at the cheapest price that can last you the longest 
Biggest worry, Middle management

Take stock of your own skill sets

Andre Geim- “grazing shallow”
Fall in love and go deep

Risk reward profile 
You want someone who can play any position then goes deep
Longevity - meandered from generalist to specialist
Risk reward profile needs to match yours

Rick’s Nuggets:
The first team
It’s all about positioning
Really desire what you are (ie: ground-level startup with no money)


Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today! (Value):
Make sure you have a time that provides strategic and tactical alignment(first 6 years)
Be prepared to swap out the team many times. The team that got you to $5mil won't get you to $20m. Be aware of your markers
Guest Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-stoecker/
Company: https://www.alteryx.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alteryx
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alteryx
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alteryx/
Other: https://www.siteminder.com/
Host Links: 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-girard-07722/
Company: https://www.stridesearch.com/
Podcast: https://www.hirepowerradio.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeEJm9RoCfu8y7AJpaxkxqQ
Authored:  "Healing Career Wounds"  https://amzn.to/3tGbtre
Startup: www.intertru.ai
Hi

Over the past few years talent has been scarce. And when talent is scarce, fear leads hiring decisions. We don't want to lose (what we perceive to be) “good people”, so we shortcut the interview process. 
Here's the thing, our perceptions are often wrong.  Our gut is often wrong. And it is wrong because the data we input is either assumed or circumstantial. Resulting in marginal hiring that hurts your business. 
So, what if every person that you hired thrived in your company? What would be the ROI if you operated at a hiring success rate over the 90th percentile? It would be pretty f-ing amazing, right?
A crucial part of why we get hiring wrong too often is that we don't invest the time to adequately vet people before we bring them in for an interview. This starts with your first call (phone screen). We miss the opportunity to gather true data as to whether a person is positioned well for the organization and their level of performance. 
That's right, positioning and performance.  The most crucial data that help you understand alignment before wasting anyone’s time in a formal interview process. 
Evidence that is not present on a resume. 
Guest Bio:
Payman Taei is the Founder of Visme, an all-in-one visual communication platform, and Co-Founder of Respona the link-building for SaaS and Agencies to improve google rankings. 
Payman is an avid technologist who loves new trends and tries to keep up with the ever-evolving internet. His background in Biology has led him to truly believe in the art of evolution. Everything changes in time. You either follow or create new trends or you will be left behind. 
TODAY WE DISCUSS:
The challenges in today's pre-vetting of talent
How to properly vet people before they enter your interview process
HIRING STORY:
Hired a marketing person, a person who was known. Went on a whim and made the hire without involving 
Assumed that because the person worked for a certain company the person must be good
Knew within a 45-day window, the wrong hire
Missed clues: a bit of fluff, selling themselves more. Claimed to have done a lot. Exaggerations
Marketers commonly take a lot of credit for a lot of company success
My post:  https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6999061564083380225/ 
PROBLEM:
Pre-vetting people before they come in for an interview
Challenge?
100’s of resumes. More does not mean better
Select a handful of people who are worth the time to interview
Most of the roles the CEO is still involved with
Create an efficient system without automation (Smaller companies)
Highest quality with the least friction as possible
Why is this important to the company?
Made some bad hires
Time is a premium 
personality /cultural fit & skills
We Sacrifice lower experience for a better cultural fit
Rick’s Nuggets:
Judgement should not be made on a resume but on the phone screen/Discovery Call.
Great resumes don't equal great people
High performers are busy making an impact 
Great interviewers have had a lot of practice. 
Understand Pain, Desire & Impact

How do we solve the problem? 
Pick the needle from the haystack
Prequalification process
The application itself
Manner in which the resume is submitted -spammer or researched
Passionate - learn and know about the company
Not job hopping
Interested because of a,b & c 
Large pool of referrals

HR interview
Personality & brief technical experience
Going through the resume and understanding career history. 
Gut check - authentic, a nice person, compassionate & caring, wanting to make a difference, 

Technical interview (2 step)
Projects, role on projects
Tech stack, where are you comfortable, specific technical questions
Deep dive into the technical experience with the team lead

Decision
Yes- move into reference check
30, 60, 90 day review cycle on kpi and goals

Rick’s Nuggets:
Operate from a position of abundance
Discovery call
Positioning
Does the person have a good reason to make a move
Does the person truly desire

Let’s talk about building an advisory board.
I think we would all agree that having strong advisors and mentors in your corner brings huge benefits to every organization. Not just as sound advice in making business decisions but also providing introductions and bringing credibility to the business. 
So when is the right time to build your advisory board? As soon as you find the right people who will help. This means before you hire your first employees. 
Building an advisory board, much like building company values, is often an activity to do later. But guess what, later is too late!
It is like pouring a foundation after the house has been built. 
Investing the time to build a board before things get too crazy, is the smartest way to ensure that the decisions you make are solid enough to bring the business to it’s full potential.
Guest Bio:
Coco Brown is the Founder and CEO of The Athena Alliance. Athena has helped thousands of leaders grow and advance in their executive careers, and has brought over 400 women to corporate boards from growth stage private companies to name brand public companies. 
Coco has personally worked with hundreds of top leaders, CEOs and boards to evolve modern leadership. She’s served on ten commercial and non-profit boards and advisory boards, and has led two notable companies (Taos, acquired by IBM, and now Athena). 
She is part of Nasdaq's Governance Insights Council, and is often called on to share guidance to the evolving focus and breadth of responsibility within the Modern Boardroom.
TODAY WE DISCUSS:
When to build your board of advisors
How to leverage your advisors through investment cycles
Challenge?
Not having the right board in place when the company gets to funding
Not building a structure, cadence 
End up with a board that is forced on you. 
Not being as strategic as you can be. 
In a formal advisory capacity
Why is this important to the company?
If your are not thinking early about this, when funding comes you may not have a strong pool of potential independents for your board
Becomes feeder for the formal board
Need to balance the power of the board
Even without that - maybe you never need a formal fiduciary board beyond the core founder/owners. But not having an ecosystem of advisors around you limits the competitive advantage you get by consulting outside your employee base. 
Rick’s Nuggets
Making decisions on your own, Gut without data

How do we solve the problem? 
Mindset
Most of us oriented around the team under - the team we are building
You need to orient as well to the team around you
Framework -How the team evolves over time
Close connections that best approximate the roles you will need to build
Lesser known to you, but better known publicly - pool of people to draw on 
Formalized - work on issues of the business together over time, in a rhythm/ cadence

Structure -
Individual relationships
Experts who are honest with you

Think tank - bench for something formal in the future:
Mixed group
Diverse 

Formal Advisory to Board
Mimic your C-Suite to get ahead of where you are now
Give you choices


Networking
Beyond your usual network
Who are the experts
Groups like Athena ;)

Rick’s Nuggets:
Identify “Who”Dream team

Reach out- Go for it!

Cold call or gain an introduction
Ask for help

Formalize the relationship quickly
Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today! (Value):
Think beyond your internal team
Build in advance of your needs
Consider the competitive advantage
Guest Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cocobrown/
Company: https://athenaalliance.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-athena-alliance/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CocoBrown1020
Twitter: https://twitter.com/athenaalliance
Host Links: 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-girard-07722/
Company: https://www.stridesearch.com/
Podcast: https://www.hirepowerradio.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeEJm9RoCfu8y7AJpaxkxqQ

What are the common characteristics of every successful person at your company?
Think of those characteristics and write them down as standard operating procedures. This is critically important because when we operate under the same frequency, pace, and purpose… growth happens. But this can change instantly when a new person is added to the team. 
Too often we hastily add a person to the mix without understanding how they really operate on a daily basis. Assuming that they will be the answer to all of our current challenges because of the skills they are bringing to the table. 
There is nothing more critical to hiring success than aligning people first, and skills second. This means investing the time to dig deeper into your interview process. Understanding not just what a person accomplished but the details of exactly how it was done and why it was approached in that manner.
Guest Bio: 
Allan Jones is at the helm of Bambee, a new type of business built on the innovative premise that every small business should have a dedicated HR Manager. This concept was derived from Jones’ previous experiences working with—and growing up around—small business owners.
In 2021, Goldman Sachs celebrated Allan Jones as one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs at its Builders + Innovators Summit. For three years running, Forbes has named Bambee a top startup employer in the U.S., and in 2022 it announced Bambee as a Top 5 Company in Los Angeles.
TODAY WE DISCUSS
Understanding your company's unique characteristics
How to implement critical characteristics into your interviewing & hiring process
Challenge?
Getting people who fit a special suite of characteristics
Infinite characteristics that are valuable
How do you narrow it down to 8?
Being honest about who you are
Characteristics of leadership values
Mastery of communication
Broad outcome objectivity: don't care where the right answer comes from
Urgency & greatness in tandem

Separate leadership & team values

High potency friction
Hired leader that doesn't fit,
Courage to make a change
Scoring system & scorecard

Why is this important to the company?
Looking at blemishes before celebrating wins
Continuous loop of how can we be better
Continuous improvement is just part o the game
200+ employees 

Not afraid to say “not every person is right for the company”
Companies are Olympic sports teams, not govt service agencies

Rick’s Nuggets:
How people operate within your company
Core values drive the operating characteristics
Adding a player to the game, not an ass to a seat
How do we solve the problem? 
Identify that the problem exists
Building leadership personas
Hired multiple executives and 50% did not work out
Right after fundraising
Practices did not scale

CEO can not make hiring decisions for the company
 He is not the only sign-off anymore. 
Interview Structure
Hiring committees 
Only leaders sit on the committee
Master of communication
Cliff notes version of who you are personally & professionally
Go to the resume
Listening skills along with speaking



Eliminated Leadership savior complex
Problems would be solved by our next hire
Company already had great people
Never let a problem go unowned

Realization that already had an A+ executive team
From savior to draft pick
90% success rate

Rick’s Nuggets:
Values drive characteristics
Interviewing processStructured & designed to gather evidence to support the correct decision
Assign interview questions for people alignment
Follow up with what & how questions 

Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today! (Value):
Offsite with sr leadership & build leadership personas’
As a founder ask yourself “ your unique role in the hiring failure”
Set up screening committees
Make sure you are aligned
Guest Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allandjones/
Company: https://www.bambee.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bambee/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAllanJones
Twitter:

Let’s talk about performance metrics for a minute.  
Do you have performance metrics drawn out for every person before they are hired? Are they clear on the expectations for the first 90 days of employment? 
If not, you are setting people up for failure because expectations are never in alignment. We're going to leave it to you to “figure it out”.  Then we scratch our heads when the person fails, wondering what we missed in the interview. 
What was missed was the work on defining the role and writing down the company’s expectations of what needed to be accomplished by the individual in the first 90-120 days of employment. 
I have discovered that companies who just “wing it” have a much higher offer turn-down rate and employee failure rate than companies that invest the time to clearly define what success looks like. 
Look this is not “too hard” because you don't know what will happen in the next few months of the business. If it is too hard, maybe you are in the wrong business.
Guest Bio:
Kurt Davis is a technology entrepreneur and author. 
The first 20 years of his career were spent between Silicon Valley and Asia, working with technology startups in finance and business development roles. 
Kurt is now focused on Biteline (a startup marketplace for dental professionals) & Recently published a book called Navigate to the Lighthouse: A Silicon Valley Guide to Executing Global Deals.
TODAY WE DISCUSS:
Performance metrics
How to clearly define metrics 
Challenge?
The company is not successful because of people not knowing
Gate of allocation of resourcesDeep analysis 
Gut & instinct drive the decisions
Distrust the gut …. Until it is the last variable

The team cannot hide now that we are under the microscope
Setting expectations:The work is going to be hard
Leadership needs to communicate

Why is this important to the company?
Need to get it right the first time
Want people to trust the strategy and thought process 
Need people to come on board the thinking & the strategyGetting people behind the way of thinking

Rick’s Nuggets:
Not sure how to clearly define the metrics 
Out of the scope of their expertise
Dont have the time
Not sure
We’ll let them tell us

Hiring failures start with your preparation (or lack thereof)
How do we solve the problem? 
Look at the problem (analysis)
Clearly define what you want each person to achieve
Clear about what you are investing against
Very clear on what you need each person to get done
Do they fit the culture, values
Measure twice, cut once

Can the person get it done
Resume checks off
Fit value wise
Deep details 
Look at the work, ask for deliverables
Working exercise


Rick’s Nuggets:
First Week, First 30, 60 & 90 days
Have deliverables at each milestonePresent to the team your findings on X
Prepare a plan for Y
Deliver first version of Z

Put them in your Job descriptionHere’s what you will be held accountable for in your first 30 days

Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today! (Value):
Take the time to do your homework. Do your strategy, planning.
Know exactly what that person is going to do in the first 90 days. 
Guest Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtdavis1/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KurtDavisNew
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kdalive/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kdalivetravel/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/kudavis
Book:  https://www.amazon.com/Navigate-Lighthouse-Silicon-Valley-Executing/dp/1544530331
Host Links: 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-girard-07722/
Company: https://www.stridesearch.com/
Podcast: https://www.hirepowerradio.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeEJm9RoCfu8y7AJpaxkxqQ
Authored: "Healing Career Wounds"  https://amzn.to/3tGbtre
Startup: www.intertru.ai
HireOS® inquiry: rick@stridesearch.com
Show Sponsor:
www.stridesearch.com
www.intertru.ai