Episode 40: Hire With Courage: Why Leaders Must Refuse to Settle | 12MinuteLeadership

Most bad hires don’t happen because leaders are careless.

They happen because leaders are under pressure.

When roles stay open too long and teams are stretched thin, it’s easy to start thinking “maybe this person is good enough,” but settling in hiring always costs more later.

In this week’s episode of 12MinuteLeadership, we explore what it really means to hire with courage.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why many retention problems actually begin with hiring decisions
• How to define non-negotiables before you even post a role
• Why technical excellence doesn’t always equal leadership ability
• The power of “Tell me about a time when…” questions in interviews
• Why great leaders prioritize character, teachability, and self-awareness
• The wisdom behind “slow to hire, quick to fire” to protect culture

Hiring isn’t just filling a seat. It’s shaping the standards, culture, and future of your team.

Like what you heard on today's episode and want to go deeper? Subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also pick up my book, Lead Anyone, on Amazon.

Then, go to my website to check out ways that we can support your leadership goals.
From executive retreats to customized training and coaching, my team of experts will help you level up your leadership and accelerate your results. Go to www.eliseboggs.com for more info.

Transcript

Today’s Focus: Hiring Courage

Pressure And Fear-Based Hiring

Define Non-Negotiables

Technical Vs People Leadership

Refuse To Settle

Ask Strong Behavioral Questions

Speaker 0:02

Welcome to the 12-Minute Leadership Podcast, where in 12 minutes or less, I'll share small things that you can put into immediate practice that will make a big difference in your leadership effectiveness. I'm your host, Elise Boggs Morales, leadership professor, consultant, and coach. For the last 17 years, I have helped thousands of leaders level up their influence and achieve remarkable results. If you want to trade compliance for true commitment and create your dream team, you are in the right place. Get ready for a quick hit of practical wisdom to increase your team's engagement, inspire top performance, and retain your best talent. Ready to level up your influence and get better results? 12 minutes starts now. Hi everyone, Elise here. Welcome back to the podcast. Last week we talked about retaining great talent, and today we're going upstream. Because sometimes retention problems aren't culture problems, they're hiring problems. This is especially important for key leadership roles. And hiring well doesn't just require skill, it actually requires courage. Let me explain. Most bad hires don't happen because leaders are foolish, they happen because leaders are under pressure. The role has been open too long, the team is stretched in, clients are waiting, the board is asking questions, and in that pressure, leaders start to think maybe this is good enough, or we can coach them up, or a warm body is better than nobody. That is not discernment. That's fear disguised as practicality. And fear-based hiring always costs more later. So practically, what does it look like to hire with courage? Courage starts with knowing exactly what you need. Before you post a job, ask what are the non-negotiables? What must this person absolutely be able to do? And here's an important one. Is this role primarily technical, people leadership, or both? Because one of the biggest challenges I see is hiring a technically brilliant person into a leadership role and being shocked or very disappointed when they can't lead. Technical competence and people leadership are different muscles. If the role requires both, then both are required. Courage means not compromising because someone is impressive in one area. Courage also means making the decision that you refuse to settle. When you decide you won't settle, the right person eventually shows up. Every single time I have drawn a clear line around non-negotiables and stuck to it, I have hired someone exceptional. Every time I've bent the line, I have paid for it. You are not just filling a role, you are shaping your culture. So settling sends a message. Standards are flexible, and your best people feel that. Courage also means asking better questions. A weak hiring question would be if you were in this situation, what would you do? A strong hiring question says, tell me about a time when. When questions require real experience, real conflict, real results, you can't fake lived experiences. Courage means pressing a little deeper, asking follow-up questions, and sitting in the silence. Surface charm is not substance. Also, be careful of favoring a candidate because your personalities click. Make sure they also line up in their competencies. Another point about courage is that courage means valuing character over comfort. You want self-awareness in a potential candidate. You want teachability. You want someone who can say, Here's where I've struggled, here's what I've learned, here's how I've grown. So some questions you could ask are: what was the last piece of hard feedback you received? How did you respond? What did you do with it? Defensiveness and ego are very expensive. Teachability is priceless. In fact, it's my favorite quality to look for in leaders. Courage also means slow to hire, quick to fire. You've probably heard this phrase before, can be a little uncomfortable, but it's wise. Slow to hire protects your standards. Quick to fire protects your culture. Keeping the wrong person too long drains your energy. It frustrates your high performers, it lowers morale, and it quietly communicates that standards really don't matter. Your best people don't leave because of one weak performer. They leave because leadership tolerates it. That's the cost of avoiding courage. So, in closing, hiring is one of the most important leadership decisions you will make. It shapes culture, performance, morale, retention, and trust. So here's something to think about. Where might you need more courage in your hiring decisions? Because hiring isn't about perfection, it's about protecting what you're building. So, I hope you enjoyed this episode. Share it with the leader who needs it. I'll see you next time. Like what you heard on today's episode and want to go deeper? Subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also pick up my book, Lead Anyone, on Amazon. Then, go to my website to check out ways that we can support your leadership goals. From executive retreats to customized training and coaching, my team of experts will help you level up your leadership and accelerate your results. Go to www.eliseboggs.com for more info.