One of the hardest things every founder must deal with is finding and hiring the best people.
And it only gets more challenging over time.
In the early days the founder typically hires folks he/she knows. the early team can often be an opportunity to get the old band back together again
But as the company grows and staffing beyond the early team means going outside of your immediate network
It’s painfully time consuming, it’s risky and significantly more difficult – and yet critical.
The one thing I encourage all founder/ceo’s to do is to make sure they meet or at the very least review every single candidate. Do not let your management team hire folks without your knowledge and specific approval about the position, candidate and economic package.
I’ve heard from many people that Larry Page reviewed every single position and candidate at google well into the time when they had thousands of employees back in the day. I’m not sure if this still happens at Google today.
This isn’t always easy especially if your company is growing quickly and there is often a desire to empower the management team.
But not paying attention or shying away from this responsibility can create huge problems with culture, quality, expenses, and overall effectiveness of the company.
Hiring the best people and creating a positive culture takes constant work and attention. And it’s worth every minute you put into it.