It might be safe to say, that right now, we are all dealing with a bit of pressure and water is dribbling (or bursting) through a few cracks. Most of that pressure is likely to be too much flow, and too much to do, with too few able people. In the midst of all that intensity, sitting down to calmly consider your next hire might seem like the last straw.

And, of course, the knee jerk thing to do would be to take whomever (slightly) fits the bill and deal with the fallout later, or to do the opposite and keep the status quo in play. That means you, the founder and leader, work harder and longer. We cannot simply do nothing. It changes nothing and it gets us nowhere, fast. We have also seen many of our recommendations not to hire go unheeded, only to land back at the same place with only pain and suffering to show for it, and less budget too. So what do we do?

The answer lies in two approaches. Firstly, have a mindset that’s bigger picture focused AND patient, holding the long-term vision and appreciating the incremental steps to get there. Secondly, use a methodology that looks beyond the CV and skills list, one that delves deeply into alignment, values and long-term potential. When you probe and explore the real person in the process, unexpected insights could save you a world of hurt AND deliver into your hands a wonderful gem. Now doesn’t that sound better?