How do I hire and retain top talent for virtual teams?

Why C Players Sabotage High Performers

C players are amazingly creative in undermining A players because high performers pose a threat by asking embarrassing questions in meetings and wanting to accomplish goals in half the time

Incentives Cannot Be Removed Once Implemented

You cannot successfully remove incentives once they're implemented. Employees expect to keep them permanently, and you lose the ability to test whether they would perform without rewards.

Value Exchange Question as Favorite Money Opener

Ask specific questions about time estimates, variations, and delivery schedules, then explain you need these details for budgeting time, money and attention - not for micromanagement.

Tandem Topgrading Interviews — One Questions While One Takes Notes

Use tandem top grading interviews where two people interview simultaneously - one asks questions while the other takes notes, allowing deeper focus on responses and pattern detection

Build Your Team With Four Archetypal Personality Roles

Build your team with four archetypal personality types: organizers for administration, creatives for design and communication, business-type people, and deal makers for partnerships.

A-Players Respond Quickly — Lower Performers Reveal Themselves in Email

Enter into email dialogue with best candidates and observe response patterns - A-players respond quickly and professionally, while lower performers reveal disqualifying information.

Chronological Interview Technique for Spotting A-Players

Team up with another A-player in your company to conduct chronological interviews asking specific questions about past successes and future plans to identify high performers

Can You Test Whether People Would Work Without Incentives

No, once you introduce incentives you lose the ability to test natural motivation. There's no way to determine if someone would have performed the task without the reward.

Ideal Team Response — Listen Understand Then Assess Fit

The ideal team response to new requests involves listening without pushback, understanding fully, then analyzing how it fits with current priorities before implementation

Training Family to Respect Home Work Boundaries

Virtual business owners must actively train friends and family to respect work boundaries, as they don't naturally understand the importance of focused work time at home

Web Design Rates Range $10 to $100 per Hour by Value

Web design compensation varies drastically based on complexity and value - from $10/hour for simple tasks to $100/hour for important projects within the same business

Interview Tactic: Spot Recurring Job-Departure Patterns

Look for behavioral patterns throughout someone's entire work history during interviews - people often leave jobs for the same reasons repeatedly without realizing it

Pay People Based on Their ROI to You

Pay people exactly what they're worth based on ROI calculation - if someone wants $100,000 but they're worth $1 million to you, do the math and pay them appropriately

Virtual Teams Force a Focus on Results Not Activity

Virtual team members force you to focus only on results rather than activity, eliminating creative avoidance behaviors that look productive but don't create outcomes.

Personal Message Filter That Screens Out 70% of Bad Candidates

Ask candidates to write personal messages answering specific questions instead of submitting resumes, which immediately disqualifies 50-70% of unqualified applicants.

Hire Intrinsically Motivated People — Never Try to Motivate

Find intrinsically motivated people rather than trying to motivate unmotivated ones—if you're asking how to motivate your team, you made an upstream hiring mistake.

Build a Virtual Bench With 3–6 Months of Osmosis

Build a 'virtual bench' through a 3-6 month osmosis process of getting to know potential hires through conversations and relationship building before formal hiring

Using Email Exchanges to Assess Candidates Pre-Interview

Use email exchanges and advice requests during relationship building. Ask candidates what they'd do in real situations you're facing to see their thinking process.

A-Players Question You — B and C Players Want Any Job

A-players are as interested in questioning you and learning about your business as you are in questioning them, while B and C players are just looking for any job.

A Players Seek Challenge While C Players Avoid It

A players naturally gravitate toward other A players and challenging situations, while C players avoid discomfort and prefer hanging out with other low performers

Re-Engaging Quiet Quitters Through Personality Discovery

For managers, re-engaging quiet quitters requires helping them discover their unique gifts through personality assessment rather than imposing standard solutions

Test Potential Hires With a Paid 10-Hour Project

Test potential hires with small paid projects during the getting-to-know period - give them a 10-hour project at their hourly rate to evaluate their work quality

Budget Three Months for Meaningful Hire Onboarding

Accept training investment risk for significant hires - budget for 3 months of onboarding costs because meaningful players can't be productive in just a few days

Virtual Teams Provide Objective Performance Visibility

Virtual businesses can actually provide better visibility into employee performance through objective tracking systems rather than physical presence monitoring

A-Players Maintain Relationships With All Former Bosses

A-players maintain positive relationships with all their former bosses and can immediately provide references, while C-players avoid or fear reference checks

Win-Win-Win Transparency That Generates Team Loyalty

Win-win-win transparency where you openly tell your team you want them to have great personal lives so the business succeeds together creates magical results

A Players Commit Where C Players Hedge

A players give you confidence about weekend deadlines by committing to do whatever it takes, while C players say they'll 'try their best' leaving you worried

Consistent Daily Updates Reveal Accountability Patterns Over 30 Days

The most basic test of the Daily Update system is simply whether the employee sends it every day - consistency reveals accountability and communication style

Fear Is Contagious and Transfers Between People

Fear is contagious and transfers between people through pheromones - experiments show mice in fear states cause other mice to immediately respond with fear

The True Cost of a Mis-Hire: 20 Times Annual Salary

Mis-hires cost approximately 20 times their annual salary when accounting for lost productivity, training costs, damaged relationships, and cleanup efforts

Hiring ROI Calculated as Risk-to-Reward Ratio

Calculate hiring ROI risk-to-reward ratios - willing to risk $12,000 in training costs for a 50% probability of generating an extra $50,000 monthly return

Turn Costly Team Mistakes Into Expensive Education

When team members make costly mistakes, respond with curiosity about lessons learned rather than anger, turning expensive errors into valuable education.

Write Job Ads in a Candid Personal Tone Not a Skills List

Write job ads in a friendly, candid, personal tone explaining exactly what you want and don't want, rather than listing formal skills and qualifications.

Self-Direction Skills for Virtual Business Owners

Virtual business owners must develop strong self-direction and management skills since the accountability structures of traditional offices don't exist

Top Grade from the Top Down in Hiring

Top grade from the top down because C player managers will be threatened by A player employees, leading to high turnover and frustrated high performers

Virtual Teams Scale to 70-80 People With Zero Office

Virtual teams can scale to 70-80 people with no office if you hire people who work when it makes sense for them and focus on results rather than hours

The Performance Gap Between A Players and C Players

Communicate using three modalities - physical, emotional, and logical - to dramatically reduce misunderstanding and reach different types of learners

Cost of a Mishire 150 Hours and 1.5M

The average mishire wastes 150 hours annually and costs companies $1.5 million according to research from 52 companies with $100,000 average salaries

Daily Update System Creates Documentation for Hard Conversations

The Daily Update system provides clear documentation for termination conversations by focusing on the one consistent request that wasn't fulfilled

Brainstorming Without Making It Feel Like Orders

When brainstorming with your team, explicitly state multiple times that these are just ideas and not orders to prevent them from feeling mandated

Implement Immediately or Something Else Replaces the Learning

If you don't implement as soon as you learn something, something else will show up and take its place, and you'll never use the original learning

Daily Update Emails Reveal Performance Patterns Within 30 Days

Daily updates should take 5-10 minutes maximum. If it takes longer than that, the employee is doing something wrong and overthinking the process.

Your Top Twenty People Determine Whether Your Business Matters

The quality of your team determines business importance - Microsoft would become unimportant without their top 20 people out of 20,000 employees

Financial Discussions Help Contractors Budget Properly

Explain to contractors that detailed financial and time discussions aren't micromanagement but necessary for budgeting time, money and attention

Recruit Ahead of Need to Properly Evaluate Candidates

The worst time to hire is when you need someone immediately; start recruiting 3 months ahead when you have time to properly evaluate candidates

Negative Workplace Behaviors Persist Long After the Cause Is Removed

Negative workplace behaviors become self-perpetuating even after the original cause is removed, like the monkey experiment with the water spray

Value Is Completely Subjective — Same Production Cost, Different Price

High performers who miss daily updates can be coached or given assistant support, but non-performers who also miss updates should be terminated

Thirty Days of Daily Updates Reveals More Than Years of Casual Acquaintance

Watching daily updates for 30 days reveals more about an employee than people who have known them for years because you see their true patterns

Hire Drivers — People With Ownership and Proactive Orientation

Hire drivers who show proactive behavior, result orientation, sense of ownership, and personal responsibility rather than just skilled workers

Seek First to Understand Before Responding in Conflict

Seek first to understand by asking questions like 'how do you feel, how do you see this, what's your perspective' without marginalizing anyone

A-Players Perform Twice as Well and Grow into Bigger Roles

A-players are not just a little better than average - they perform twice as well and naturally grow into higher roles within the organization

Train Team Members to Reflect Back Current Commitments Before Adding More

Train team members to be individuals who guard organizational priorities by reflecting back current commitments before accepting new projects

Systematize Culture Through Documented Processes and Video Content

Cultural training can be systematized and shared through documented processes, forms, and ongoing video content based on subscriber questions

Gathering Time Estimates and Budgets from Contractors

When working with contractors, systematically gather time estimates, budget requirements and delivery timelines for proper project management

Pre-Existing Team Chemistry Accelerates Business Success

Pre-existing team chemistry accelerates business success when stars have established working relationships before tackling new opportunities

Superstars Work for Impact Not for Money

Superstars work for impact, not for money - they want to make a difference in the world and see how their work changes things for the better

90-Day Cycles as Optimal Planning for Virtual Teams

Structure virtual teams using 90-day cycles as the optimal planning timeframe because business changes too fast for longer planning periods

Resourcefulness Built Only Through High-Stakes Real-World Situations

Resourcefulness is the most important hiring quality and requires putting yourself in high-stakes situations where you must find solutions

Emotional Estimation Is the Most Dangerous Hiring Mistake

Emotional estimation—hiring someone because you 'really like them'—is one of the most dangerous and prevalent mistakes in business hiring.

Aligning Natural Gifts With Challenging, Valuable Work

The path from disengagement to fulfillment requires aligning natural gifts with challenging work that creates measurable value for others

Emotional Estimation Is the Most Dangerous Hiring Mistake

Emotional estimation is most dangerous when hiring - saying 'I really like this person' is a red flag that indicates poor hiring judgment

Hardest People Decisions Involve Early Team Members

The toughest people decisions entrepreneurs face involve those closest to them who helped start or build the company but now drag it down

First Hires Should Free Your Entrepreneurial Time

The first people you hire should take work off your plate so you can focus more time on products and marketing as the chief entrepreneur

Hire Stars Only — All or Nothing Approach to Talent

Hiring decisions should follow an 'all or nothing' approach, committing exclusively to star performers rather than accepting mediocrity

Opposite Personality Types Build Powerful Teams

Opposite personality types can create powerful teams when they understand and leverage each other's strengths rather than fighting them

Creative Leaders Hire Disorganized Creatives Without Guidance

Creative people in leadership positions tend to hire other disorganized creative people just like themselves when left without guidance

Knowledge Workers Must Be Measured by Results Not Activities

Knowledge workers must be evaluated by results, not activity metrics, because their output cannot be measured like physical production

Hidden Conflicts Create Organizational Politics

Organizational politics emerge when people hide conflicts rather than addressing them directly, creating behind-the-scenes negativity

Hiring for Drivers — People Who Deliver Results

Look for 'drivers' - people who take responsibility and like to deliver results, even if they're not the most charismatic or polished

Stars Create Exponential Network Effects When Combined

Stars create a network effect where their combined performance follows 1+1=3 mathematics, with exponential returns as more are added

Serial Interview Technique Reveals Excuse Patterns vs Results

Conduct serial interviews covering every job a candidate has ever had to identify patterns of excuses versus results-driven behavior

Start Team Meetings With Problems to Solve, Not Goals to Set

Start team meetings by asking 'what problems do we need to solve' instead of 'what goals should we set' to remove friction upfront

Service Stories Multiply When Employees Have Care and Freedom

Service excellence stories multiply organically when employees have genuine connections with customers and freedom to express care

C-Players Convert A-Players Into B and C-Players

C-players not only underperform but actively convert A-players into B and C-players while repelling other top talent from joining

Random Titles Rob Employees of Self-Worth and Motivation

Giving employees random titles can rob them of self-esteem, self-worth, growth, and motivation by putting them in a symbolic cage

Build a Virtual Bench Through Relationship Interviews

Build a 'virtual bench' by treating interviews as relationship-building processes over time rather than single evaluation events

C-Players Build Black Boxes for Job Security

C-players create job security by setting up 'black boxes' - systems that only they understand, making them difficult to remove

Why Consultants Talk and Expect You to Execute

Consultants and advisors are typically smooth talkers who expect you to implement their ideas rather than executing themselves

Identify One Core Strength Candidates Must Excel At

Focus on identifying one core strength that candidates must excel at, then let driven people figure out the additional skills

Technology Relocates Labor to Lowest Cost Globally

Technology relocates manual labor to anywhere in the world, facilitating finding the lowest price at highest quality globally

Weekly Team Training Calls That Build Shared Knowledge

Weekly team training calls where leaders teach what they're learning create powerful team development and knowledge retention

Share Thinking Process, Not Finished Decisions, With Team

Share your complete thinking process with your team instead of presenting finished decisions to create engagement and buy-in

Stars Resist Orders — Authoritarian Management Creates Friction

Stars don't respond well to being told what to do - authoritarian tactics create friction like 'pouring sand in their motor'

When Stars Make Costly Mistakes, Focus on the Lesson Not the Loss

When star employees make costly mistakes, focus on learning rather than punishment to maintain team loyalty and performance

Build a Virtual Bench Around Specific Talent Strengths Not Job Titles

Build a 'virtual bench' by identifying future roles and specific talent strengths needed, not just general job descriptions

Email Exchanges to Evaluate Candidate Thinking Style

Use email exchanges and advice requests during the relationship building phase to evaluate how candidates think and respond

Collaborative Shared Documents Give Virtual Teams Common Ground

Use collaborative shared documents for agendas, project spreadsheets, and reports to give virtual teams a common workspace

How to Get Better Depth From Customer Survey Responses

If you have to force greatness, you have the wrong person - stars will perform naturally and you'll have to hold them back

Five-Minute Daily Updates Assess Team Performance

Implement a five-minute daily update system covering results, challenges, and questions to assess team member performance

Aligning Work to Personality Type for Maximum Output

Each personality type should align their work with their natural strengths to create maximum value and avoid frustration

Daily Huddles Keep Virtual Teams Aligned

Implement daily huddles where virtual teams connect each morning to align on daily objectives and maintain team cohesion

Daily Team Meetings Reinforce Priorities and Recognition

Hold daily team meetings to communicate priorities repeatedly and recognize people when they execute on those priorities

Proactively Build Relationships With Future Star Hires

Spend 10% of your time proactively connecting with potential future team members and building relationships with stars

Self-Interest Arguing Destroys Trust Instantly

Arguing for your own interest makes people realize you won't make decisions in their best interest and destroys trust

Vision and Values Are the Most Critical Contexts a Leader Sets

Vision and values are the most critical contexts you set as a leader—more important than environment or relationships

Hiring Stars Is Required Even When Working From Home

Just because you're working from home doesn't mean you can skip hiring stars and running your business professionally

Use Serial Interviews to Find Candidates Who Finish Projects

Use serial in-depth interviews to discover if candidates have a proven track record of driving projects to completion

Test Candidates with Live Work Tasks Not Just Interviews

Test prospective team members by having them do actual work tasks live to reveal their real performance capabilities

External Rewards Destroy the Intrinsic Motivation That Existed Before

External rewards can destroy intrinsic motivation, making people lose interest in activities they previously enjoyed

Expect Team Members to Achieve 60-80 Percent of Your Results

Only expect other people to achieve 60-80% of your results, and accept this as excellent performance for delegation

Modern Leadership Means Increasing Others' Creativity and Productivity

Modern leadership is about helping others increase their creativity and productivity, not telling people what to do

Daily Huddle Calls Prevent Remote Team Silos

Conduct daily huddle calls to keep virtual teams coordinated and connected, preventing people from working in silos

Meet Your Virtual Team In Person at Least Annually

Meet team members in person at least once a year to build trust, connection, and team unity that pays off long-term

Sales Rep Mishires Cost Six Times Base Salary

Sales rep mishires cost an average of $583,000 or about 6 times base salary according to surveys of sales managers

Leaders Who Celebrate and Rest Signal Permission to Their Teams

If you celebrate with your team and take relaxation days when needed, they will mirror those behaviors naturally

Watch for Sticky People Who Build Political Systems Around Themselves

Watch for 'sticky people' who build political systems and create dependencies that make them difficult to remove

Moving the Free Line — The Most Valuable Marketing Concept

Have trusted people with different skill sets interview your candidates to reveal blind spots you can't perceive

Incentive-Motivated People Over-Promise and Under-Deliver

People motivated by incentives are often smooth talkers who over-promise and under-deliver to meet their targets

Telling Star Performers They Are the Expert

Tell star performers they're the expert, you need them to take responsibility and tell you what needs to be done

Different Personality Types Catch Blind Spots in Interviews

Different personality types and skill sets will see qualities in candidates that you have no way of perceiving

State Your Top Priority at the Start of Every Daily Huddle

State your top priority at the beginning of every daily huddle call to align your team and prevent distraction

Recruit 6 to 9 Months Ahead by Projecting Future Growth

Approach recruitment conversations by projecting future growth and asking for referrals 6-9 months in advance

Stop Arguing for Self-Interest — Argue From Their Perspective

When negotiating with team members, stop arguing for self-interest and argue from their perspective instead

Hiring for Passion and Completed Project Track Record

Look for passion and a successful track record of driving projects to completion when hiring top performers

Why Business Incentives Are One of the Most Dangerous Ideas

Incentives are one of the most dangerous ideas ever to hit business and should be used with extreme caution

Employees-Suck Attitude Creates Confirmation Bias

The 'employees suck' attitude creates confirmation bias where you only see validation of employee failures

Cross-Department Interview Teams for Comprehensive Evaluation

Use multiple team members from different departments to interview candidates for comprehensive evaluation

Customers Perceive Your Business as a Single Person

Customers perceive your business as a person, and whoever they interact with becomes the business to them

Group Debrief Process After Multi-Interviewer Candidate Review

Conduct group debriefs after multiple people interview a candidate to piece together behavioral patterns

Star Performers Must Contribute 3-10x Their Pay

Star performers need to contribute 3-10x more value than what you pay them for the business math to work

Asking What Did You Hear Me Say to Verify Understanding

Use the FedEx principle - get sign-off by asking 'what did you hear me say?' to ensure message delivery

Failure in Knowledge Work Is Learning Not Criticism

Failure in knowledge work environments is actually learning and should be congratulated, not criticized

Hire Star Performers Who Think Long-Term

Find star performers who operate on long-term thinking rather than short-term incentive-driven behavior

Only Hire Stars in a High-Growth Company

In rapidly growing companies, only hire stars while helping disadvantaged people outside your business

Leaders Must Go First in Modeling Desired Emotional States

Leaders must 'go first' in modeling the emotional states and behaviors they want their team to exhibit

Superstars Work for Impact, Not for Money

Superstars work for impact rather than money and want to see the world change because of what they do

Building a Virtual Team from One Person to Seventy

Virtual team building can start with one person at $6/hour and scale to 70 full-time workers globally

Investigate Weird Signals With New Team Members Immediately

Investigate immediately when sensing anything weird with new team members to prevent major problems

Team Underperformance Is 100% the Leader's Fault

Take full responsibility when team members don't perform - it's 100% the leader's fault, not theirs

Test Assumptions by Acting and Watching What Happens

In business, you test assumptions by taking action and seeing if strategies work in the real world

Even Psychologists Fall Victim to Comparison Bias on Compensation

Even trained psychologists fall victim to comparison bias when making decisions about compensation

Identify Three Referral Sources for Every Role You Plan to Fill

Identify three specific people you can contact for referrals to each role you're planning to fill

Virtual Technical Support Fixes Total Productivity Blockers

Virtual technical support addresses computer problems that completely stop customer productivity

Sharing Wealth Fairly While Avoiding Incentive Traps

Share wealth and proceeds fairly with your team while avoiding performance-based incentive traps

Punishment After Mistakes Breeds Resentment and Deliberate Sabotage

Punitive responses to mistakes create employee resentment and deliberate sabotage over time

Seeking Validation Over Truth Keeps You Blind to Your Gaps

Hiring people based on emotional liking rather than data leads to expensive mistakes

Virtual Business Models Provide Freedom and Scalability

Virtual business models with remote teams provide ultimate freedom and scalability

Pairing Smooth Talkers with Organizers for Execution

Pair smooth talkers with organizers to ensure execution and results delivery

Two to Three Clarification Rounds Before Sign-Off

Clarify communication 2-3 rounds before achieving satisfactory sign-off

Starting Virtual Business with Minimal Equipment

Look for people who see themselves at 'cause' rather than 'effect'—they believe they can change themselves and their circumstances, are driven to evolve and learn, have emotional and social intelligence, want to contribute to something bigger than themselves, and live in what they see as a friendly, abundant universe.

Why Homogeneous Teams Dysfunction

Homogeneous teams dysfunction. A group of all judgers immediately starts making lists without questioning if they're doing the right thing. A group of all perceivers ends up playing video games and drinking beer instead of completing tasks. Mixed teams with opposites create 'a mind bigger than everyone in the room.'

Judgers Plan for Closure; Perceivers Keep All Options Open

Judgers like to plan, structure, and control by making lists and bringing closure to decisions. Perceivers prefer spontaneity, keeping options open, and delaying decisions to adapt and improvise. Perceivers are typically late while judgers are early, and they drive each other nuts with their opposite approaches.

Reference Check Question That Reveals A-Players

Ask candidates: 'When I talk to your boss from that job, what will they say about your strengths and weaknesses?' A-players maintain good relationships with former bosses and welcome reference checks, while C-players get nervous because they know their former bosses won't give good references.

Hire by Having Candidates Perform Real Work Live

Have them perform actual work tasks that reveal their capabilities. For example, if hiring a copywriter, review their previous work and have them write copy for your materials. Watch them work live if possible or have virtual discussions where they solve problems.

The 4 Keys of Marketing Success and Why Order Matters

Sticky people are smooth talkers who build political systems and create black boxes that only they understand. They become dangerous because they make themselves indispensable by controlling critical systems, making removal difficult once problems are discovered.

A Players vs C Players Behavioral Differences

A players hang out with other A players, take responsibility, and seek challenging situations. C players avoid discomfort, prefer other C players, and actively undermine high performers because they feel threatened by their strategic thinking and ambitious goals.

A-Players Solve Obstacles — C-Players Blame Everyone Else

Conduct serial interviews covering their entire work history. A-players focus on delivering results despite obstacles ('we got creative and figured out how to get the job done'), while C-players make excuses ('my boss was dumb', 'the company cut corners').

A Mis-Hire Costs 20 Times Their Annual Salary

According to research, a mis-hire costs approximately 20 times their annual salary. So a $50,000 employee who doesn't work out will cost your business around $1 million when you factor in hiring time, poor performance, problems created, and cleanup costs.

Five Simple Metrics to Track Your Business Daily

Start with simple metrics like website visitors, email opt-ins, and sales. Add bank deposits and expenditures if desired. Track daily for 30 days, then create charts to visualize trends. This gives you control and confidence in your business decisions.

Hire Impact Drivers With Proven Track Records

Look for people who work for impact rather than money, have a proven track record of completing projects, and demonstrate the 'driver' quality of taking responsibility for results. Use serial in-depth interviews and test them with actual work tasks.

Why Virtual Teams Need Annual In-Person Meetings

In-person meetings create trust, connection, and team unity that doesn't exist through virtual interaction alone. Even meeting once a year for team building and collaborative work significantly improves long-term team performance and communication.

Daily Team Meetings Communicate Priorities and Reward Execution

Hold daily team meetings where you communicate the same priorities repeatedly. When team members put those priorities first, publicly recognize and reward them. Humans respond well when priorities are clear and they're rewarded for hitting them.

Why Hiring Friends and Family Destroys Businesses

No, hiring friends and family is a great way to destroy a business. It creates weird relationship dynamics, makes performance management difficult, and often results in people who rely on you for employment rather than contributing to growth.

Win-Win Transparency Approach to Sales Ethics

Take a win-win or no deal approach. Acknowledge the inherent conflicts of interest in sales situations, make them transparent, and commit to both parties winning. Point out ethical dilemmas and resolve them openly rather than ignoring them.

When to Narrow or Remove Team Member Responsibilities

Evaluate key team members honestly a couple times per year to determine if the company is outgrowing them. If someone can't function at a high performer level, narrow their responsibilities so they can succeed or help them transition out.

Chronological Interview Questions Paired with A Player

Team up with another A player and conduct chronological interviews asking specific questions about past successes and future plans. Ask for specifics around achievements and use the patterns you discover to assess relevant competencies.

Start Recruiting Three Months Before You Need Anyone

Start recruiting 3 months before you actually need someone. Look ahead at business growth, identify future hiring needs, then spend months talking to 1-2 candidates per week. The worst time to hire is when you need someone immediately.

C Player Managers Drive Out A Player Talent

C player managers will be threatened by A player employees, leading to high turnover and frustrated high performers. You must have A players in management positions first, then they'll naturally hire other A players below them.

Collaborate With Four to Seven Complementary Experts to Multiply Results

Collaboration with people who complement your strengths can multiply your results by 10x or 100x. While specialization is key, you need 4-7 other strong people with different expertise to maximize your value creation potential.

How A-Players Behave Differently in Interviews

A-players are as interested in questioning you about the role as you are in questioning them. They respond quickly and professionally, maintain relationships with former bosses, and view opportunities as career stepping stones.

Three Daily Systems for Managing Virtual Teams

Implement three core daily systems: five-minute daily updates covering results, challenges and questions; daily huddle calls for coordination; and a dashboard tracking key business metrics with charts showing trends over time.

Drivers Own Results Not Just Paychecks

A driver takes ownership of delivering results rather than just working for a paycheck. They take personal responsibility for outcomes and have developed the ability to motivate themselves and get back on track every time.

Five Animal Drives — Survival Status Sex Security and Love

Expect others to achieve 60-80% of your results, and consider this excellent performance. They won't be as good as you at what you're uniquely excellent at, but this level allows effective delegation and business growth.

Structuring Effective 15-Minute Team Training Sessions

Get everyone together (virtually or in-person) and share a lesson you've learned for 15-30 minutes. Focus on material that helps with personal effectiveness and life improvement, being transparent about win-win benefits.

Organizers, Creatives, Operators, Dealmakers: Four Team Archetypes

Build your team with four archetypal types: organizers for administration, creatives for design and communication, business-type people for operations, and deal makers for partnerships and external relationships.

How to Spot the Smooth Talker Who Will Never Execute

Look for people with extra polish and charisma who seem way too together. They excel at drawing beautiful system diagrams and describing architectures but consistently fail to execute over 6-12 month periods.

Ask What They Learned Instead of Punishing the Mistake

Call them and ask 'What did you learn?' instead of criticizing. Focus on the lesson gained and remind them it's better to learn now than when the company is larger and the mistake would cost much more.

Teach New Material to Your Team for Best Mastery

Teach it to your team. This creates 5-10 times better mastery than just learning it yourself. Put a star next to valuable lessons and use the mantra 'teach it to my team' to remember this principle.

The Virtual Bench — Recruit Before You Need to Hire

A virtual bench is a proactive recruitment strategy where you identify future roles your business will need and build relationships with potential candidates before you actually need to hire them.

Hire an Organizer First When You're a Creative Entrepreneur

Hire an organizer - someone who wakes up making plans, creates lists and schedules, and wants to stick to them. If you're creative, an organizer will handle admin work and help keep you on track.

Demand Fixed Budgets and Refuse to Start Without Cost Projections

Demand fixed budgets upfront and refuse to work with firms that won't project costs. Be a bulldog about estimates and require notification before any additional charges beyond the agreed amount.

Pair Visionaries With Organizers to Get Results

Pair them with an organizer who can keep their eye on them and ensure results. This can be through direct reporting, partnership, or support arrangements to make sure actual work gets completed.

True Cost of a Bad Sales Hire

According to Brad Smart's research, the average mishire costs $1.5 million (15 times base salary) for positions with $100,000 average salaries, and wastes 150 hours annually in management time.

Emotional Estimation Causes 75% of All Hiring Mistakes

Emotional estimation—hiring someone because you 'really like them' rather than evaluating their ability to produce results. This leads to 75% of all hires being mistakes according to research.

Improving Team Members' Personal Lives for Business Loyalty

Focus on personal life improvement rather than just business skills. Teach your team how to have better personal lives and be more effective, which creates powerful connections and loyalty.

When You Must Motivate Constantly You Made a Hiring Mistake

If you find yourself constantly having to motivate them or tell them what to do, you made an upstream hiring mistake. Stars are intrinsically motivated and don't need external motivation.

Find People Who Excel at One Core Strength

Focus on finding people who excel at one specific strength rather than general job categories. If they're great at their core skill and driven, they'll figure out the additional tasks.

Weekly Team Training Calls for Consistent Team Development

Hold team training calls once a week or once every two weeks, even if they're short 15-minute sessions. The key is consistency and focusing on teaching lessons you've recently learned.

Value Differential Math Behind Star Performer Compensation

Star performers must contribute 3-10 times more value than what you pay them for the business to grow and be profitable. This value differential changes the traditional power dynamic.

Giving Stars Autonomy and Getting Out of Their Way

Give them freedom and autonomy rather than control. Tell them they're the expert, let them take responsibility for decisions, and provide resources while getting out of their way.

Build a Virtual Bench Before You Need to Hire

Build a 'virtual bench' by identifying specific talent strengths you'll need, then reach out to your network for referrals to those specialists months before you need to hire.

Why Virtual Workers Force a Results-Only Management Culture

Virtual workers force you to focus only on results rather than activity. You can't see their busy work or 'creative avoidance' behaviors—only what they actually accomplish.

Stars Perform Without Pushing — If You Push It's Wrong Person

Stars will naturally perform at high levels and you'll have to hold them back rather than push them forward. If you're forcing performance, you have the wrong person.

Investigate Red Flags Immediately — Don't Wait and Hope They Pass

Investigate immediately and spend extra time working on any weird situations. Don't ignore warning signs as they can lead to serious problems like theft or fraud.

Leader's Full Responsibility When Team Members Underperform

The leader is 100% responsible for team member non-performance. It means you either hired the wrong person or created the wrong environment for them to succeed.

Flexible Org Structure as a Feature of Growing Companies

Growing companies are evolving organisms that need flexible structure. Formalizing rigid hierarchies prevents the natural adaptation needed for growth.

Start Recruiting 6-9 Months Before You Actually Need to Hire

Start building relationships with potential team members 6-9 months before you actually need to hire them, based on your projected business growth.

The most dangerous hiring mistake is emotional estimation - making decisions based on liking someone rather than their ability to perform the job.

Most entrepreneurs have an 'employees suck' attitude that creates confirmation bias, causing them to only see validation of employee failures.

Spend 10 Percent of Your Time Building High-Performer Relationships

Spend about 10% of your time connecting with people who could be good future team members and building relationships with high-performers.

Bill Gates Said 20 People Made Microsoft Irreplaceable

Top performers are critical - Bill Gates said Microsoft would become unimportant without their top 20 people out of 20,000 employees.

Why a Timer Forces Productive Focus

75% of all hires are mis-hires according to Brad Smart, author of Top Grading. This means only 1 in 4 hires are actually successful.

You Can Accomplish More in Those Hours Than Most Do All Day

Focus on learning rather than punishment. Ask 'what did you learn?' and frame it as a cheap lesson compared to future growth.

A Players Challenge Themselves C Players Avoid Discomfort

A players hang out with A players, and C players hang out with C players. A players take responsibility, like to be around people that challenge them, like to be around challenging situations. C players like to avoid anything that's going to make them uncomfortable or challenge them in any way.

Each Product Becomes Its Own Ownable Category

what if each product could be its own new Niche or category so what if each product could be its own category I thought that would be cool because then if you want to compete with us and you compete with that product you're competing with a category itself

Spend 10% of Your Time Building Relationships With Future Stars

my rule of thumb personally is spend about 10% of your time doing this us spend about 10% of your time connecting with people that could be good future team members building relationships with stars

Shifting from Interview Mindset to Relationship Building

when I stopped thinking thinking of it as an interview and I started thinking of it as building a relationship that at some point might turn into a work relationship my whole Paradigm changed

Let Prospects Exaggerate Sales Numbers — It Works in Your Favor

what's the one thing that you really really need them to be good at and if they're great at that and they're and they're a driver then they'll figure out how to get all the other stuff done

C Players Convert A Players Into B and C Players

C players not only don't perform they don't not only deliver results that are poor but they also turn a players into B players and C players and they are like a player repellent

Bad Hires Cost Up to 20 Times Annual Salary

when someone is a mishire, as phenomenal as this is and as hard as it is to believe, they typically cost something like 20 times their annual salary when it's all said and done

Titles Can Rob Employees of Self-Worth You Thought You Were Giving

I think you can rob them of self-esteem, self-worth, growth, motivation. I think you can rob them of these things by giving them something that you thought was useful.

Go First — Model the State You Want Your Team to Mirror

You go first. And what they mean there is if you want someone to go into an emotional state, you go into that state first and then the other person will go there.

C Players Exclude A Players From Their Circle

The C players not only like to hang out with C players go out and have a beer after work They don like those A players around They a pain in the neck

Weak Hires Give You Gray Hair and Cost a Fortune

if you start putting pencil to paper on the costs, the financial costs and the times of having weak people reporting to you, it gives you gray hair.

When You Like Someone in the Interview, Raise a Red Flag

If you like a person a lot when you interview them, you have to have a little red flag go up and say, okay, this is probably going to be a problem.

100 Percent Leader Responsibility for Team Non-Performance

if there's someone in your organization that's not a star it's 100% your responsibility you created the environment you created the context

Connecting Two Stars Produces a 1 Plus 1 Equals 3 Effect

if you take one star and you connect them to another star I don't think you just get 2x I think this is a 1 + 1 equals 3 effect

High Performers Make Teams More Fun and Productive

Whereas if you have a team of high performers, you're going to have a lot more fun because you can be a lot more productive.

Strong Company Growth Requires Hiring Only Stars

if you want to grow a strong company you got to have stars you got to draw a good boundary you have to be clear about that

Spend 10% of Your Time Building Relationships With Future Stars

ninety-nine percent of what you did felt and thought today are the same things you probably did felt and thought yesterday

Working From Home Doesn't Mean Skipping Professional Standards

Just because you're working from home doesn't mean you can skip hiring stars and running your business like a pro.

Tell Me What We Need — Take Responsibility as the Expert

I need you to tell me what we need to do I need you to take responsibility for things you are the expert I am not

Motivating Your People Is Like Swimming With an Anchor

Having to motivate your people, I mean, that's like trying to swim with a boat anchor chained around your leg.

Remove the Top Twenty People and Microsoft Becomes Irrelevant

take our 20 best people away and I will tell you that Microsoft would become an unimportant company

Eben's Marketing Defined Simply

When people are working virtually, they can't come in and pretend to be doing a lot of busy work.

Envisioning a Better Future and Translating It to Others Is Priceless

Your ability to envision a better future and then translate that vision to others is priceless.

Stars Will Perform — You Will Have to Hold Them Back

if you find a star they will perform you will have to hold them back they will make it happen

Shaping Your Business Around Your Life

We need to train the people that we care about to support us in our virtual business.

Most Hires Are Mishires — and Extremely Expensive

Most hires are mishires, and most of them are very, very, very expensive to business

Topgrade from the Top Down — First Principle

the first principle of top grading, you know, Evan, is top grade from the top down.

Any Sign of Self-Interest Damages Your Credibility

anytime someone can sense that you're arguing for your own interest it damages you

A-Players Pull Success Out of the Jaws of Defeat

the a player is always figuring out how to pull success out of the jaws of defeat

The Stars-Only Standard for Building Teams

The standard is stars only. Only the best of the best from now on.

Worst Hiring Moment Is When You Need Someone Immediately

The worst time to hire someone is when you need them right now

Superstars Work for Impact Not Money

Superstars they work for impact not for money

Superstars Work for Impact Not Money

the superstars work for impact, not for money

The Culture Typically Is Whatever You Are

The culture typically is whatever you are.

The Seek First to Understand Core Principle

seek first to understand

Hire Drivers Who Take Ownership of Results

hire drivers

What Makes Virtual Team Members More Effective

Why are virtual team members sometimes more effective than in-person employees?

Daily Systems for Managing a Virtual Team

What daily systems should I implement to manage a virtual team effectively?

Identifying the Smooth Talker Who Can't Deliver

How can you tell if someone is a smooth talker who won't deliver results?

Expert Statistics on Unsuccessful Hire Rates

What percentage of hires are unsuccessful according to hiring experts?

How to Respond When Star Employees Make Costly Mistakes

How should you respond when star employees make expensive mistakes?

How to Get Your Team to Follow Without Forcing Them

How can I get my team to follow my leadership without forcing them?

What Happens When You Put All the Same Personality Types Together

What happens when you put all the same personality types together?

What's the Most Important Thing to Establish as a Business Leader

What's the most important thing to establish as a business leader?

How to Identify Star Performers for Virtual Teams

How do you identify star performers when hiring for virtual teams?

What Personality Type to Hire as First VA

What personality type should I hire as my first virtual assistant?

Smooth Talker Hired — Who Must You Also Bring In

What should you do if you hire a smooth talker for your business?

Motive vs Motivation — A Key Leadership Distinction

What's the difference between motive and motivation in business?

Four Personality Types That Build a Complete Team

What personality types should you hire to build a complete team?

How to Handle Team Members Who Make Expensive Mistakes

How should you handle team members who make expensive mistakes?

Hiring Friends or Family Members Risk

How can I tell if someone is results-driven during interviews?

What Are Sticky People and Why They're Dangerous to Your Business

What are sticky people in business and why are they dangerous?

Win-Win or No Deal as Ethical Sales Framework

What ethical approach should you take to sales and persuasion?

How to Identify Star Performers When Building Your Team

How do you identify star performers when hiring for your team?

Education Philosophy Applied to Business Team Management

What education philosophy applies to business team management?

How to Stop Consultants From Running Up Unlimited Charges

How do you prevent consultants from overcharging on projects?

Managing High-Performing Team Members With Freedom and Autonomy

How should entrepreneurs manage high-performing team members?

How Much Time to Spend Recruiting Future Team Members

How much time should I spend recruiting future team members?

Signs You Hired the Wrong Person for Your Team

How do you know if you hired the wrong person for your team?

Getting Your Team to Execute Consistently on Priorities

How do I get my team to execute consistently on priorities?

How to Test If a Hire Can Actually Do the Work

How do I test if a potential hire can actually do the work?

How to Screen Virtual Assistant Candidates Effectively

How do you screen virtual assistant candidates effectively?

The Math Behind Why Hiring Stars Changes Power Dynamics

What's the math behind hiring star performers in business?

Recognizing a Star Performer on Your Team

How do you know if you have a star performer on your team?

The Most Dangerous Hiring Mistake Explained

What is the most dangerous mistake when hiring employees?

Best Interview Question to Identify A-Players

What's the best interview question to identify A-players?

Why Entrepreneurs Consistently Struggle with Team Management

Why do most entrepreneurs struggle with team management?

When to Start Recruiting for Future Hires

When is the best time to start recruiting for new hires?

Getting in Front of Prospects and Asking Questions

Should I hire friends or family members for my business?

Strategic Focus After Delegating to a VA

What should I focus on after hiring a virtual assistant?

Should You Hire Virtual Assistants for Personal Tasks

Should I hire virtual assistants for personal tasks too?

Three Modalities Reach 80 Percent Comprehension

What is the difference between A players and C players?

The Biggest Hiring Mistake Most Entrepreneurs Make

What's the biggest hiring mistake entrepreneurs make?

What to Delegate to Your Virtual Assistant First

What should I delegate to my virtual assistant first?

Structuring Your Message to Direct AI Attention

How important are top performers to company success?

What to Focus On During Team Training Calls

What should you focus on during team training calls?

How to Keep a Virtual Team Focused on Priorities

How do I keep my virtual team focused on priorities?

How to Handle Red Flags With New Employees Before They Become Problems

How should you handle red flags with new employees?

Who Bears Responsibility for Non-Performing Team Members

Who is responsible when team members don't perform?

How to Manage Employees in a Virtual Business

How do you manage employees in a virtual business?

The True Financial Cost of a Single Bad Hire

How much does a bad hire actually cost a business?

How to Tell A-Players From Average Candidates

How can I tell A-players from average candidates?

Finding Good Team Members for Your Business

How do I find good team members for my business?

Team Evaluation Frequency and Cadence

How often should you evaluate your team members?

How Often to Hold Team Training Calls

How often should you hold team training calls?

When to Start Looking for Future Team Members

When should I start looking for team members?

Identifying A Players During the Interview Process

How do you identify A players in interviews?

Cost of a Bad Hire

How much does a bad hire cost a company?

The Case for In-Person Meetings on Virtual Teams

Why should virtual teams meet in person?

Why Hire from the Top Down

Why should you hire from the top down?

What Is a Virtual Bench in Business

What is a virtual bench in business?