I’ve interviewed over 1,000 people and hired 200+ in the last 10 years.
Here are 7 brutal patterns I’ve seen across every high performer we’ve hired 👇
1) They ask scary, specific questions before they join.
Every high performer I’ve hired asked things like:
– “What does success look like in the first 90 days?”
– “Why did the last person leave?”
– “What will I own end-to-end?”
If a candidate just says “I’m excited about the opportunity,” I already know they’re not ready.
2) They move before they feel ready.
I hired someone who launched a massive product update in week 2.
It wasn’t perfect, but it shipped and generated money.
High performers don’t wait to be trained.
They act, then adjust.
3) They are uncomfortable with being average.
They track their own performance before I ever ask.
They’re self-aware, and they’re harder on themselves than I ever need to be.
Mediocre talent waits for feedback.
Top talent craves it because they actually want to get better.
4) They write and think clearly.
Every one of my top hires had this in common:
They can distill complexity into 3 bullet points or a 1-minute Loom.
If someone can’t explain their priorities in under 60 seconds they don’t have any.
5) They manage up, not sideways.
They proactively keep leadership informed.
They escalate when it matters.
They don’t wait to be “checked in on.”
These are the people you trust with entire business units.
6) They set boundaries early and keep them.
You think this is a red flag? It’s the opposite.
The best people are crystal clear about their time, expectations, and headspace.
They know how to protect their energy so they can perform.
Burnout happens to people who say yes to everything.
High performers say yes to what matters.
7) They make work feel lighter, even when it’s heavy.
Every great teammate I’ve kept has one thing in common:
I enjoy working with them.
That doesn’t mean they’re always easy.
It means they make hard things better with clarity, with energy, with presence.
Here’s the real takeaway:
You can’t build a high-performing company with average energy, average clarity, and average standards.
Every great hire I’ve made raised the bar for the whole company.
Every mediocre one lowered it even when they “hit their KPIs.”
You don’t scale with headcount.
You scale with standards.
If you’re building something serious, treat hiring like your product.
Test deeply.
Filter fast.
And when you find someone great get out of their way.
✌️
