Hiring is one of the most consequential decisions a business owner makes — and one of the hardest to get right. In our recent EO Exchange session, Recruitment 101: How to Find Your Perfect Match, EO members heard a candid, experience-driven perspective on why recruitment so often goes wrong and how founders can do it better.
The session focused on the reality many entrepreneurs face: hiring without large HR or recruitment teams, often under pressure, and usually at moments of change or growth.
A consistent theme throughout the session was that recruitment usually happens when businesses are overwhelmed — after a resignation or during rapid growth. In these moments, clarity disappears, urgency takes over, and poor decisions follow.
The reality shared was reassuring: even highly admired businesses get hiring wrong. Failed hires are not a sign of poor leadership — they’re part of building and scaling a business.
For small and mid-sized businesses, one wrong hire doesn’t just affect a role. It impacts momentum, leadership focus, team morale, culture, clients, and often leads to costly rehiring. The distraction alone can stall growth far more than founders anticipate.
Most hiring failures aren’t about skill gaps. They happen because the role wasn’t clearly defined, the timing was wrong, or the business wasn’t ready for what it was asking of that person.
A key takeaway for EO members was the importance of hiring not just for today, but for where the business will be in 12 months’ time. As businesses grow, roles change — and founders need to consider adaptability, behaviours, and future capability, not just immediate technical skills.
Good hiring decisions are less about KPIs and more about fit, behaviour, and how someone complements the existing team.
Rather than trying to solve every gap with a single “perfect” hire, the session encouraged founders to step back and design the right team structure. This includes developing internal talent, being realistic about what one person can deliver, and recognising when growth requires a different mix of strengths.
For EO Perth members, the session reinforced that recruitment is a leadership discipline — not a transactional task. The strongest founders slow down, create clarity, accept mistakes as part of the journey, and build teams intentionally as their businesses evolve.
Recruitment, done well, protects momentum, culture, and leadership energy — all things EO members value deeply as they grow their businesses.
