There are 3 types of hires you may be tempted to make now, but you just can’t: The Jaded, The Broken, and The Done
They’ve always existed, it’s just there are so many more folks with great LinkedIns and experiences in these categories in SaaS. We’re 20+ years into SaaS, and especially the past 4 years have taken their toll on many of us. And changed almost all of us.
The Jaded
You can hear it, see it, almost even smell it from the first Zoom. They blame the last CEO. They blame the VCs. Worse, one way or another, they blame The System. It’s all rigged against employees and in favor of others. There’s some truth in all of this. Just don’t hire them. They will be even more jaded when they join you. Don’t hire anyone, especially any VPs, who blame others. A tiny bit is probably OK. You want your execs to have a bit of a chip on their shoulder. But they should mostly keep it to themselves. They can’t let it cross them over into jaded.
The Broken
This one is tough. They just can’t sell themselves anymore. They can’t get back on the road. They can’t run campaigns anymore. They don’t want to code anymore. They don’t want to save customers themselves anymore. They’ve been in the game a while, and it’s taken its toll. You can see the signs in their body language. You can see the reluctance to work from the office. You can see a general approach that … it just a bit too slow. Hints of it. And they often want to be managers, but not do much of the actual work or function themselves. You can’t hire them. No matter how well they can talk to talk. Everything slows down when you do.
The Done
These ones are often nice. They’re often “fractional”. They’re always focused on strategy and coaching. They’ve done it, at least in part. They get it. They often have great slides and charts to share with you on how it’s done. They’re just done. And a few hours of them are great. Just don’t hire them. Top tells: they’ve been consulting for years. They spend a ton of time on LinkedIn. They speak everywhere. They are focused on “process”. They think sales is all about being a “people person”. Because that’s so much easier.
I really didn’t meet too many of the Jaded, the Broken, and the Done when I started in SaaS. But that was a long time ago. Most of us can’t go forever in this. So I get it, and have empathy.
You just can’t hire these folks. Have your spider sense out, and don’t lower the bar here when you get a bit tired, even a bit desperate, in hiring.
(image from here)
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Jason Lemkin, Khareem Sudlow
