Over the past two weeks, I’ve attended three networking events. Unsurprisingly, I kept hearing the same complaint: “It’s so hard to find good people these days.”
Let me be blunt—it’s not hard. The problem isn’t the job market; the problem is laziness.
Here’s the hard truth: Unless you dedicate as much time and energy to recruiting as you do to running your business—whether that’s plumbing, carpentry, law, or accounting—you’ll always struggle with hiring. Hiring isn’t a passive process; it’s an active, strategic investment in your success.
Why Outsourcing Alone Won’t Save You
If you’re outsourcing your hiring, chances are the supplier is working in their best interests—not yours. They’re hiring based on what they think you need, not what will actually drive your business forward.
Ask yourself this: has any outsourced HR firm ever sat down and asked you, “What are your company’s core values? What specific results are you hiring for?” Probably not. Instead, they’re asking for a generic job description—and if you don’t have one, they’ll provide a cookie-cutter version. The same one they’ve handed out to every other client.
This means you’re fishing in the same talent pool as everyone else, with no differentiation in what makes your company unique. That’s not hiring strategically; that’s settling.
The Biggest Predictor of Success
Here’s a fact: the people you hire are the single biggest determinant of your success. So, why would you entrust this critical process to someone who has no stake in your business outcomes?
Hiring isn’t hard if you’re willing to treat it with the same level of priority as your day-to-day operations. Build a hiring process that reflects your core values, aligns with the results you need, and actively engages with candidates who fit your vision.
Stop outsourcing your success. Own your hiring process, and you’ll stop thinking of it as “hard” and start seeing it as your competitive advantage.