Control Versus Faith In Hiring

Stewardship And Protecting Your Team

Hiring Like Choosing A Spouse

Pressure Creates Compromise And Chaos

Scarcity Versus Abundance Mindset

Amy’s Burnout And Learning Patience

Doors Opening At The Right Time

Readiness On Both Sides Of Hire

Choosing Discomfort Over Shortcuts

Consequences And Where Hope Sits

Amy Dardis 0:10

Welcome back to the Building a Clear Authentic Brand podcast. I'm your host, Amy Dardis. And in today's episode, we are diving into the mindset behind hiring because what we believe determines how we act. It what we believe about hiring is going to affect how we actually walk through that process, what we actually end up doing. And so we first start with well, what do we believe about hiring and its impact and why do we do the things that we do? And so I want to really focus in on this contrast between our human desire to control and to make things happen and to force a result, which is very ingrained in our spirit as entrepreneurs, right? Is we're a business owner, we're the leader, we're in charge, and we need to make things happen. We need to fill this seat, we need to find the right person, and it's all on us. And there's an element of truth to that about this what we do matters, and how we do it matters, and the process we walk through matters. But we do have to take a step back because when we operate out of fear, that's going to drive very different decisions versus operating from a place of faith and peace based on believing in what is really happening and that it is so much bigger than just what we see right in front of us. It is so much bigger than thinking, I need to fill this seat, because it's not just one seat. It's people, it's your team. It's the person who's gonna fill that seat. It's the way that person is going to impact your business, it's the relationships that are gonna happen. It's about you being the leader who needs to lead that person and that team once that dynamic changes. It's about that person being ready to step into that role. There's all of these different elements at play. And the best way to even think about that or realize that is to look back at the story in the course of our life and be like, did you wake up and decide how your life was going to go? Or were there all of these things that happened that ended up leading you down roads that you never imagined or thought possible? God opening doors, you meeting people at the right place at the right time, that then led to that. And I find a lot of comfort and peace in looking back and being like, oh yeah, when I want to freak out about how much control or what is or isn't happening right now, I just look back on my life and remember all of the things that got me here that I really cannot take any credit for. And hiring really does follow that same vein, that same thought process. So when we're hiring, like our role as a leader, first and foremost, is to steward and lead our people and our resources well. Right? Like we have been entrusted this calling, this business, these resources, the this talent, these services, but these people. Like God has called these people into your care at different times in your life because chances are you don't have the same team the entire time. You know, some people leave and then new ones come, and it does change. And hopefully we're blessed to have people who do get to stick around. But our job is to lead and to steward well, to manage well what we have been given, knowing that God gives us this business, God gives us this calling, God gives us these talents, this wiring, these purpose, these connections, these relationships. They all come from Him first and foremost. So when people walk through our door, we have a responsibility to serve them, to lead them, to protect them to the best of our ability. So when we look at hiring, we're saying, okay, we have this team of people. Let's say you have five people on your team. Those are the five that are currently entrusted into your care. And for this example, let's say are they they are all the right person in the right seat. Well, when you're hiring for a sixth seat, you have to be wise, discerning, patient, clear, looking at how is this sixth person going to affect these other five people? What is that dynamic going to look like? How are they going to interact? Are they going to trust each other? Is this person bringing on skill sets that we need in this organization? Are they going to bring on new abilities, new perspectives, new skill sets that are going to help us get to that next level, get to that next step? And are they going to be a blessing and a benefit to the team I already have? A lot of times we can make decisions that allow the wrong people in that then end up hurting the rest of our team because when we look at it, our team doesn't have the say. Our employees don't have the say about whether or not they want to work with that person. They're trusting you to make that decision, to say, are you going to have my back? Are you going to take care of me? Are you going to make the right decision for our team, for our business, for our customers? And can I trust you with that? Can I believe that you're going to manage this well and you're going to steward this well? And you're going to lead with wisdom and discernment through this process. So we want to hire people that we know are going to add value and that our team is going to benefit. And they're going to look at us and they're going to be like, hey, thank you for hiring this person. I am so glad that you hired this person. This has been a good thing, which is why we take the time to go through a really strong hiring process that we really walk through that carefully. It's like when we choose who we're going to marry, you know? Well, for some people, it's who you choose to remember. I got married in six weeks. So that uh that process was pretty short. But most people, you know, they they we date people, we date a couple of different people, maybe a lot of different people. We get to know them, we figure out, okay, what do I value? What do they value? What's the alignment like there? And then, you know, then you get engaged and then you get married. Like it's a whole process to figure out do I want to share my life with you? Do I want to spend my time with you? And work in a lot of ways has so many of those parallels. Like we are going to spend 40 hours a week with these people. That's gonna affect us. That's gonna affect us mentally, emotionally, relationally, skill, skillfully. I mean, all of these things are going to have an impact. And so choosing who we are gonna spend time with, choosing who our people are gonna spend time with, it's worth the time and effort to really do it well. And it's tempting, right? It's so tempting to when you have that hiring opening, when you have that position, it hurts. Like there is pressure because your team is having to pick up the slack, or maybe you're adding a brand new seat because you're growing, because you feel that pressure. And in your head, you're just thinking, I need to fill this seat because it's hurting because we don't have that seat filled. And that's where it becomes tempting to compromise because we feel that pressure. But that's almost where all compromises start is in those difficult situations. And that's where it really comes back to is what are we gonna stand on? Are we gonna stand on what we believe? Are we gonna stand on our conviction? Are we gonna hold out? Are we gonna do the right thing? Or are we gonna compromise? Are we gonna settle? Are we gonna take the quick win? But the problem with the quick win is all of the consequences that come later. So we bring on, let's say, the wrong person that you're like, okay, they're not great, but they're good enough, and they're good enough for right now, so I'm gonna bring them in. And then you end up dealing with either a wrong person and they don't share the values, and you have social dynamics and relationship dynamics where there's frustration and there's tension, and that starts to grow. It doesn't just stay the same, it starts to get worse and worse over time. Or you have someone who's in the wrong seat where they are just not in a role that they were naturally wired to be excellent at. And so that ends up causing performance issues and mistakes, and then that breeds frustration with the team. And then you're dealing with those issues that you could have avoided if you had held out in the long run for the right person. And so every time we compromise, every time we compromise, it always leads to chaos. And when we start to take control out of fear, we are really creating our own consequences. And that's where it comes from, is it comes from a place of fear, of saying, okay, this isn't going to work out well if I don't do something about it. So therefore I need to act versus realizing that there is a bigger plan, that there are the right people out there. And so we want to switch from having this fear mindset and this scarcity mindset to having this abundance mindset, knowing that the right person for your organization is out there. Someone who shares your values, who's gonna thrive within that role. They are out there. But maybe the timing just isn't right right now. And instead of us waiting for that right timing, we basically circumvent the blessing because we then try to make it happen on our own. So when we trust and wait it out, yeah, it's gonna be difficult in in the in the process. And chances are it's gonna take us a lot longer than we planned. But here's here's how this goes. So I'm gonna use my own story. A couple of them actually. So I felt this calling from God to build this business, to dive into clear authentic brands, to dive into hiring and people and process and what that what that looked like for other businesses, to kind of fundamentally want to shift the conversation around hiring, to fundamentally shift the way that we think about work, about our time, about our gifting. Because I believe we're all wired uniquely on purpose and for a purpose. And when we find roles that we can thrive in, there's immense blessing, like there's immense harvest that comes from that. But a lot of times we get stuck in the wrong roles in the wrong companies, and it drains us and it just burdens us. And I've been there, I've talked about this before. I've spent 10 years walking that path and just knowing that I just I wanted more for my life. And so I felt this calling to come and build this business, and we moved to Alaska, and I thought, okay, God called me to this. So that must mean it's all going to work out, and it's all gonna work out fast. So we moved here, and I started grinding and getting to work and trying to make things happen and trying to make things happen and trying to make things happen. And I entered into a season of burnout, of a lot of things not happening, of a lot of grinding and being like, okay, but God, you called me to this. Like, don't you want me to build this business? So why are these things not coming together? And it took months for me to get to this realization that it wasn't about the results or the outcome. It was about him shaping me through the process and him forming me into who I needed to be in order for this business to go where he needed it to go. So it took, you know, a good year of a lot of just facing my own identity, facing my own internal lies that I have believed those mindsets of of what had held me back or what had kept me stuck, and realizing that a new environment or a new person doesn't just change that. There's a process of learning and shaping and growing and developing that we go through. So I went through this process, and in his timing, then I started to see things start to happen. I started to change the way that I showed up. I started to change my messaging based on this clarity, based on this calling, based on this conviction. And I started to operate out of a place of peace instead of a place of fear. And then doors started to open that I did not open on my own. I mean, and I think that is the biggest thing is I look back at this whole thing and this whole process, even moving to Alaska, the jobs I've had, I look back and I'm like, wow, I did not make that happen. I did not introduce myself to those people, I did not go out and start knocking on doors. Like these were things that happened completely organically at the time in which they were supposed to happen. So even though things were delayed according to my calendar and my timeline, and even though that process was really difficult, it was really stressful, it was very hard. And I was like kicking and screaming, being like, what is going on? Now that I've gone through that, I realize like, oh wow, there was just so much more at play here. And I just kind of get stuck in this tunnel vision and this what's in front of in front of me right now. And it's there's when we're talking about people and business and partnerships and timelines, like the person that you might be waiting for, the right person for that right seat, they might still be in the process of becoming who they need to be before they walk through your doors. You might be becoming who you need to be. You might have to go through this process of feeling that pain and feeling that pressure during the hiring process so that when you meet this right person, when you meet that candidate, you're gonna know that that's who you need to hire and you're gonna be the leader that you need to be in order to bring them on board, or you're gonna be at a in a season of your business, or your people are gonna be within a specific mindset that is ready for that new dynamic to join us. And it's all of these things at play that are just beyond our control and even our understanding a lot of the time about how all of these things intersect. And I think about, I mean, I was remembering this was a few quite a few years ago now, where I was in my web design and marketing agency, and I was feeling this restlessness of building websites wasn't enough. Like it was surface level stuff because I was getting in on this brand clarity thing. And then I was like, but there's so much more to it. It's not just about what we say, it's about what they do and how they act and how they show up. And so I was recognizing this restlessness and this desire for more, but I wasn't thinking about what that looked like or how I needed to even pursue that. I just knew that there was something there. And through completely random and organic interactions that I saw nor no correlation with over the course of a few months, I ended up going to work for a company to dive head first into people and process and organizational health and hiring. And I had no idea what was coming, and I had no idea how I was gonna learn and grow through that process. But I look back at that and I'm like, man, that was a huge turning point in my story. That was a huge part of it, and I cannot take credit for that because I didn't know to ask for it, I didn't know to pursue it, I didn't know to go after it. Like the the door opened at the right time. So not only did that happen for me in my life, and it was a benefit, but I was the right person for that business at that time. So then, as a business, they were able to bring on a new set of skills, a new perspective, you know, new values that came in and helped shape and affect and impact what that business was doing at that point in time. And so it was, and that's really what that intersection looks like at its best is the individual absolutely is blessed by this opportunity, the chance to grow and to develop and to learn and to contribute and to feel valued. But then the business is also impacted by that as well, because you have this person who's bringing this skill set and these ideas and this energy into your business that you needed at that point in time. Because maybe a year ago, or maybe five years ago, or maybe 10 years ago, you wouldn't have been ready for them and they wouldn't have been ready for you. And these are things that just again go be beyond us. And I'm so thankful that God orchestrates these things the way that He does. But oftentimes we want to circumvent the pain, right? Like we want to avoid that, we want to shortcut it. And the more I go through life and the more I experience being in business and dealing with people, the more I see that as much as we want to avoid that, it's it's that discomfort that really grows us and shapes us. It is the hardest seasons in my life have been the most fruitful in my life. And I, you know, never would have asked for it. I never would have signed up for it, but I went through it and I'm so grateful for that that I did. And I look back and I see the way that all of these things came into play. And it just gives me that courage and that faith to keep going to say that, okay, that's this has brought me this far. And like God will continue to bring me forward and into the future with whatever comes next. And instead of worrying so much about controlling it, I'm starting to trust the process and I'm tr starting to operate from a place of peace, from a place of faith, knowing that everything is going to work out in its time. And yes, I have an obligation to show up, to be obedient, to do the work, to develop my gifting. It's not just a sit and wait. It's a sit and it's a sit and wait, but it's also a, you know, a positioning myself and developing in the process and and doing what I need to do to get there. And so we think about this idea that, okay, like we have a choice. As a leader, we have a choice. When we go through every interview, when we talk with every candidate, when we meet with every employee, we have a choice about what we choose to do. And what we choose to do is going to be dependent on what we believe. What we believe about ourselves, what we believe about our calling, what we believe about our identity and our value and our responsibility as leaders. And we can decide to embrace the discomfort, to embrace the hard path, to wait for the right person, or we can choose to bring the wrong person on board. And then we deal with the consequences of that. No matter what we do, we always deal with the consequences of our decisions. And I in and in business, I feel like there's so many decisions and choices where we create our own mess, we create our own chaos because it comes from a place of fear or a place of insecurity, instead of it coming from a place of faith and of peace and of confidence, knowing like where is our hope? Is our hope in God and in what he's called us to, or is our hope in ourselves and in what we're able to do and in our own striving and our and in our own control? And that's gonna shape the choices and the decisions that we make. But through it all, I think we end up seeing God's grace and abundance and his timing working all things for our good for the good of us as leaders, us as employees, us as customers, and like our business. Like if God has called you to lead a business, it's because he cares about that. It's because he has a purpose for that. It's because he wired you uniquely, he gave you the stories and the experiences that you have that have shaped you and brought you to where you are. And if he's done all that, then he also knows exactly who is gonna work for you and when they're gonna work for you and how they're going to work for you. And not only does he care about your story, but he's also working in that person's story as well, knowing that what he's shaping them, he's giving them those experiences and that story to develop them into the person that you need in order to bring onto your team so that there is this team that is doing and achieving the purpose and the mission that you're called to. And I think when we can take a step back and know that when it comes to hiring, it's like God is in control. He is over all of this, he does have a plan, and we can trust that and we can believe in that. And we're gonna have the right people come at the right time, and it's probably going to take longer and be harder than we want it to. Sometimes it's not, but a lot of times it is. But in the end, it is always so worth it. And in the end, it is always for our good. But if you need help with your hiring process in making sure that you're taking the time to go through that process with wisdom and discernment, you know who you're looking for, you know what questions to ask, you know how to make the right decision. You can check out our free hiring training. Just go to ClearAuthenticbrands.com slash training. You can check that out. But that is all for this episode. I'll see you next time.