Reasons aside, I read these statistics and thought about the single biggest mistake that I see in career management and hiring for teams.

People were hired too quickly, and they were fired too slowly.

Going back to my traffic statistics, I think the number one place people wrecked their careers or wrecked their teams, is at intersections. Career intersections are a fragile time, and must be approached with great care. In other words, don’t take a job too quickly, and don’t hire too quickly, slow down!




The most expensive hire you’ll ever make is hiring the wrong person. The worst job you ever take will be the wrong job.

If you are job searching, you might slow down and figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life. How are you wired? Do you know what energizes you? Ask yourself those questions. In the words of Socrates, know thyself. That will allow you to sift through job opportunities and find ones that best fit you. As I’ve told my children many times, if you can find a job that you’re excited about, good at, and it adds value to the world, and can provide for your family, you have found the perfect job. Finding the alignment of those four criteria takes time. So don’t jump at the first opportunity. Slow down at intersections.

If you are hiring this year, my advice to you is the same. Slow down. Make sure the candidates you are interviewing will be energized by the work you’re calling them to do. Make sure the candidates you’re looking at are aligned with your culture. Take the time to do more than one or two interviews. As my friend and client, Dave Ramsey once told me, “William, even a donkey can look like a thoroughbred for two interviews.”

We have provided thousands of resources for people who are looking to sharpen their interviewing skills. Take the time to read some.

As someone who has recently had to learn about defensive driving, I can tell you that going too fast just doesn’t pay. As I told my son, if you don’t have time to do it right, you really don’t have time to do it twice.

I think if you’ll slow down, you can avoid the common mistake of hiring too quickly and firing too slowly. Make a resolution this year to try and keep from making that mistake. Hire slowly. Fire quickly.

Or as one of my nicer friends likes to say, fall in love with long hellos and short goodbyes.