Think you made a bad hire?

Think again.

Recruiting.
Hiring.
Training.
Retention.

Four words that can make even capable business owners feel slightly nauseous.

But here’s the thing we don’t say out loud often enough:

Hiring problems are rarely people problems. They’re leadership system problems.

And if you’ve ever had the joy of offering employment to another human being—congratulations. You’ve stepped into one of the most revealing leadership mirrors there is.

What I want to talk about today is this:

Your perceptions might be clouding your perspective of your employee.

Not because you’re careless.
Maybe because you’re tired.
Possibly growing too fast.
Carrying too much.
And quietly hoping a “bum in a chair” will solve a capacity problem that’s actually structural.

Let me tell you a short story.

A familiar scene

Years ago, I hired 17 employees in one year.

Seventeen.

Not because I was unlucky.
Because I was a terrible boss.

I didn’t know that yet.

What I did know was that something wasn’t working. So instead of hiring faster—or blaming harder—I started paying attention to something else entirely.

I began studying my clients who had long-term, loyal, dedicated employees.

Not perfect teams.
Not flashy cultures.
Just steady people who stayed, grew, and thought for themselves.

Walking into those businesses felt different. Quieter. Less frantic. Decisions didn’t bottleneck the owner’s brain in the same way.

So I asked: What are they doing differently?

And what I learned changed how I lead.

But first—here’s what it looked like before I knew better.

Day one

Employer (me):
“Here’s the work. The procedure manual is a bit out of date, but you should be able to figure it out.”

The employee is experienced. Capable. A self-starter.

They review the dusty manual and quickly notice what’s missing:

• How decisions are made

• What requires approval

• What authority they actually have

• How communication works when things aren’t clear

So they do the work.
And they bring a short list of thoughtful questions.

Later that day…

Employee:
“I completed most of what you assigned. I have a couple of questions before moving forward.”

They outline options. They propose solutions. They’re not stuck—they’re being careful.

Employer’s thoughts (never spoken):
Why am I answering these questions? I hired you because you’re experienced. You should just know.

Employer’s reply:
“Have you checked the procedure manual? What’s been done in the past? I don’t have time to answer all these questions.”

Oof.

What actually happened

The employer is frustrated—because their expectations include mind-reading and a bit of magic. They haven’t provided the tools or framework for decisions, authority, or priorities.

The employee is frustrated—because they did think, research, and propose solutions… and were treated like they hadn’t.

Neither person failed.

The system did.

When clarity is missing, capable people hesitate.
When authority is vague, good judgment looks like “asking too many questions.”
When culture lives only in your head, employees guess—and guessing feels risky.

So now:

• The employer feels interrupted and disappointed

• The employee feels unsafe, second-guessed, and small

And the slow disengagement begins.

The employee tunes out.
Or leaves.
Or stays—but stops bringing their best thinking.

And the employer concludes:

“Hiring is the problem.”

Except… it isn’t.

The uncomfortable truth

In almost every case like this, the responsibility sits with leadership.

Not because you’re wrong.
Because systems don’t exist where you’re relying on expectations.

The clients I studied—the ones with steady, committed teams—weren’t better at hiring.

They were better at making the structure of the work and the decisions visible.

They didn’t expect people to “just know.”
They designed decision rights.
They named authority.
They built communication structures that removed guessing.

They made it safe for good people to think.

So if hiring and retention feel hard right now, here’s the real question:

Where are your people guessing instead of deciding?
And just as important—how would you even know if they are?

Sometimes the fix isn’t another hire.
It’s an upgrade—to communication, decision frameworks, and leadership structure.

Which is humbling.
And powerful.
And far more solvable than we like to admit.

Like realizing the map was blurry, not the driver.
You were both trying to get somewhere… just without shared directions.

And no one likes being blamed for getting lost.

👉 If you found value here, forward this to a friend or colleague who’s ready to melt the ice in their own business.
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