Who: The A Method for Hiring

Let us begin our journey with a gentle truth that often goes unnoticed in the hustle of daily business life: the most important decision you will ever make is not about what you do, but about who you do it with. Imagine a leader, standing at the crossroads of opportunity, surrounded by a million swirling ideas—products to launch, markets to conquer, strategies to deploy. Yet, as the morning sun streams through the office window, the quiet power of the people around them becomes clear. The right person can turn a simple strategy into a soaring success, while the wrong hire can turn even the best-laid plans into chaos.

Across countless boardrooms and startups, we see a pattern: companies that thrive are those that obsess not over what to do, but over who they invite to join their journey. The book’s opening stories paint vivid pictures—of CEOs unable to take a vacation because of mishires, of teams unraveling because the wrong person sat at the table. One leader lost millions to a trusted but ultimately unfit hire, while another found freedom and business growth only after assembling a team of true A Players. The 'who' is where the magic begins—or where the problems start.

It’s easy to be seduced by the glitter of strategy or the thrill of a new product, but the real secret is quietly working in the background: people. The book reveals that hiring mistakes cost up to fifteen times an employee’s salary. Imagine pouring $1.5 million down the drain for every $100,000 hire that goes wrong. The cost isn’t just money—it’s lost time, missed opportunities, and the silent erosion of morale. Even more sobering, half of all hiring decisions are mistakes, a coin flip at best. But there is hope: these mistakes are preventable.

Each story in this chapter is a gentle reminder that, in business and in life, the people you choose shape your destiny. As you listen, reflect on the teams you’ve built, the colleagues who have lifted you up, and those who have quietly drained your energy. This is the foundation upon which all else rests.

As we move forward, let’s explore why so many talented managers, despite their best intentions, fall into the same hiring traps again and again. It’s time to uncover the hidden patterns that hold us back, and the ancient habits that keep us from building the teams we deserve.