"The Hiring Mindset — Owner vs Manager"

One thing I have noticed as a recruiter is how different hiring feels when it comes directly from the owner of the business.

One thing I have noticed as a recruiter, especially working with small to medium-sized businesses, is how different hiring feels when it comes directly from the owner of the business. In the early stages of growth, owners are usually deeply passionate about building their team because every hire feels personal.

But as businesses grow, owners eventually hire managers, HR leaders or department heads, and naturally the responsibility of hiring starts moving away from the owner. This is where I often notice a shift. Not because managers or employees care less, work less hard or are less capable. I think it is simply very difficult to replicate the exact same emotional and financial exposure an owner feels towards a business they have built themselves.

The owner thinks: Will this person help us grow? Will this person add value in the short term and long term? Whereas hiring managers may still have passion towards finding the right person, but there is often an underlying responsibility sitting there as well: We need to fill this role. Very similar actions. Slightly different emotional connection behind them.

In many ways, these experiences and observations have probably even shaped some of my own decisions around Hiring Solutions. One of the reasons I never strongly pushed towards building a very large recruitment business was because I wanted to preserve the same passion, mindset and personal involvement I have always had towards recruitment.

In summary, if you are a business owner, one of the biggest challenges in growing a business is not just hiring more people — but preserving the mindset that helped build the business in the first place.

Need personalised help with this?

I have spent 15 years on the hiring side of the table. I have interviewed thousands of candidates and seen exactly what works and what does not. Book a session and I will give you direct, honest advice based on your specific situation.