3 ms·

I'm not sure it's possible to make the right choice every time when hiring - and even if he's firing a third of his hires it means that he's getting it right tw

by philk 16y ago

I'm not sure it's possible to make the right choice every time when hiring - and even if he's firing a third of his hires it means that he's getting it right two thirds of the time. Given how lousy interviewing is as a method for discerning quality employees, I'm not sure that's a bad result.

hga 16y ago
While I agree with the essay (will write on that next), firing a full 1/3 of those you've hired is going to be very debilitating for the organization. And not something I think most startups will be able to afford. And if you report or have to answer to anyone, they're not likely to be impressed that you hired that many duds/people who just didn't work out.
- jacquesm 16y ago
  > firing a fill 1/3 of those you've hired is going to be very debilitating for the organization. Exactly, hiring the right people is good for the employees (they have steady jobs in an environment where not all the faces are new all the time) and for the company because of the high cost associated with new hires. The cost of bringing a new employee up to speed is usually taken as anwywhere from 6 to 12 months of their gross pay, assuming they're engineering positions (and that's what we're talking about). For other work the cost can be lower or higher depending on how much time and effort needs to be invested by the company to get a new hire up to speed on the company procedures, code base (in case of software), work out team issues and any in-house training programs.
- mmt 16y ago
  And if you report or have to answer to anyone, they're not likely to be impressed that you hired that many duds/people who just didn't work out. I think it's important to note that the author is writing from the viewpoint of a serial entrepreneur, which means the context is small startup environments. Presumably he still might answer to a board, but those may all be co-founders. Regardless, I don't think they would need to be impressed by his management style so much as his end results.
  - hga 16y ago
    How many startups are funded entirely by real co-founders? Some, I'm sure, and a lot more now, but is that the exception rather than the rule? So if you have "normal" investors, unless the board that includes them is really hands off they'll notice and I can't imagine it will help his credibility. If it's that hands off you're in trouble in that they aren't likely to be very committed to the venture.
    - mmt 16y ago
      I'm not suggesting funding entirely by co-founders but, rather, controlled by them. It also seems a bit like speculation, unless you're a VC or angel who has seen this.
rnugent 16y ago
This ain't Baseball, it's a horrible result. I would NEVER hire a manager or leader that fired a full 1/3 of his hire. It just shows a lack of any kind of management skill and behavior like this will quickly tell your remaining 2/3rds that you are not very good at management. They will leave soon thereafter. Now, I realize that a lot of the folks on YN are young and probably thrust into their first management role without any training or mentorship. Best advice I can give is to NOT discount the generations of study on this topic and try to make shit up on your own. Read a few books on how to motivate and make employees more productive and you'll be a lot more successful than the idiot blog author

by philk 16y ago

hga 16y ago

While I agree with the essay (will write on that next), firing a full 1/3 of those you've hired is going to be very debilitating for the organization. And not something I think most startups will be able to afford. And if you report or have to answer to anyone, they're not likely to be impressed that you hired that many duds/people who just didn't work out.

jacquesm 16y ago
> firing a fill 1/3 of those you've hired is going to be very debilitating for the organization. Exactly, hiring the right people is good for the employees (they have steady jobs in an environment where not all the faces are new all the time) and for the company because of the high cost associated with new hires. The cost of bringing a new employee up to speed is usually taken as anwywhere from 6 to 12 months of their gross pay, assuming they're engineering positions (and that's what we're talking about). For other work the cost can be lower or higher depending on how much time and effort needs to be invested by the company to get a new hire up to speed on the company procedures, code base (in case of software), work out team issues and any in-house training programs.
mmt 16y ago
And if you report or have to answer to anyone, they're not likely to be impressed that you hired that many duds/people who just didn't work out. I think it's important to note that the author is writing from the viewpoint of a serial entrepreneur, which means the context is small startup environments. Presumably he still might answer to a board, but those may all be co-founders. Regardless, I don't think they would need to be impressed by his management style so much as his end results.
- hga 16y ago
  How many startups are funded entirely by real co-founders? Some, I'm sure, and a lot more now, but is that the exception rather than the rule? So if you have "normal" investors, unless the board that includes them is really hands off they'll notice and I can't imagine it will help his credibility. If it's that hands off you're in trouble in that they aren't likely to be very committed to the venture.
  - mmt 16y ago
    I'm not suggesting funding entirely by co-founders but, rather, controlled by them. It also seems a bit like speculation, unless you're a VC or angel who has seen this.

rnugent 16y ago

This ain't Baseball, it's a horrible result. I would NEVER hire a manager or leader that fired a full 1/3 of his hire. It just shows a lack of any kind of management skill and behavior like this will quickly tell your remaining 2/3rds that you are not very good at management. They will leave soon thereafter. Now, I realize that a lot of the folks on YN are young and probably thrust into their first management role without any training or mentorship. Best advice I can give is to NOT discount the generations of study on this topic and try to make shit up on your own. Read a few books on how to motivate and make employees more productive and you'll be a lot more successful than the idiot blog author