A free research brief for family-owned businesses between $10M and $500M
Hire A Players on Purpose,
Not by Luck
The wrong hire doesn’t just cost money.
It stalls your succession. It keeps you in the building. Most family businesses hire the way they’ve always hired: a resume, a conversation, a feeling. That process works until it doesn’t. And when it fails at the leadership level, the cost isn’t just financial — it’s relational, operational, and generational.
The problem is not the labor market. The problem is the hiring process.
Most hiring failures are not failures of judgment. They are failures of process. And process failures can be corrected.
This research brief introduces the Topgrading framework — built on four operational pillars — that replaces instinct with evidence. It treats hiring not as an event, but as a discipline.
Inside the brief:
- The 8 patterns that consistently lead to bad hires (and how to interrupt them)
- The A/B/C player framework with operational definitions
- A 30-day action plan to start before your next open role
- The scorecard template: build one before you post the position
Fill Your Key Roles With A-Players, On Purpose
Learn how to avoid costly hiring mistakes, define what success looks like before you hire, use structured interview questions to identify the right candidates, and recognize when it’s better not to hire. Build a stronger team, reduce turnover, and protect the culture you’ve worked hard to create.
