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What Is The Biggest Mistake You’ll Likely Make As A Startup CEO?
I blew it. The voice in the back of my head was arguing with itself. On the one hand it was saying, “Don’t hire ‘Tom’. There’s something wrong with him.”
On the other hand, the voice was saying, “Brett, you need help in this area. You should hire Tom. He’s got a wealth of experience. The whole board has interviewed him and loves him. Two board members have worked with him previously. He’ll help close funding. Just do it, Brett! Hire Tom.”
The first voice said to the second voice, “Brett, he’s all of those things, but he’s just a little off. Are you really sure about this?”
The second voice in my head said, “Yes, I’m sure about this. I am going to make an offer to Tom.”
And then we hired him.
Months later, as we were in the process of closing funding, Tom told me he had consulted a few years ago for another venture-backed company. I didn’t remember seeing it on Tom’s CV.
The chairman of venture-backed company was a personal friend, so I called him and asked about Tom. Here’s what I heard:
- Tom was an employee, not a consultant
- Tom was fired after 6 months on the job
