Podcast Summary: Build with Leila Hormozi Episode: The Importance of Hiring & First Impressions w/ Our New President | Operator Pod Ep 1
Release Date: July 21, 2025
Host: Leila Hormozi
Guest: Sharon (New President)

Introduction

In the inaugural episode of the Operator Pod, Leila Hormozi welcomes Sharon, the newly appointed President of Acquisition.com. Together, they delve into their experiences during the first 60 days of working together, emphasizing the significance of hiring practices and creating impactful first impressions. Their candid conversation offers valuable insights into fostering a strong company culture, effective onboarding, and the strategic importance of hiring the right talent.

First 60 Days: Expectations vs. Reality

Sharon’s Initial Impressions
Sharon shares her observations from her initial days at Acquisition.com, highlighting the high level of competence balanced with humility among team members.

• “I expected everybody to be jammed, everyone working hard, everyone to have packed calendars. And it is 100% true.” [00:18]
• “Finding a combination of extremely bright, competent, smart people, but also having a really tight kind of humility component to that, that is very rare, but it's super hard to find.” [01:14]

Leila’s Perspective on Leadership and Culture
Leila discusses her approach to shaping company culture by hiring and, when necessary, parting ways with leaders who don't embody their values.

• “You shape the culture by who you hire and fire.” [01:36]
• “Would I want 10 more of them in the organization?” referencing the book Multipliers. [02:40]

Building a Culture of Sincere Candor

Operationalizing Honest Feedback
Sharon reflects on an interview with a candidate who admired the team's honest communication but lacked the environment to model it.

• “You get an environmental boost. You just need to have the skill to have sincere candor, but it's not that the environment can, is like 50%.” [03:18]

Leila’s Approach to Interviews and Onboarding
Leila emphasizes that the interview process is a mutual evaluation, serving as the beginning of onboarding.

• “If you don't want you behaving like this. Here’s what I don't believe in.” [04:24]
• “The interview process is almost like the beginning of onboarding.” [06:29]

The Power of Writing Memos

Implementing a Memo Culture
Both Leila and Sharon discuss the importance of writing memos to clarify ideas, enhance understanding, and streamline meetings.

• “Nothing great ever happened without it being written down.” [16:54]
• “If you can just get in the habit of writing a memo, it works.” [19:44]

Benefits of Memos in Organizational IQ
Sharon explains how memos elevate the organization by ensuring deep understanding and efficient information dissemination.

• “The person writing it has so much depth and granularity and the person reading it gets an instant like MBA upgrade in that topic.” [23:15]

Overcoming Hiring Challenges

Dealing with Hiring Fears
Leila addresses common fears related to hiring, such as the possibility of hiring the wrong person, and encourages embracing the learning process through initial missteps.

• “You will [hire the wrong person]. And until you've hired the wrong person, you won't get the right one.” [54:14]

Strategic Hiring for Growth
Sharon advises leaders to focus on the opportunity cost of their time and to bring in senior roles that can exponentially increase the company's capacity.

• “If you have double the capacity, which in reality, it's like I have 10x the capacity.” [54:45]
• “What can we both do that's worth more than what we both do right now?” [55:03]

Fostering an Inclusive and Respectful Culture

Breaking Down Hierarchical Barriers
Leila and Sharon discuss the importance of treating all team members with respect, regardless of their titles or roles, to prevent silos and promote collaboration.

• “Treat them like everyone else.” [38:35]
• “Holding everybody to the same standard. Culture is not like it's not based on hierarchy.” [38:49]

Encouraging Cross-Functional Collaboration
Leila emphasizes that team members should not be confined to their roles but encouraged to collaborate across functions for better outcomes.

• “I don’t see you as head of tech, head of CS. I see you as a head in the organization.” [34:42]
• “Partnering with different people to do different things.” [35:03]

Embracing Unreasonable Goals for Greater Achievements

Setting Ambitious Targets
Sharon advocates for setting challenging, seemingly unreasonable goals to push the team beyond their comfort zones and achieve significant results.

• “If you just take an unreasonable frame on things, you can accomplish way more.” [44:32]
• “What do you have to show for it? … If there's not a lot to show for it, you just reprioritize it your next day to show for it.” [48:27]

Leveraging Momentum and Inspiration
Leila shares her experience with writing a book, illustrating the importance of acting swiftly on inspiration to maintain momentum.

• “Start writing today. … This is like the thinking process, what you gain from that as well as what you gain from when the candidate reads it.” [51:12]

Most Rewarding and Challenging Experiences

Sharon’s Rewarding Experience
Sharon recounts her proactive approach in connecting with every team member, seeking their advice, which fostered immediate trust and provided valuable guidance.

• “What is one piece of advice you have for me? And you'll see a pattern around that. And that's a really valuable pattern.” [41:27]

Sharon’s Challenges
She highlights the difficulty of maintaining high expectations and avoiding the trap of setting overly reasonable time frames that hinder potential.

• “We were working on this big project in finance. I go, well, why should it take six months? Can we do it in 60 days?” [43:31]
• “If you keep asking yourself that question, what do you have to show for it? … it's very easy to collapse a reasonable to unreasonable.” [48:27]

Conclusion

Leila Hormozi and Sharon's conversation in this first episode of the Operator Pod underscores the critical role of strategic hiring, a strong cultural foundation, and proactive leadership in building an unshakeable business. Their insights into creating an environment of sincere candor, the effectiveness of a memo culture, and the pursuit of ambitious goals provide a roadmap for leaders aiming to scale their companies successfully. By fostering respect, collaboration, and continuous improvement, Acquisition.com exemplifies how thoughtful practices can drive exponential growth and sustain a robust organizational framework.

Notable Quotes:

• “Finding a combination of extremely bright, competent, smart people, but also having a really tight kind of humility component to that, that is very rare, but it's super hard to find.” — Sharon [01:14]
• “Nothing great ever happened without it being written down.” — Sharon [16:54]
• “Would I want 10 more of them in the organization?” — Leila [02:40]
• “You shape the culture by who you hire and fire.” — Leila [01:36]
• “If you keep asking yourself that question, what do you have to show for it? … it's very easy to collapse a reasonable to unreasonable.” — Sharon [48:27]