The Ops Experts Club Podcast – Episode 94 Summary

Episode: 94 – "Hire Fast or Hire Slow? How to Know the Difference"
Hosts: Aaron, Taryn Turner (The Collab Team)
Date: December 25, 2025

Overview

In this insightful episode, The Collab Team dives deep into the age-old hiring dilemma: when should you hire quickly and when should you take your time? Drawing from years of behind-the-scenes operations experience supporting multi-million-dollar businesses and high-profile entrepreneurs, Aaron and Taryn unpack real-world scenarios, share hands-on strategies, and provide actionable frameworks for making critical hiring decisions that directly affect business growth and team health.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Setting the Stage: The Hiring Dilemma

Timestamps: 02:00 – 04:40

• The episode starts with candid banter before Aaron frames the central question: “When should you recruit and hire fast, and when should you recruit and hire slow?”
• Not all hires are created equal; urgency and impact matter.
• Referenced the “hire slow, fire fast” adage from EOS but questioned its blanket application.

Quote:

"I do think that there are varying kinds of hires out there. I don't think all hires were created equal." – Aaron [01:45]

2. Case Study: The Dangers of Overthinking Low-Level Hires

Timestamps: 04:40 – 06:50

• Shared a story about a client struggling for months to fill a low-skill, low-cost role (<$40K/year).
• Highlighted how over-analyzing drags teams down and can lead to burnout among existing staff.
• The Collab Team’s practical recruiting process: sift through 100-150 applicants, present the top 8-10, then refine to best 2-3 for client final decision.
• Urged business owners to “freaking make the hire” if the need is urgent and the risk is low.

Quote:

"When it comes to a low-cost hire... because you’re burning out the team, freaking make the hire. Like, don't, don't dick around." – Aaron [06:00]

3. When to Hit the Brakes: Strategic Hires & Leadership Roles

Timestamps: 06:50 – 09:50

• For “higher hires” (leadership, high influence, or senior roles), take time to vet and transition.
• Shared a real example from supporting the Rainmaker Family, where they advised delaying a COO/Director of Ops hire until the founder returned from paternity leave.
• Ultimately, they promoted Kimberly internally after mentorship, citing the cultural advantage of internal growth.

Quote:

“Don’t hustle in somebody whose voice is that big that you don’t know...they could change the whole culture of your organization if you’re just going to leave them at the helm.” – Aaron [08:08]

4. Cautionary Tales: The Cost of Rushed Executive Hires

Timestamps: 09:50 – 11:00

• Taryn’s recent experience with comedian/entrepreneur Michael Jr.: slowed down hiring for a strategic ops role, allowing time for careful candidate evaluation.
• The team resisted hiring an over-compensated candidate without niche experience, ultimately hiring Megan Green, who fit both culture and experience needs.

Quote:

"They did take their time... vetting on their own, setting up some personal meetings ... really working through whether they think they're a good fit for them." – Taryn [09:58]

5. Recognizing Burnout: The Business Case for Hiring Fast

Timestamps: 11:00 – 14:45

• Cited a warehouse client paying massive overtime, realizing adding a new hire could improve cost and morale.
• Warned against “redlining” top team members to the point of burnout, which decreases performance and increases turnover risk.
• Noted that burnout can be harder to spot among salaried employees, highlighting the value of tools like Gap Analyzer.

Quote:

“We’re starting to burn out, right? Because you can only push people at overtime for so many hours before you’re going to start seeing quality drop.” – Aaron [13:41]

6. Combatting Scope Creep & Role Bloat

Timestamps: 14:45 – 17:45

• Taryn emphasizes how rapid growth causes roles to balloon, trapping talent in mismatching responsibilities (e.g., customer support eating up a specialist’s time).
• The Collab Team often steps in to “free up” these team members by recommending tactical, sometimes part-time hires to restore focus and engagement.

Quote:

"Nobody's really stopped to ask, oh, maybe we should hire a customer support person even part time just to take care of the basic necessities... free up this person to do what they're brilliant at." – Taryn [15:16]

7. Visionaries vs. Operations: Understanding Bandwidth

Timestamps: 17:45 – 19:45

• Visionary founders often underestimate the sustained load their launches or events place on teams.
• Warned about the fallacy that energy in bursts (by the founder) equals available bandwidth across the team.

Quote:

"Visionaries don't realize, man, I'm back to back to back to back stack in my team. And they feel okay because they still have bandwidth... but their team needs help. Like their team is drowning." – Aaron [17:00]

8. Labor Ratios & Making Healthier Hiring Decisions

Timestamps: 19:45 – 21:00

• Encouraged founders to actively monitor labor ratios and avoid mistaking “having enough people” for having bandwidth properly aligned with business model demands.
• Losing trained staff to preventable burnout is a costly mistake.

Quote:

"You've invested a lot of money into the people that have been with you, like, keep them healthy. Because the fastest way you can lose money is having somebody quit unnecessarily." – Aaron [19:17]

9. Practical Tools & Recommendations

Timestamps: 21:00 – 22:50

• Always use the Gap Analyzer to assess individual role overload and address scope creep.
• Use EOS’s Delegate and Elevate tool to clarify team members’ “zone of genius” and offload low-impact work.
• Update roles and job descriptions quarterly through tools like the EOS 555 evaluation.
• Hire for specific needs, not generic skill overlaps; encourage internal team mobility and fulfillment.

Quote:

"Just don't hire more jacks of all trades. You know, the bigger you get, the more isolated and focused each of your hires should be." – Taryn [20:38]

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Aaron’s Montana Mug Ritual:
  “If any of you wonder if I pick up this mug, just realize the magic is about to begin.” [02:29]

• On Internal Promotions:
  "Kimberly turned out to be an incredible director of ops and has gone on to...another amazing organization." – Aaron [08:45]

• Jazz Hands & Engagement:
  “When they get jazzed up, they are stoked. They start using jazz hands more often. You know, I'm saying there's all kinds of energy coming out of them. Jazzed up is where you want to live.” – Aaron [16:08]

Recap: Hire Fast vs. Hire Slow Framework

• Hire Fast:

  • Low-impact/low-cost roles
  • When the team is overloaded/burning out
  • When extended hiring creates more harm than risk of a “miss”

• Hire Slow:

  • Leadership, culture-impact, or strategic roles
  • When mistakes have high cost/impact or could disrupt the culture
  • Take time for deep vetting, interviews, and considering internal talent

Useful Frameworks & Tools Mentioned

• Gap Analyzer: (Gapanalyzer.com) — Identifies role overload and team gaps.
• Delegate and Elevate: (from EOS) — Helps clarify “zone of genius.”
• Quarterly Role Review: (EOS 555 evaluation) — Ensures everyone’s role matches business needs and prevents scope creep.

Final Thoughts

• Don’t let over-cautiousness prevent you from addressing urgent, low-risk hiring needs (“freaking make the hire”).
• For strategic or high-level hires, slow down, vet carefully, and consider internal promotions.
• Monitor labor ratios, scope creep, and bandwidth—not just headcount.
• Use strategic tools to keep the team focused and operating at its best.

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