Hiring Three People for the Price of One

There’s a principle that’s never rung any truer in my life than it does right now. It’s a leadership principle, with specific regard to hiring practices. I stole the principle from an interview Floodgate did with some good folks at Credera and The Container Store. Here’s what they taught me…

If you hire the right person, it’ll be like hiring three people.

The reason I’m seeing this so clearly is because I’m working next to that guy every day, and he’s proving to me how true this leadership principle is.

Meet Josh Warren.

In September 2011, we hired Josh as a part-time graphic designer. During his time at Floodgate, Josh has graduated from college (B.A. in Graphic Design), increased from part-time to full-time at Floodgate, become married to Lexi, moved into a house, and become a proud dog owner. He’s been through a ton of transitions, and it’s been awesome for me to just sit back and watch.

Here’s why Josh is so valuable to Floodgate (and how any great Team Member can radically impact any creative culture):

JOSH IS CONSISTENT – When you exist in a creative culture, the environment is always up or down, happy or sad, heaven or hell. Josh’s consistent attitude, smile, and sense of humor brings security to my heart, without losing the environment where no idea is a bad one.

JOSH IS FUNNY – He makes me laugh. He does weird things like touching my clothing when he likes what I’m wearing. He laughs at my stupid jokes, which makes me laugh, which makes Lorrie laugh, which makes Judy remind us all to stop laughing and make payroll instead. He tells people at Panda Express that I’m his father, and that he’s my son. When we were boarding a plane recently, he called me “dad” as we were boarding the plane. He just makes me laugh (although the TSA agent wasn’t thrilled).

JOSH IS EXCELLENT – He’s a gifted designer, with a keen eye for beauty. There’s a huge difference between “cool” and “beautiful”. He can do both, but always lands in the middle of beauty.

JOSH MANAGES HIMSELF  - Many people wait for the leader to tell them what to do, when to do it, etc. Josh does whatever is asked of him, but then pushes into additional projects ON HIS OWN. This is perhaps the greatest gift he can give to me and to Floodgate.

JOSH LOVES JESUS – Josh isn’t simply a Christian who attends church. He’s a Christ-follower who is involved in a local church, and who consistently presses into the Great God of the heavenlies, through Christ. He’s learning what it means to trust Christ with the details of his life, and that’s amazing to watch.

So the answer to your question is an angry “No!”

You may not hire him.

You may not speak with him about a better offer.

You may not email him in hope that one day, when he’s ready to move on, he’ll contact you.

But it’s my hope that, as your church or business continues to grow, you look for that guy or gal who will benefit the organization as much as Josh benefits Floodgate. I can honestly say that our best days are ahead of us, and he’ll play a huge part in that.

If you hire the right individual, they’ll do the work of three.

It’s true.

I get to sit next to him every day.

Have you ever considered this in hiring? Do you get to work next to this guy too?

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