Three Things I Learned In SaaS, Sports, Tech, & Live Events 9.29.23
How having an offer pulled on me changed the way we hire and team build
We had several final interviews this week.
Some went well, some didn't. What I learned from getting denied, after getting an offer, for my first job out of college and how it has helped us build a business:
For a myriad of silly kid reasons, I was unemployed when I graduated school in June of 2001. I had what was in my bank account and nothing more if I wanted to stay in Los Angeles.
After 50+ interviews, I narrowed down to my final gigs as a buyer at PacSun, in sales at ADP in Long Beach, or at News Corp.
ADP was first up.
ADP had a terrific interview process—phone interview, in-person, ride-along, and another in-person. The process took about a month.
After the final interview, the hiring manager, Vince, emailed me the job.
This was terrific news! The worst case was a good one.
I e-mailed Vince a very thoughtful "thank you" and said I had "one more interview at another place I'd like to see through next week if that's okay with you."
It wasn't okay with him. He pulled the job. "We're not second to anyone."
I was astonished and angry. What a jerk! All my friends and family felt the same - all saying something like, "If they really wanted you, they'd wait while you see through your other offer."
I learned Lesson 1: Only hire those who absolutely have to be there.
All our greatest success stories have one thing in common: they wouldn't take no for an answer. They didn't need "time to consider" after a month-long informative interview process.
Vince wasn't a jerk…he was right. I should have been ready to accept right there. And if I wasn't, how much did I want it or appreciate what he loved?
In "Swamp Kings," the Netflix documentary on the two time National Champion Florida Gators, Urban Meyer calmly states "Our job is to figure out who wants to be here. If there's a sliver of doubt, this isn't for them." He was right.
I finished the process at PacSun and, to my surprise, took the job at News Corp due to how much I liked and admired my manager (and still do).
But I didn't care about the industry. I needed a job. And it was the best of what I'd seen.
Six months later, I left for the Dodgers after News Corp invested in me and treated me so well.
I learned Lesson 2: Never hire anyone just looking for a job right now. And they're pretty easy to sniff out, even though they'll say whatever they think it takes to get the job.
Growing a team we care about is expensive. It takes us time, money, and emotional buy-in. News Corp was great to me, but it wasn't my passion. And I screwed them.
As we've implemented these lessons into our business - to fantastic results - we've drawn a lot of ire. People angrily respond to me like I did with Vince. Which I understand - I lived it!
But I don’t care because I learned Lesson #3 long ago from defending National Champion Kirby Smart: "We're looking for exceptional, not exceptions."
We don't have unlimited time and resources. I've learned that the hard way.
Vince was right. I owe him a Thank You.