How We Find the Ones Who Just Get It
Hiring the right consultant isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about building the kind of process that makes the right people show up—and lets the wrong ones opt out early.
How We Find the Ones Who Just Get It
There’s a certain type of person I want on my team.
Not because they know every platform. Not because they’ve memorized the buzzwords. But because I can drop them into a mess—undefined roles, missing context, slightly tense room—and trust that they’ll stay calm, tune in, and figure it out.
Not everyone can do that.
So the real question becomes: how do we find the ones who can?
You Can’t Interview for Calm
The ones we’re looking for don’t usually tell you they’re good under pressure. They just are. They don’t panic. They don’t pretend. They observe, interpret, and move.
And that kind of mindset doesn’t pop on a resume. You won’t see it in a "years of experience" filter. It doesn’t show up in certifications or tech stacks.
So you have to build for it.
Build a Tuning Fork, Not a Checklist
I’ve started thinking of the hiring process like a tuning fork.
You don’t always know exactly what you’re listening for—but when the right person’s in the room, something hums. The energy shifts. They say one thing and you instantly know: oh, you get it.
So I stopped trying to predict which resumes would "hit."
Instead, I started designing a process that lets me feel it when it does.
Tilt the Gameboard
Sometimes the easiest way to find the right person is to tilt the gameboard just enough so they naturally slide into view.
Here’s what I mean:
I’ll ask the kinds of questions that don’t have clear right answers.
I’ll frame the problem slightly off-center.
I’ll drop a throwaway comment that most people ignore—but the right person can’t help but follow up on.
It’s not a trick. It’s alignment. I’m not testing them. I’m just seeing if we move the same way.
The ones I’m looking for?
They don’t over-explain.
They don’t try to impress.
They click in.
Leave a False Door
Sometimes I’ll leave a gap in the briefing on purpose.
Not to be unfair. But to see who notices. Who asks the question. Who just fills it in on their own and keeps going.
Because the people I trust the most in consulting?
They don’t wait for perfect clarity.
They make clarity.
That’s what I’m trying to sense. That’s what I’m building for.
What We’re Really Doing
We’re not evaluating resumes.
We’re not screening for tools.
We’re building a selection process that lets the right kind of mind show up and recognize something in us too.
The fork hums.
The board tilts.
The door opens—and they walk through.
That’s how we find the ones who just get it.
