The hiring mistake Spara's CEO says leaders keep making

David Walker, the CEO and co-founder of Spara, a startup that creates agents for sales teams, has observed a common mistake CEOs make in hiring. According to Walker, many CEOs focus on establishing company culture after making hiring decisions, rather than hiring employees who will contribute to a positive culture. Walker himself learned this lesson the hard way when he had to fire two high-performing employees from his previous company because they undermined the culture he was trying to build.

Instead of collaborating, they sought to prove they were smarter than their colleagues. After making the difficult decision, Walker received feedback from more than a dozen staff members that it was the right thing to do, and he noted a marked improvement in company energy and culture. Walker emphasizes that company culture is defined by the people a company chooses to hire and reward, not by amenities like a ping-pong table or corporate office space.

He believes that the best hiring advice is simple: if you don't feel like the dumbest person at your company, you're likely not doing a good job in hiring. Walker identifies self-imposed imposter syndrome as a key attribute he looks for in potential hires. He also stresses the importance of employees challenging the CEO, as it fosters genuine collaboration and allows the leader to explain their decision-making process.

Walker himself has worked to improve this by learning to explain his reasons for decisions and encouraging his team to challenge him, even when it means receiving a "no." By setting up evaluation plans for decisions, Walker aims to make changes without feeling like a blunder, keeping the company moving forward.