The Hidden Cost of Hiring B Players
episode
Entry & Exit - Inside the Security & Fire Industry
14 min
2 speakers
8 chapters
transcribed 1 month ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is the difference between A, B, and C players and why does it matter?
We thought you could take a B player with an A plus plus S tier process and make them an A player? Somebody that does their job exceptionally well and is adding value and thinks outside of their little box. That's an A player.
Hey, how's your marriage on a scale from one to two? You can't say seven. You're in the eight to ten category. Like things are looking up. Can't say seven seven's comfortable.
Every minute you don't have an A player in that role is where you're not growing. Maybe they're really just a C player. Dang, that guy is like, he's doing what? Why? That's not even part of his job. What is he doing?
Most of the time, what you get at the beginning is what you're gonna have all the way through. And if they're not an A player, maybe they're really just a C player. Welcome to Entry and Exit. My name is Steven, and I also have Colin here with me. He's my my business partner, my co-host. I better have. Kind of a lovely setup there, isn't it? Um he should be. And uh today we are talking about the hidden cost of hiring B players.
Yeah. This is one of those ones where we uh We learned this one the hard way. Um We've talked about this on prior podcasts before, right? That like We thought you could take a B player with an A plus plus S tier process. And make them an A player? And uh you can't. You can't do it. And I think the problem a lot of people realize like there is a difference between a C or D player, like somebody that's just not that great, but you kind of keep around because they kind of do their job and somebody which I would define as a C or D player. And the difference between them and a B player is somebody like, yeah, they do a pretty good job.
How do B‑players create hidden costs and increase founder dependence?
They do their job. Well But they're not adding value. And that's the difference between a B and an A player. Somebody that doesn't do their job great, but they do it enough to where it's like, ah, I don't know. That's a C D. Somebody that does their job well but doesn't add value, that's a B. Somebody that does their job exceptionally well and is adding value and thinks outside of their little box, that's an A player.
The harsh reality is a lot of people like I love uh one to ten rating systems where you can't say seven.
Yeah.
And so this is true of what what people think of as a B player. So stick with me for a moment. Hey, how is your marriage on a scale from one to two? You can't say seven. Well, if we're in sixth land You're in one through six. And you know things maybe aren't peachy. Okay. If you're an eight, you're in the eight to t you're in the eight to ten category. Like things are looking up. Can't say seven seven's comfortable. Seven's like, that's fine. Can't say seven. You can't say B really, because if they're kind of this B B minus Th they're really a C player. Like I I almost would argue maybe there are no B players. Um or I think it's good to think of it like that. So Uh also I have not seen many B players. become a player's
Uh we talked about process. Maybe they're immature. Like that's kind of the only thing I can think of. Is maybe you hired someone who's really young. And they just hadn't totally grown up yet and there's a lack of maturity.
Why can’t a strong process turn a B‑player into an A‑player?
But most of the time what you get at the beginning is what you're gonna have all the way through. And if they're not an A player, maybe they're really just a C player.
You know what I hear a lot from my peers, not in our not necessarily in our industry, some, but other people I l I hear this all the time. No, that person wasn't bad a bad employee. They were just on the wrong seat on the bus. Every time I hear that and I ask my friend, like, where are they now a year later, like, Yeah, they don't work for us anymore. And it's like Yeah, of course not. There's no they're on the wrong seat of the bus. Like an A player is never on the wrong seat. They're they figure it out and they provide value. They may move roles because they want to, or you think that they would be great in another role, but there's no like, hey, you suck at this job. And so I think you might be better over here.
I just I don't know.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the difference between A, B, and C players and why does it matter?
0:00–1:52
2
How do B‑players create hidden costs and increase founder dependence?
1:52–3:29
3
Why can’t a strong process turn a B‑player into an A‑player?
3:29–5:19
4
How does hiring A‑players multiply output across the organization?
5:19–7:12
5
What is the opportunity cost of keeping mediocre talent on the team?
7:12–9:24
6
How do A‑players boost enterprise value and make a business more attractive to buyers?
9:24–11:08
7
What practical methods can you use to identify A‑players in the first 90 days?
11:08–13:40
8
How should you adjust your hiring strategy to avoid B‑players and scale faster?
13:40–14:54
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Entry & Exit - Inside the Security & Fire Industry
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