Ep 246: Nobody Warned Me About This Part: Hiring Would Expose My Own Weaknesses

Hiring people is supposed to create capacity. But what happens when bringing someone onto your team actually makes your business feel more complicated? In this episode, Michelle Lynne gets honest about one of the parts of business ownership nobody warned her about: hiring people would force her to confront how much of her business was living inside her own head. When you've built a business around your own instincts, experience, and standards, it's easy to assume that what feels obvious to you will be obvious to everyone else. But your team can't read your mind—and they shouldn't have to. Michelle shares the lessons she learned as her design firm grew, including why hiring initially created more work instead of less, how recurring team problems can reveal weaknesses in the business itself, and why delegation requires more than simply handing someone a list of responsibilities. She also explores the uncomfortable reality that sometimes the problem really is the employee—but you can't fairly determine that until you've looked at the role, the process, your leadership, and the support you've provided. ### In this episode, Michelle talks about: - Why hiring often begins with addition before it creates subtraction - How a team exposes the parts of your business that have been running on your memory, instinct, and unwritten standards - The difference between describing a task and actually defining what "good" looks like - Why "be more proactive," "use your judgment," and "take care of the client" aren't actually clear standards - The principle: "Every project is different, but the process should be the same." - How undocumented processes turn the owner into the answer to every routine question - Why capable owners can accidentally create dependent employees by solving problems too quickly - The difference between giving someone responsibility and giving them the authority to actually own it - Why offering your perspective is different from taking the work back - How delayed feedback can turn a simple conversation into a much bigger problem - Why caring about your team can sometimes become an excuse for avoiding difficult conversations - How to determine whether you're dealing with a people problem, a role problem, or a leadership/process problem - When you have to accept that someone simply isn't the right fit for the role - Why examining your own leadership doesn't mean taking responsibility for every failed hire - What Michelle does differently today as she leads her design firm ### A question to ask yourself If you're frustrated with someone on your team right now, don't start with: "Is she a good employee or a bad employee?" Instead, look at the role. Ask yourself: - What has actually been made clear? - What authority does she have? - What feedback has she received? - What support has been provided? - Does the process actually support the work? - Have I communicated what needs to be communicated? - Have I given her enough room to make decisions? If you've done those things and the same problem continues, you may finally have the information you need to address the person or the fit with confidence. Because sometimes the answer is better direction. Sometimes it's a better role. And sometimes, uncomfortable as it may be, it's a different person. ### The bigger lesson Hiring isn't simply a way to purchase more capacity. Hiring is a commitment to lead. When someone joins your company, they're stepping into your clients, your history, your standards, your processes—and all of the assumptions you may not even realize you've made. Your job as the owner is to make as much of that invisible information visible as you reasonably can. Standards need to be stated. Responsibilities need to be clear. Processes need to be documented. Feedback needs to happen while it can still be useful. And authority needs to accompany responsibility. Because the goal isn't to create a team that thinks exactly like you. It's to create a business where talented people can make good decisions without needing the owner to be the answer to everything. ### Work With Michelle If you're in the middle of a team situation and you're too close to it to tell whether you have a people problem, a role problem, or a leadership problem, private coaching can help you step back, separate the facts from the frustration, and determine what needs to change. Learn more about working with Michelle here: https://thedesignbakehouse.com/private-coaching ### Keep Listening This episode is part of Michelle's series about the parts of business ownership nobody warned us about—the messy, uncomfortable, and surprisingly valuable lessons that come with growing a company. Because sometimes you don't need another business strategy. You need to be willing to look at what your business is showing you.