He Looked Like a Superhero… Until the Phone Rang

Why losing a job to one simple question taught me a hard lesson about hiring and accountability.

You ever hire someone and feel like you just hit the jackpot? That was me with this guy. We’ll call him Mr. Incredible. He looked like a superhero and had the confidence of one too. Great interview. I thought, “This guy’s going to be a game changer.” Then he went on-call for the first time. And we lost a job before we ever had it. Why? Because he couldn’t answer one simple question.

Before we go further, if you're new here, I help restoration business owners get more profitable, reduce the chaos, and build something they can sell for a lot of money someday when they decide to move on.

Mr. Incredible’s first call wasn’t even with a customer. It was with the rep from a vendor program that assigned us emergency jobs. Their call center would contact us to confirm we could take a job, and as part of the process, we had to respond to a standard declaration: that we background check our employees and have no known felons on the team.

Simple enough, unless no one told you what to say.

He froze. Then he said, “I can't confirm that. I just started working here, and I don't know the background of the rest of the team.” The rep said “Okay, thanks” and hung up. We lost the job before we ever had a chance to respond.

No address. No contact info. Nothing.

And that was 100 percent on me.

This happens all the time. We hire someone based on an interview and gut feel. We think they’re going to be amazing. But when things fall apart, we blame the hire. When really, it’s usually us. The owner. The manager. The leader.

Maybe the hire was a bad fit from the start because we rushed it out of desperation.
Maybe they could have been great, but we didn’t set clear expectations.
Maybe they needed more direction and better onboarding.
Maybe we’re not holding them accountable, and it’s showing up in the field.

What can we do differently?

• Slow down hiring even if you’re drowning
• Use real-world scenario questions in interviews
• Call references. It might feel like a waste of time, but it's not
• Run a background check before they start, including criminal and driving history
• Create a clear, simple onboarding checklist
• Make sure new hires know what to say when the phone rings
• Set clear expectations early and revisit them often
• Audit yourself. Is this a hiring issue or a leadership issue?

That day with Mr. Incredible was a turning point for me. I could have blamed him. But when I looked in the mirror, I realized I had given him zero prep. No script. No direction. Just a phone and a hope.

If you're feeling like your new hires aren’t cutting it, pause before you fire them. Ask yourself if you gave them what they needed to succeed. If you’re not sure where to start, schedule a call with me. No pressure. Just a real conversation to help you get unstuck.