Every hire in a small business has an significant impact. One bad hire can set you back months; one great hire can accelerate growth in ways you didn’t think possible.

By putting character and chemistry first, competence and capacity second, and cost last, you build teams that are not only skilled but also trustworthy, collaborative, and future-ready.

Your people likely aren’t the problem - or at least the only problem.
Your leadership, your clarity, and your systems are.
And the good news? All of those can be fixed.

In small businesses—where systems are lighter and relationships are closer—a lack of trust can grind execution to a crawl.

In these environments, trust is the system. It’s the invisible framework that holds the team together when formal structure is still catching up.

Organizational health is the single greatest competitive advantage a company can achieve. Not strategy. Not technology. Not marketing. Health.

Organizational health is about how well the “human system” of your business works together. Healthy organizations are marked by Trust, Clarity, Alignment, and Consistency.

Rank matters… until you leave the ground.

In other words, structure, hierarchy, and command are absolutely necessary for alignment. But once the mission begins, execution depends on trust, competence, and clear shared goals.

This lesson translates directly into small business leadership.