Make every hire bulletproof.

Use this to pressure-test your hiring decisions before you send the offer or ask for sign-off.

1. Is there a real business case?

• Can you clearly tie this role to a measurable business outcome?
• Have you defined the cost of not hiring (e.g. delivery risk, burnout, missed revenue)?
• Does the team need a new capability - or are you just replacing like-for-like?

If you can't justify this role on paper, it won't hold up in the boardroom.

2. Is the role scoped for outcomes, not just tasks?

• Have you defined what success looks like at 3, 6, and 12 months?
• Is this hire solving a problem - or just filling a seat?
• Will this person add to your team’s capabilities, or just replicate what’s already there?

Strategic hires are framed around impact, not activity.

3. Is your vetting process defensible?

• Did you use structured interviews with clear evaluation criteria?
• Can you explain why each shortlisted candidate made it through?
• Did you assess motivation, retention risk, and team fit using evidence - not just gut feel?

If your CFO asked, “Why this one?”, would you have a clear answer?

4. Have you de-risked the hire?

• Do you know where this candidate might fail - and how you’ll support them early?
• Have you pressure-tested their track record against the demands of this role?
• Have you documented trade-offs or gaps transparently?

No one is perfect. Defensible hiring means knowing the risk - and planning for it.

5. Can you explain the decision in under 3 minutes?

• Can you confidently justify this hire to Finance or SLT with data, not opinions?
• Do you have a simple, ROI-focused case for why this candidate over others?
• Could your notes survive being forwarded around without needing you to explain them?



If you’re defending this hire live, make it easy to say “yes.”