Scaling with Intention: Insights from the Executive Edge Panel on Hiring for Strategic Growth
In today’s fast-moving business landscape, hiring isn’t just about adding bodies—it’s about building impact. That was the central theme of our latest Executive Edge panel, hosted by Workergenix founder and CEO, Harley Green. This dynamic session brought together an elite lineup of business leaders to explore the often-misunderstood art of hiring with strategy, purpose, and long-term vision.
Preferred listening on the go? Catch the full podcast episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Meet the Panel
The June edition featured powerhouse panelists with deep experience in operations, team-building, and scalable business strategy:
- Clay Posey, CEO of Clearbox Strategies
- Susan Fennema, CEO of Beyond the Chaos
- Mike Slinker, CEO of Tennessee Memories & Founder of Slinker Consulting
- Jason Rosado, Business Coach and Founder of Distinctive Coaching for Business Success
Each guest shared their unfiltered insights on when to hire, how to delegate without abdicating, and what it truly takes to scale without burnout.
The Myth of “More People = More Progress”
Harley kicked things off by challenging a common myth: that hiring more people automatically leads to more output. Susan Fennema was quick to point out that without systems and structure, more team members can lead to confusion, not productivity. Clay Posey shared a vivid story from his early career, cautioning against the “military math” of assuming 200 workers can accomplish a 200-hour job in one hour. As he emphasized, each new hire introduces complexity and potential inefficiencies if not integrated with intention.
Stories of Game-Changing Hires
Each panelist shared a story of a single hire that transformed their business. For Susan, it was a part-time virtual assistant who evolved into her full-time Director of Operations—and future successor. Jason Rosado recounted how helping a client hire a project manager doubled their revenue and cut work hours in half. Mike Slinker highlighted the essential difference between visionary leaders and tactical implementers, explaining how hiring a strategic executor turned a high-growth church organization around.
Clay emphasized the leap of faith (and data) required to hire a manager before the chaos hits. His early-year hire freed him up for business development and helped match the company’s entire prior-year revenue by mid-year.
Where to Start: Ops, Sales, or Admin?
There was a healthy debate on where founders should begin scaling. Susan recommends getting out of day-to-day operations first, especially for small businesses. Jason focuses on aligning the owner’s strengths and passion with their role and building the org chart around that. The consensus? Every founder’s path is different, but clarity on your unique value is non-negotiable.
Hiring Fails & Lessons Learned
No panel on hiring would be complete without talking about what not to do. Clay shared a painful (but valuable) lesson about hiring without clear systems. Jason stressed the need for two-way interviews—encouraging founders to ask tough, disqualifying questions to reveal fit. Mike urged business owners to recognize the art of interviewing, and Susan warned about mixing business with family without a clear exit.
Knowing When It’s Time to Hire
The panel closed with actionable frameworks for recognizing when it’s time to bring someone in. Jason shared how he uses vision-based planning and energy coaching to help clients tune into their internal compass. Susan and Clay emphasized data and financial forecasting. Mike introduced a “rubber band” analogy—watching for stretch and stress as signals that your team’s capacity is maxed out.
Final Takeaways
If there’s one thing this panel made clear, it’s that hiring is never just about filling a role. It’s about aligning vision, values, and capacity to drive the business forward. When done right, a single hire can transform a company’s culture, revenue, and trajectory.
Let’s build the team that brings your vision to life.
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