The Demand

The next time a shift needs covering and the only candidate available is below your standard, you do not lower the bar to fill the slot. If you do, the standard does not hold at the lower level — it falls, and it takes the cast standing next to that hire down with it.

The Work

  1. Before your next short-staffed shift, decide in advance what your non-negotiable floor is for that role. Write it down so the decision is not made under pressure in the moment.
  2. When a mediocre applicant is your only option, run the shift short instead of hiring below the floor. Name the actual cost of running short for one more week versus the cost of a below-standard hire for the next year.
  3. If you have already made this trade recently, identify the hire and the standard that fell with them. Address it directly this week — either develop them to the standard fast or begin the exit.

This week, you hold the line on at least one hire you were tempted to make out of desperation, and you run short instead.